Pruning back rose bushes and other bushes

I have a long stem and climbing too. THe long stem is the one I refer to in the discussion above. I want to make sure I do the best I can to keep that one. I am not much a rose fan...they don't last (in a vase) to long and the petals fall so quickly, but since I have it, I'll take care of it and enjoy while they last! But the climbing...not to concerned with that in a way. There are two by the block wall on the property line. THe little roses on it aren't that pretty, but the color will be nice. Let me know if you find anything else out about them. I did cut them back a few weeks ago as they were just all over the place and looked junky. Do you some how attach them to the wall to make them climb? I mean, I know that is their "point" of a climbing bush, but I have no idea how to attached to cement blocks! But Maybe a trellis behind them might work. I hope I get some good responses. I want to learn now that I have the ability to have plants!

So you suggest no trellis? Or just plastic ones? I'd think the wide bottoms would be best as there is more strength there for holding all the climbing branches. Which did you have luck with? I would like to try to get them to grown and structure them (with a trellis) to grow wider as oppose to higher...that way I can make them look like a wall of roses against the block wall. If they were in the back yard, I wouldn't mind them being a bush like you talk about. That'd probably be really nice and my back yard is about 1/2 acre...with nothing on it past the patio. But in the front where they are...to big would look junky. That's why I thought of making them grow like a "fence" or longer instead of higher. I think it'd be a huge undertaking of which I don't care to do, to dig them up and transplant, so I'll just keep cutting them back. Hadn't htought about the smell they offer..that might be nice! I was hoping to put in some honeysuckle along the wall...but I can't move these climbers. And the wall in the back is to far away from my house so I wouldn't even be able to smell them back there! I think a breeze with that honey smell on it blowing...would be wonderful.

The thing about training a climbing rose is to decide where you want it to climb and provide some support to attach it to. I like to build my own 'trellis' out of one by twos. I find that they are stronger that way. also rough cut lumber offers the plant more of a texture to cling to. I don't agree with cotruelove about it deteriorating the wood. Or maybe I should say that the wood is secondary to my objective. It is best to start training the shoots when the are young and tender. That way you can weave them in and out of your support system easier. Just remember they have thorns and you will get stuck, even if you wear gloves.