why won't my climbing rose flower?

[TheoneandObi]

This is its second summer. And frankly it's on borrowed time. Lovely healthy leafy climber sitting in a SW facing corner of the house. More than six feet high. No aphids. But also no flowers. Why?
I'll try to post a pic later although I don't think it will reveal anything. It looks perfectly healthy except for having no flowers!

Not a rose expert but that does seem bizarre. What variety is it, have you tried googling if it needs special feeding? Are some roses in need of more nutrients than others?

I just googled and got this - any help?
homeguides.sfgate.com/climbing-rose-growing-well-but-not-blooming-flowers-96860.html

Mine took about four years. They like to be well settled in, I think. Mine's a white floribunda type. To be honest, I'm not sure it's worth it's keep now- lovely, but such a brief flowering period.

Roses often take two years to flower. If you only planted it last year, give it chance. It’s a bit soon to talk about ‘borrowed time’!

You say it’s more than 6ft tall, that might be the problem.
Climbing roses like their stems to be arched over, like a fan trained tree.
The arching of the stems produces new upward growth which has the flowering buds.
Something to do with the sap.

6 ft isnt that tall for a climber. What. Variety is it and where did you get it? Is it in decent soil with enough water? It’s in a hot corner by a wall it might be a bit dry. Have you fed it at all? Oh, is it grafted, and where is the rootstock? Is it growing from the rootstock and not the grafted plant on top?

Climbers flower better if you pull the growth horizontal - those arching stems full of flower you see in the magazines are no accident. You could consider giving it a slosh of high-phosphate feed like tomato feed to encourage flowers. Or just cut your losses, rip it out, improve the soil again and plant a new one this autumn. Plants are relatively cheap and it’s pointless persisting with a duff one.

It is a case of patience, some roses, especially;] climbers and ramblers spend the first two years putting down deep roots. This is to support the plant for the prolific growth and flowering. It would be a shame to bin it now that it is probable root ready for next year. What variety is it?

Oooo two years to flower you say? Ok...
In fact it went in during autumn 2018 so two full growing seasons really. And I fed it last year tho confess this year I haven't. Once I've retrieved my phone from the bedroom (husband still sleeping) I'll take a pic.

I'm no pro, but my rose which couldn't flower last year (it looked like it was trying! It had buds but they never opened, they just died and crumbled into nothing) has really benefitted from being fed. I have a couple of climbing roses which are flowering really well and another on a north facing wall which is probably too much in the shade. It's barely grown at all in fact.

They often flower on second year growth, ie send up long straight stems, then the next year send off side branches which are what produce the flowers. Bending the stems over kids the rose into thinking it's reached the top of the tree canopy, and the stretching of the bark one one side of the branch not the other, stimulates it into sending our side branches.

I wouldn't have expected it to flower last year, and possible only the odd flower this year.

The errant rose. With dog fir some kind of scale!

That is a massive amount of growth. Mine looked like that in the second year of planting. The last two years it has been stunning.

No idea about the rose (though training branches sideways as others have suggested might help), but your dog is gorgeous.

Just leave him in the corner instead if you want something beautiful to look at

hmmm 'massive amount of growth'. Should I have pruned it back a bit more I wonder?

Climbing and rambling roses should not be pruned too hard in their first years. In November have a look aT thinning it just a bit. Anything that looks poorly or is crossing over or touching another stem can come out.

If you want to train it, put wires into,the walls and start to gently tease it along into a fan shape. This is more for ramblers. The climbers can be trained or left to do their own their own thing. It looks quite sheltered on that corner.if it is windy you can put some strong canes in to support it. In the photo it looks very healthy.

It does look healthy doesn't it? And you're right, it is a sheltered spot. Which is why I'm wondering why it won't flower. Silly plant. Of course if I'd recorded its name that might help. But like a fool I didn't

You definitely need to train in sideways, so the branches are fanned our horizontally on the wall. It won’t flower if it’s just growing straight upwards.

Roses are greedy plants, and like lots to “eat” so make sure you feed it well.

How much sun does it get?

If you look,at “the spruce how to train climbing roses” I think you will find it very reassuring. This is mine now in year 4. Last year it had a good show, it it has been magnificent this year.

It gets plenty of sun . Squarely SW facing. And you know what the more i think the more I think it's a rambler not climber. Because I am a lazy gardener and wouldn't have wanted to put up wires or anything!
I'm going to give it a good feed and wait another year I think