The most important thing to remember about how a rose grows is this: a rose grows by progressively killing its oldest stem (which becomes less floriferous over time) and by pushing up new stems each season. I offer some suggestions below but, if you get stuck and need some advice/a pruning lesson, by all means get in touch and I will try to help you.
In addition to cutting back a shrub's main stems by about a third - when the plant is dormant during winter - you will probably be removing about one quarter of its oldest stems to base. The whole point is to enable the plant to grow to its maximum height and spread (where practical) and for it to look as elegant and graceful in form and floriferousness as you can manage. But there are also practical considerations here: your rose shrub's stems may well flop in the rain/high winds if they grow too tall and you will have to get past/under it to mow the lawn! You can whack in a metal stake (these can be very decorative) if your shrub - for example Gallicas and Damasks - has thin, flexible, stems prone to flopping. Shears can be used to snip back these thin stems on the edge of the shrub and secateurs can be used to thin the interior. You can, naturally, remove dead wood at any time of year and you will also remove crossing stems in the centre of the plant. Think 'ballerina' and the enablement of fresh air to reach the stems! The main thing not to do is to cut back thick woody stems which have hardened off. Your rose will fight back! And the next thing you will see is multiple stems growing from the apex of the blunt top in a 'stag antlers' sort of fashion and the whole plant looking clinched together like a stiff little soldier! |
In terms of the outfit you will need to wear to carry out rose pruning, I recommend you wear leather gloves/gauntlets, tough trousers, long-sleeved jumpers, and - if tackling a thicket - eye-protecting goggles. Be brave! Act with knowledge, faith and joy! For you are endeavouring to create a beautiful sight indeed and a towering wild rose is a wonderful thing. Your cutting tools include: a pruning saw (thick old stems); loppers, shears and secateurs.
You don't have to stick rigidly to the dormant period for pruning. Once your rose has flowered then, if it is (too) vigorous, it may be a good idea to whip off some green stems at that time, because the plant's leaves will constantly be making sugars for storing in its roots. The more food in the roots, the more prolific the growth! We also gaze somewhat at Hybrid Teas and Floribundas - wondering what to do. It helps to think of why we are growing these plants and, in many cases, we will be cutting stems for the house. And, in this instance, we cut back two thirds of each stem's length - to the thickness of the stem which is bearing the season's bloom. But I suggest you let the bush (Hybrid Teas and Floribundas are described as 'bushes') build up its shrubby structure for a few years before razing it to ground level. Find out what it wants to do naturally - how high and wide it wants to grow - and then decide upon your pruning regime. |