Rose pruning dilemma

chasnewbie · Joined: 05 Aug 2007 Posts: 1

Hi There,

As you can see from my login name, I'm pretty new to gardening in
general and roses in particular and have a problem I hope someone can
help with.

We have inherited a couple of rose trees (the best way to describe
them) from the previous owners of our house. The problem is, they've
been left to their own devices and have subsequently become very tall
and thin, approximately 8 or 9 feet. At the business end of each, there
are a lot of great blooms but I'd ideally like to cut them right back
and start from scratch to get a bush rather than a tree.

I don't think I'd have a problem if there were various stems dividing
from the base but, rather like a tree, it's almost trunk-like and there
are no divisons for the first three feet or so. I've a feeling that if i
cut it back to where I'd like (almost soil level) I'd kill it and
pruning back to where the stem begins to divide just wouldn't look
right.

In a nutshell, is it possible to cut right back, or do I just cut my
losses and remove it and plane something else?

--
chasnewbie

Archived from group: rec>gardens>roses

Gail Futoran · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 19

"chasnewbie" wrote in message @gardenbanter.co.uk...
>
> Hi There,
>
> As you can see from my login name, I'm pretty new to gardening in
> general and roses in particular and have a problem I hope someone
> can
> help with.
>
> We have inherited a couple of rose trees (the best way to describe
> them) from the previous owners of our house. The problem is, they've
> been left to their own devices and have subsequently become very
> tall
> and thin, approximately 8 or 9 feet. At the business end of each,
> there
> are a lot of great blooms but I'd ideally like to cut them right
> back
> and start from scratch to get a bush rather than a tree.
>
> I don't think I'd have a problem if there were various stems
> dividing
> from the base but, rather like a tree, it's almost trunk-like and
> there
> are no divisons for the first three feet or so. I've a feeling that
> if i
> cut it back to where I'd like (almost soil level) I'd kill it and
> pruning back to where the stem begins to divide just wouldn't look
> right.
>
> In a nutshell, is it possible to cut right back, or do I just cut my
> losses and remove it and plane something else?

The usual advice is, when in doubt, cut
back some canes, see what happens,
cut more. I.e., without knowing exactly
what kind of rose it is, it's impossible
to give specific advice. With that height,
it's either a climber or some sort of old
garden rose. They have different
pruning requirements from their smaller
cousins. With a climber, you're better
off cutting a few canes down as far as
you can, but leaving other canes as is
and training them onto some sort of
structure, like a trellis.

Alternatively, you can in effect turn
a climber into a bush, if that's what you
want. I don't know what that would do
to the blooming. Before I knew much
about roses, I over-pruned three roses
that were young climbers and they never
recovered. They make so-so shrub roses.
But I don't know if all climbers (or old
garden roses) would respond the same way.

If you live near a botanical garden that has
roses, or a nursery with a knowledgeable
staff, you might take a cutting with a bloom
on it to see if they have any idea what it
might be.

Gail
near San Antonio TX USA Zone 8

GreenieLeBrun · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 6

chasnewbie wrote:
> Hi There,
>
> As you can see from my login name, I'm pretty new to gardening in
> general and roses in particular and have a problem I hope someone can
> help with.
>
> We have inherited a couple of rose trees (the best way to describe
> them) from the previous owners of our house. The problem is, they've
> been left to their own devices and have subsequently become very tall
> and thin, approximately 8 or 9 feet. At the business end of each,
> there are a lot of great blooms but I'd ideally like to cut them
> right back and start from scratch to get a bush rather than a tree.
>
> I don't think I'd have a problem if there were various stems dividing
> from the base but, rather like a tree, it's almost trunk-like and
> there are no divisons for the first three feet or so. I've a feeling
> that if i cut it back to where I'd like (almost soil level) I'd kill
> it and pruning back to where the stem begins to divide just wouldn't
> look right.
>
> In a nutshell, is it possible to cut right back, or do I just cut my
> losses and remove it and plane something else?

It sounds like, from your description, that you have a couple of three foot
standard roses.

A standard rose is created by grafting bud wood to the top of a root stock
cane (these are usually some type of vigerous wild rose such as a briar
rose).

Examine the top of the cane you should see a calloused area where the bud
wood is shooting out the growth that has the flowers. Do NOT cut the rose
back beyond this point or you will get no flowers.

I have attached a couple of links that may be of use to you.

http://www.hellohello.com.au/growingrose/growingrose.html

http://www.swanesgardencare.com.au/Ben_Swane's_Rose_Growing_Tips.html

http://bestgardening.com/bgc/plant/rosesprune02.htm

http://www.apuldramroses.co.uk/Rose-Care_Planting-Pruning.htm

chasnewbie · Joined: 05 Aug 2007 Posts: 1

Just a quick note to say many thanks to you both Gail and Greenie,
you're advice has been most helpful and educational. My plan is to
leave the roses until winter and prune them back as you suggested.

Now, if you could give me some advice on how to stop the torrential
rain we've been having in Britain lately, I'd be reallly impressed!

--
chasnewbie

Gail Futoran · Joined: 01 Aug 2007 Posts: 19

"chasnewbie" wrote in message @gardenbanter.co.uk...
>
> Just a quick note to say many thanks to you both Gail and Greenie,
> you're advice has been most helpful and educational. My plan is to
> leave the roses until winter and prune them back as you suggested.

That sounds like a great plan. Let us know
how it works.

> Now, if you could give me some advice on how to stop the torrential
> rain we've been having in Britain lately, I'd be reallly impressed!

We're dealing with our own rain problems
in Texas. Some small towns have
experienced a lot of damage, although the
area where I live is doing ok - nothing like
our floods of 1998 and 2002.

Stay safe!

Gail
near San Antonio TX USA Zone 8

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