Rose Pruning Again
Late February to early March is the time for the major pruning of roses. Back in December, I did a preliminary pruning , now is the time for the last major pruning before the spring season begins. First, a comment on hybrid tea roses. This is what most people have in their gardens. I only have a few hybrid tea roses. These are the roses that need the most drastic pruning. Basically, you cut all the canes down to about 1 foot, making the cuts right above an outward-facing bud. The result will be something like this - Most of my roses fall into the shrub and climbing categories. These roses are pruned differently and not as severe as the hybrid teas. For shrub roses (and many of the David Austin English roses fall into this category), I first take out the older canes completely to the ground. The older canes are easy to spot - they will be thicker and darker in color. After thinning out the older canes, I remove any canes that are damaged, crossing one another and canes that ...
Wow, Phillip, you have a spectacular rose collection! I'd be happy if I had a single shrub that looked half as good as one of yours. I'm sorry to say that my roses are pathetic. That I don't give them as much water as they need and seldom fertilize them is part of the problem but I suspect they don't much care for my sandy soil either.
ReplyDeleteOh, Goodness, what an explosion of colors! Pure eye candy (and I do hope yours is on the mend!). The sheer volume of your rose collection is impressive, and they all seem perfectly show worthy. My favorite is the jaw dropping 'Radway Sunrise', with "Playboy" a close second. The final video of 'Dublin Bay' Rose and Clematis 'Jackmanii Superba' was particularly good: I love how one of your garden birds added sound effects :-D
ReplyDeleteChavli
Those are two of my favorites too!
DeleteYour roses are exquisite. 'Lady of Shalott' looks good enough to eat. A cool dreamsicle on a hot summer day.
ReplyDeleteLovely, lovely. What is your opinion of 'Olivia Rose'?
ReplyDeleteI hope your eye suffered no lasting damage and that you are already able to garden again. With your garden looking so wonderful, it must be irresistible to get outside to enjoy it.
I have mixed feelings about 'Olivia Rose'. It is not one of my favorite colored roses in the garden. The bush itself seems to go through phases of looking fantastic and then looking less than stellar.
DeleteOuch - that sounds painful. Glad you're feeling better! I used to not be too enamored with roses - I thought they were all leggy and disease prone. And then I discovered shrub roses! Holy moly - you have so many good ones. I bet your garden smells absolutely heavenly!
ReplyDeleteMy goodness, your garden is a rose lovers dream! My roses look best in early June, then they rest a lot until September. I know you are the expert, but I would like to recommend At Last rose. Blooms like crazy all summer, and it’s never the least bit bothered by disease. It’s my favorite.
ReplyDeleteI've heard others say that it is a good one!
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