Rose pruning...advice needed (planting too)

[Lamboluke]

I purchased a few rose plants whilst on a little jaunt to Cornwall and picked up a couple of hybrid teas and a climber.
When I purchased the roses the seller said to cut back to 1/3 the size of each plant when flowering had stopped.

I was just wondering if i am pruning to 1/3 every year once flowering has stopped, how will the plants ever get to a decent size? Or is the growth going to that vigorous due to the pruning that they become a decent size each year?

New to roses and gardening in general but when I was a kid my grandad had roses and never pruned them and they were huge bushes really really thick branches and that's what I was hoping for eventually with lovely flowers too of course.

I have yet to plant the roses yet but a good helping of bone meal at the base of the roots will benefit the plant I've read, would you recommend I do this?

Thanks.

[Two_Sheds]

if i am pruning to 1/3 every year once flowering has stopped, how will the plants ever get to a decent size?

All the growth is under the soil where you can't see it, so although you think you're reducing the plant's size and vigour with pruning, you really aren't, because they put on so much top growth in the summer.

If you were not to prune at all, you would end up with a very tall straggly climber that had bare stems and flowers right at the top where you couldn't reach them.

[Lamboluke]

That explains things...nicely put.

[bend1pa]

I purchased a few rose plants whilst on a little jaunt to Cornwall and picked up a couple of hybrid teas and a climber.
When I purchased the roses the seller said to cut back to 1/3 the size of each plant when flowering had stopped.

I was just wondering if i am pruning to 1/3 every year once flowering has stopped, how will the plants ever get to a decent size? Or is the growth going to that vigorous due to the pruning that they become a decent size each year?

I'd only prune the HT rose stems to 1/3 in the year of planting. In subsequent years prune them by about a 1/3. As for the climber only cut out any spindly or weak looking shoots, otherwise I would not prune the main stems at all for the first year.

[Lamboluke]

Sound advice. For the climber what about in subsequent years?

[bend1pa]

It's a bit more involved.

Basically climbing roses produce a few long stems each year that can grow to over 10' tall depending on variety. You need to retain these as they are produced and build up a framework by bending them as they are still quite young and flexible to 45° or less to the horizontal and tie them in to wires or a trellis. So you eventually end up with a large espalier type framework. In addition these long stems produce side shoots annually which provide the flowers. It is these that are pruned back each year by about half.

It's important that the main stems are not trained vertically otherwise they are shy to produce the flowering side shoots.

[Glutton4...]

... It's important that the main stems are not trained vertically otherwise they are shy to produce the flowering side shoots.

That's interesting. I look after several elderly climbers that were planted specifically to grow upwards. They have been left to their own devices for a few years, and I'm gradually getting on top of them. The first year, I left them, to see what they were going to do, and the second year they got a serious haircut, but not back into old wood. They get no feed at all, and they grow almost rampantly, and flower their socks off. I suppose it's because the main framework is already established, and my pruning must be encouraging the new growth.

I was recently offered three roses, type unknown as yet - can't wait to get my hands on 'em!

[bend1pa]

Do you know what the name/s of these elderly climbers are?

[Lamboluke]

Rose pruning...advice needed (planting too)





So my roses are in. Rose feed/bone meal and manure to boost.

The rose on the right hand side was an absolute bargain from b&q...£2.00 down from £15.00! Can't wait to see what it looks like next year.
I've dead headed the tired flowers and will be pruning the stems in due course when it gets a bit cooler.

Excuse the muddy flags. It was peeing it down. All cleaned up now though....time to relax.

[Lamboluke]

Managed to snap some more bargains up at home base and b&q.

Should have cost £65 or there abouts...but as its clearance got them for £12.00[emoji15]

[snakeshack]

[ATTACH]50519[/ATTACH]

Managed to snap some more bargains up at home base and b&q.

Should have cost £65 or there abouts...but as its clearance got them for £12.00[emoji15]

Yes gotta love home base reduced section or " death row" as we call it


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