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Rose arch prep.

• Message 1. 

  Posted by punpun (U14553477) on Sunday, 24th October 2010

  Hi all,
  The weather here today was cool but that over hanging cloud "thing" threatening to burst into rain all day "and it did at about 5pm.
  
  Ive been sorting the climbing rose's out today, ive a rose tunnel i built last year when i first planted 8 rose's of verious colours (all scented) and as ive said so many times it's the ground prep thats so very important and once again inspite of a very hard winter last year the work done in getting the ground ready for those 8 roses has proved worth while as all the rose's came through the bad winter and gave me a nice "but small" showing of roses.
  
  You do need a few years at least for any such rose to give its full flower show and this year has been the building up of the root system "All done by regular feeding throughout the summer.
  
  Todays work was to prune the sticking out and not wanted stems and also to secure the stems that have reached the top of the tunnel (approx 7 feet high) and help these stems to bend over the roof of the tunnel,
  i do this by firstly fixing clothing pegs to the tips of the long stems, this helps them bend without damage to the remaining stem (ive done this from May)
  Now It's coming up to the windy time of the year i need to secure these stems so they wont sway about in the winds and also by using wire (wire coat hanger wire can be used if cut to size) the stems will continue to grow to the tunnel shape hence covering all the top of this tunnel,
  Can you imagen both the sight and smell of this tunnel when all the rose's are in full bloom?
  
  It's one of those jobs thats worth doing while the winds are not about and it's a job for a pair of good gloves or if like me you tend to take the gloves off? Then a good first aid kit is handy.
  
  Well thats been my days work in the garden today and just as i'd finished it poured down,
  nothing like good timing!

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by zoomer44 (U14019069) on Monday, 25th October 2010

  I've been buying plants over the summer to plant out next year. I'm planning on having an area with grasses, ferns and palms.
  
  I've considered a pergola but now decided on a trellis dividing the garden in two with the veg beds hidden behind and a flower bed in front of the trellis. At present there is no flower bed, my flowers go in troughs and pots.
  
  I like the idea of an arch over the path too so on that basis have purchased some climbing plants. Two are rose climbers, they are in pots and came pruned right down with green leaves on.
  
  I've read it is the time to plant them out but the area they will go is not likely to be ready until spring. With your experience of growing rose climbers what would you suggest is the best way to keep them until then. They don't look to be pot bound with no roots coming out of the bottom of the pots. I was planning on keeping them in the GH and wasn't going to do much else with them until spring.

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• Message 3

  , in reply to message 2.

  Posted by punpun (U14553477) on Monday, 25th October 2010

  Hi zoomer,
  nice to hear your going to do the trellis bit (more ref ideas on this in a minute)
  
  ref Your climbers and your ground not being ready yet! two things here you can think about, (1) is to heal the complete climber into the ground as a temp, measure but ensure you give them a top mulch of straw or bracken to protect from sever frost, or (2) if you do use the unheated greenhouse "and why not" make sure the tub or pot the climber is in is again well protected from frost as even in the unheated green house frost can be a killer, so really wrap the container well as you must understand the container is above ground level and very exposed to the frost.
  
  Now the good bit, your trellis,
  
  I made my tunnel by buying 3 arch frames ie the wooden sort you see for climbers and from these i added the long top and bottom sides, these i made from buying wooden round thick post and splitting them from one end to the other end, ive now got 2 side supports, (i repeated the above by buying 6 post in all "splitting them so i ended up with 12 sides)
  
  ive an one arch at each end of my tunnel and one in the middle and joining these 3 arches are the 12 side split post "6 at the top and 6 as the bottom rails,
  the top rails are 3 feet from the floor and the lower rails are 6 inch from the floor.
  
  I then saved a fortune by buying roof battens from the builders, these are about 2inch wide, 1/4 thick and come in verious lengths of about 12 to 18 feet long,
  
  they are very good value and because of the lengths it gives you a chance to get the cutting of each one correct.
  
  Now you'll need to get a piece of wood 4inch by 4inch square (a block in other words) to use as a temp plate so as you secure each wooden battern to the side rails the spacing is the same for all battens,
  when you've done each side of your trellis work you can decide if you want to repeat this building of the top of your climbing frame,
  
  I did all sides top and bottom and i used roof battens for the top of the roof area of my tunnel, ie 4 long batterns per section and as ive 3 arch this ment 12 battens in all for the roof section, (these act as a support for the roses to cling on and help the arched roof shape as they grow)
  
  If you do the same idea as ive done you'll give the complete frame (or tunnel) both good space for climbing roses ect and the frame will be secure in wind ect,
  and a lot cheaper than bought ready made ones.
  
  Paint it before the climbers get to grow up and over it " used fence oak coloured wood stain"
  
  And this helps protect it until the roses cover the wood.
  It looks good and should last for years.

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