Getting Climbing roses to flower

Basically, be patient! It won't flower this year now. You need to train the shoots as horizontally as possible along wires, tying them in. In the early spring, mulch it with well-rotted manure or good home-made compost. Then the new shoots should appear and these are the ones which will flower for you. You need to keep tying them in as they grow. Good luck!

Hello Crowther.

I saw on a recent TV show advice to place banana skins around the base of roses.

I've started doing this. I wonder if this helps flowering.
I'd be interested in comments from GOY members as to whether bananas really do help roses.

I eat lots of bananas, so no shortage of banana skins. Haven't slipped on any.............yet.

The banana skins contain potassium I think, so should help flowering. You can chop them up and bury near the base of the rose.

Yes, I think burying the skins would be better than leaving them on the top, which I have been doing so far. I hadn't heard about the warts information. That's interesting.

I did wonder whether any 'garden nasties' might be attracted to the banana skins, such as snails, slugs or unwelcome creepy crawlies.

Interesting to know how Marguerite feeds her lawn and roses.

Yes, Chrispook, I eat bananas for the potassium. Rafael Nadal chomps away at bananas when playing tennis matches, so that must be a good recommendation!

So summing up so far, Crowther, we are suggesting patience, training, mulching, and bananas ! I'm sure others will come up with further advice.