Marijon, You don't say where you are located -- but if you were in my area, I would say that a major pruning of this rose is not needed at this time. In my Southern CA area, a 2-year-old climber of this type is still immature. Can you say where you are located? Jeri

I planted my JC climber about 5 yrs ago. It is not achieving the height I'd like in its sunny location. It's only about 5 1/2 ft tall. Blooming is very very profuse initially but then black spot usually appears and resulting blooms are very very few and the foliage is no longer pretty. I do love it there so not looking to necessarily move it at this moment but...wondering if I could prune it into a small tree type form? It has one very strong woody leader. Let me know - thanks!

What is going on is that you just planted it 6 weeks ago, and the poor thing is trying to grow roots while simultaneously supporting all of that top growth. However, it looks mainly fine. If it was mine I would cut off ONLY the canes or parts of canes that are brown and obviously completely dead. Then I would leave it alone for at least one year, so that it can grow roots and get established. Next Spring, when it stops freezing, you can prune it a bit. Jackie

It's been a few years since I grew Joseph's Coat (it was great!), but I seem to recall it had moderately stiff canes. I grew mine against a fence, which was easier. But it should be able to grow on an arbor, too. The thing to do with climbers it to tie the canes against their support when they're brand new; that's when they're most pliable. Remember, too, that climbers bloom more from canes that are horizontal, so expect to see more blooms once the plant has reached the top of the arbor. If it's happy where it's planted, that should be by the second season. As for the cutting back question, this isn't universal, but MOST climbers bloom primarily on laterals growing from 2nd year canes, so the first year you see only a few blooms from the end of new canes. The way to prune for a more vibrant climber is to cut out older woody canes and leave long canes that have grown the past season. That way the plant's energy can focus on the "productive" canes. So think "thinning" rather than "shortening" when pruning a climber. I hope that's helpful. Mike