Training rose to new trellis

I have just attached a trellis to the wall to train my first ever rose, a David Austin 'Tess Of The d'Urbervilles' variety. It is supposed to be able to be trained as a climber up to 2 metres. It has run free since I bought it about 3 months ago, supported by a thin triangular bamboo framework. I did re-pot it from it's original container to a large barrel about a week after I bought it. It has been well looked after, watered and fed. I used John Innes No. 3 compost to re-pot with a top layer of well rotted manure, which I have already topped up. I also use a rose clear spay on the leaves every now and again. It has grown quite a lot since I got it! It has flowered once early on and has started again with lots of new growth and buds. The thing is, I have no idea about how to train it to the trellis and what to trim off and when! Some of the branches are close to the trellis and I have been able to attach them carefully, but others are pointing the wrong way and are too thick and forward to pin back. I have seen a couple of guides, but I would like to know what to do now to my particular rose bush. I feel nervous about cutting things!

 

I'm glad you brought this up as I have the exact same question. I have D. A. Claire Austin and want to get a Tess as well but have no idea how to train them. I'm sure someone will come along to sort us out!

 

Hi there Julie and Catztail

First of all, don't be scared! Roses are very adaptable plants and you'd have to be a very poor gardener indeed to kill your plant or wreck it forever.

If you have shoots which are growing in the wrong place and aren't sufficiently bendy to train to your trellis, get rid of them. Retain some canes which you can work into a permanent structure. Roses always bloom better if you can train the shoots as horizontally as possible; also, if you let the canes grow straight upwards, eventually all the leaves and flowers will be at the top and you'll have only ugly stems to look at lower down. It looks as though your trellis is quite narrow, which makes things a little more difficult. However, I have a rose growing in a similar situation and decided to train the shoots in a zig-zag pattern, gently bending and tying them in place so that they snake from one side of the trellis to the other. (Wiseoldowl recommends this method for rose arches.) You'll find that secondary, flower-bearing shoots will grow from this framework and you should get a good, even crop of blooms. This sounds more complicated that it is; I'll see if I can find a link or a book which has a handy diagram!

 

How about this?

AshdownRoses's Channel - YouTube

 

Brilliant! Thanks Claire! I'm sure it isn't too complicated, I just haven't done it before. Any help I can get I will take. BTW, I am a Julie as well so reading this has been a bit weird..... its like I'm being spoken to twice....LOL!!