How and when should I prune my ‘Westerland’ climbing roses? —Bonnie Cox, Montgomery, AL
‘Westerland’ is considered a modern climbing rose. It develops canes that grow vigorously, producing orange-tinged apricot flowers into autumn. Except for removing dead wood, don’t prune the first two or three years the rose is in your garden. After that, prune early each spring, when the rose is still dormant.
Remove dead or diseased portions of canes along with any sucker growth that comes from below the graft union. Prune out the oldest canes and any weak or thin young canes. Be sure to keep several thick, vigorous, long canes. You’ll get the best display if you can coax those canes into arched, horizontal positions by tying the tips to some sort of support so they face downward. That way, buds along the canes will grow upward.