I have a climbing rose bush on the side of my home... it has been climbing my fence for the past 4 years.

I have never cut it back and am wondering if I should do so. If so, when? It only blooms for about a week during the spring/early summer. Is this the norm?

If I need to cut it back, how far?

For the first 2 or 3 years its more important to train the rose so that the blooms will flower over all the vines, they need enough growth to produce flowers.

Depending on the type of rose you have,some need minor pruning after they flower.

( this is second hand knowledge from my mother who is looking over my shoulder, do you know what type of climber it is,and the type of supports in place?)

Hi! J_9

Climbing roses should be pruned in the fall, any time after cold weather sets in #4:
Rose (http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/trees/rose.html)

But in Canada Every year in early spring:
Climbing roses - Roses - Plants - Canadian Gardening (http://www.canadiangardening.com/plants/roses/climbing-roses/a/1602/2)

May I inquire to your location, season?

Roses should be pruned just before growth starts in March or early April, when the bumps on the canes get larger and reddish.

However, heirloom roses (old) and some climbers that produce blooms on the previous year's wood are the noted exceptions. They should be pruned after they bloom.

'bout halfway down Pruning of Climbing Roses:
Pruning Roses - How to Prune Rose Bushes (http://www.buzzle.com/articles/pruning-roses-how-to-prune-rose-bushes.html)

KUX, I am in the Southern US. It's fall here and the temps are in the 70s during the day and the 50s at night right now.

The roses climb on a chain link fence. When it blooms they are very tiny pale pink roses. The blooming only lasts about 2 weeks before it's just a big green shrub again.

My apologies on the confusion. Your last statement shed light on the subject.

The blooming only lasts about 2 weeks before it's just a big green shrub again.

It is okay to allow your bush to grow unabated for several years, but it has now reached the point where you should start a maintenance program for it.

Climbing roses must grow for 2 or 3 years before they bloom with any proficiency. In the spring is the best time to bend and tie the canes because they are most flexible.

I also have a climber that blooms during spring and summer, and it is the norm for a bush that hasn't seen any maintenance, but there are several techniques to not only increase the amount of blooms, but also to extend the length of time during the growing season for blooms.
Remove dead growth, and any broken branches as well.

The climbing rose produces shoots of two natures. The main shoots are long structural canes from which the smaller shoots grow. Care must be taken to properly support this cane since it supports the remaining shoots.
For maximum blooms you need to bend the canes of the rose to make side shoots grow. The more shoots you help the rose produce, the more blooms it will yield.

Training also includes thinning old unproductive canes, enabling stronger, younger canes to produce more flowers. As the canes of a climbing rose grow, bend them in arcs and tie them in place so they grow horizontally or downward. Canes that grow straight up produce flowers at the tips only. The more you bend the cane the more side shoots it will produce.


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Unless you know for sure what type of rose climber you have, it is difficult to tell which way to go for right now.

If you follow the above tip for increasing maximum blooms, and your bushes bloom all season, the repeat bloomers can be pruned after they finish blooming.
Deadhead (remove spent flowers) these rose plants regularly to encourage re-flowering.
In late winter, or early spring, remove about one-fourth of the older wood, and trim the remaining canes to control the size and to give it the shape you want.
Then prune the lateral rose shoots back to about 2 or 3 buds.


If after you follow these tips, and the roses only bloom once then it is very important to know when to prune these once-flowering climbing roses.
It should only be done right after the flowering flush is over. These roses mostly bloom on old wood, so if you prune them in spring, you would have no flowers for that season.
These climbing rose bushes can be quite vigorous and spreading. Remove about one-fourth of the older wood after the plants flowering period is over.
Prune the remaining canes as severely as necessary for size and shape, and trim the remaining lateral canes back to 2 or 3 buds.

Use sharp pruning shears to make a clean cut. A frayed cut will leave the Rose open to attack from frost, bugs, and fungus. Discard any trimmings in the next trash pick-up.


K

In looking at your links above. I believe I have a hybrid tea rose bush. We are trying, hopefully if it's possible, to let it grow to make a "natural" privacy fence. We also have hummingbird vines along the other boarders of the fence to help create a natural privacy fence.

We just had our first frost of the season. Is it too late to cut it back now?

Since you have waited this long let's wait until next year until mid-February. If done now there is a chance of frost damage.

More helpful hints:
Royal Horticultural Society Rose pruning: floribunda and hybrid tea roses (http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=176)

My feeling is,if it not broke ,don't fix it.
Its growing ,doing its own thing,I would let it be if it were me.
My father was a rose man and he rarely pruned the vine type.