Whether as an entrance to the garden or across the garden path; a rose arch is the epitome of romance. Year after year, you will enjoy a sea of roses for months.

Coming up smelling of roses

You can buy a rose arch made of wood or metal ready-made, or make your own. The climbing roses that you plant next to it come in all kinds of varieties: with small or large flowers, double-flowered or with open hearts. You can combine roses in different colours, for example, pink and red. The roses will intermingle on the arch. And if you choose fragrant roses, things are sure to come up smelling of roses!

Tying up onto the rose arch

Help your rose bush climb by tying the branches with tying materials. You can do this with flexi-ties. Choose several main branches that you guide over the arch. Don’t tie them too tightly; the branches are still going to get thicker. The flowers will automatically appear mainly at the top, because climbing roses grow towards the light. One trick is to bend them horizontally halfway and tie them. The bush will then form new side branches with lots of flowers.

Pruning

You don’t need to prune your roses for the first two years after planting. After that, in the second half of March, prune a few main branches back to form new shoots. Leave 2 or 3 ‘eyes’; these are places where the leaves were before; they are shaped like a smiley face. Don’t panic if your rose doesn’t flower abundantly straight away; a climbing rose first puts its energy into growth and then into blooming.

Tips:

• Choose a rose that matches the height of your arch, most will be 2 to 3 metres high.
• Place a number of arches one behind the other to create a tunnel of roses.
•  Create an intimate corner: put a rose arch against a fence or shed wall with a bench underneath.