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Austin Tea Clipper - Pruning question

12 years ago

Late last year I posted a topic title My Tea Clipper is mean! I had purchased it in a one gallon pot in the start of the season, from Roses Unlimited. It grew four feet high, but never bloomed. It was suggested I try pegging it this year, but the canes don't seem long enough to peg. So now here is my dilemma. Should I prune it? It's canes are just over the top of my horse fence, at four feet high. I'm worried if I don't prune it, the canes will get too long, but if I do prune it perhaps being an Austin that may not like pruning it won't bloom again this year? I guess I could peg it later in the season if the canes don't get too stiff, but I'm not sure if they will since I'm new to this rose.
Suggestions anyone?

Comments (7)

  • 12 years ago

    I haven't grown this one, but based on the other Austins I do grow, I'd be inclined for the spring pruning only to follow the general practice of trimming it back by about 1/3 (or even a bit less)--plus taking out any dead branches--feed and water it well, and let it take off and hopefully do its thing for the rest of the season. It is not that unusual for a first-year Austin to bloom very little--nor is it unusual for an Austin to grow about 4x3. I suspect it will do better its 2nd and 3rd year.

    I'm assuming it is getting plenty of sun--at least 6 hours. If it is in too much shade, that will certainly stop it from blooming very profusely.

    If it gets quite hot in your region, dont' forget to water it. Austin's sometimes need a bit extra water to bloom well.

    As for pegging, unless this Austin's starts developing outrageous jolly green giant arms (evidently that is a problem in places like California), I wouldn't bother with it. I tried it once with Gertrude--lot of work for very little result, in my opinion. I think maturity plus food and water (and sufficient sun) will do wonders this year--and we'd like to see photos of it blooming! : )

    Kate

  • 12 years ago

    Thank you Kate, I'll go ahead and cut it back 1/3. Yes, it gets full sun and plenty of water. It's quite healthy looking it just didn't bloom. I planted three other Austins last year at the same time, Grace, Carding Mill, and Lady Emma Hamilton. They all bloomed but grew only to 1/2 the size or less of the Tea Clipper, so I think the Tea clipper had a mind of its own and just wanted to grow!!

  • 12 years ago

    I shovel pruned mine this year. Pegging helped a little, but I was still only getting perhaps two dozen flowers per year from a plant well over 6' tall. 9 out of 10 canes were blind shoots, and when the blind shoot was cut back, the new growth produced more blind shoots. I think I gave it at least 5 years, if not 6 or 7. Buh-bye!

  • 12 years ago

    That's bad news hoovb. I will be heading down to Roses Unlimited next month to pick up my order. I plan to get some advice from them, as when I chose this rose they had one planted that was absolutely covered with blooms. I have to be missing something! It was really low to the ground, so I'm wondering if it was pegged, I'll check it out again.

  • 12 years ago

    I have Tea Clipper. It did take about two years to really get going. I don't have mine pegged, but sort if free standing cascade. It's not the most prilofic bloomer, but it has 2-3 nice flushes a year.

  • 12 years ago

    Mine may have been budded from a blind shoot, producing a plant that produced a lot of...blind shoots. That's all I can figure. It had a stupendous root system, fluffy loamy soil to grow in, years and years to start blooming well. It never did. After all that time I realized it was a waste of precious and expensive water and gave it the shovel. 'Wildfire' right next to it blooms like crazy. I'd rather give the water to 'Wildfire'.

  • 12 years ago

    I used to have Tea Clipper...I have tried pegging it, but the tips turned brown and it didn't bloom at all.
    I have also tried hard pruning it too but ended up with dead canes and slow growth.