Rosa "Paul's Scarlet Climber", 2 l ruukku

• Type: climbing rose, once-flowering
• Botanical name: Rosa 'Paul's Scarlet Climber'
• Breeder: William Paul & Son, UK, 1915
• Height and spread: 2.5–4 m / 1.5–2.5 m
• Flowering: June–July, once, occasionally a light repeat; about 7 cm scarlet blooms in large clusters
• Fragrance: light
• Light: sun, partial shade
• Soil: any garden soil, moist but well-drained
• Hardiness: RHS H6 (−15…−20 °C), USDA 6b; take down and cover the shoots in Estonia
• Use: arches, pergolas, walls, fences, arbours
• Size: potted rose plant

Planting. Plant next to a support – trellis, arch, pergola or wall – in a sunny spot, 30–40 cm away from a wall so the roots do not dry out. The soil should be fertile, loose and loamy, never waterlogged, pH 6–7. Dig a hole about 60×60 cm with compost or rotted manure and set the graft union 5 cm deep. Potted plants can go in from May to September; space plants 1.5–2 m apart.

Watering and feeding. Water deeply but not too often – 10–15 l per plant once a week, more often in hot weather, ideally in the morning and at the base without wetting the leaves. In spring give a nitrogen-rich or complete rose fertiliser, again a complete feed when the buds form and after the first flush, and from mid-July only potassium-phosphorus feed without nitrogen so the shoots ripen before winter.

Care. This rose flowers on last year's wood, so do the main pruning right after flowering: remove 1–2 of the oldest flowered shoots at the base and shorten the flowered side shoots. In spring just cut out frost-damaged tips. Tie young shoots to the support in a fan. In October–November take the shoots down, lay them on a bed of spruce branches, mound the base 25–30 cm high and cover with spruce branches or a double layer of fleece; uncover in April.

Gardener's tip. In Estonia plant 'Paul's Scarlet Climber' by a south or west wall and choose a support (arch, trellis) from which the shoots are easy to take down for winter. If some shoots are frost-damaged, the vigorous plant quickly regrows from the base.