Hello!

I have a rose bush that came with the house. It was probably planted in the early 1970's. It was never looked after, but always produces tons of flowers. If I trim it back in the warm months when the blooms are spent, I get a whole additional round of blooms. Sometimes I'll get a third round if I trim again! All the blooms are actually clusters of golfball-sized flowers. Reddish-pink and very carnation-like. No fragrance.

Anyway, it has always been.... leggy and not very full. I've seen others in the neighbourhood and they are the same. Right now it's about 6 feet tall, all the canes like to bend toward one side - also a characteristic I see on other ones in the area. They only bloom on top.

My prunings have always been quite conservative, and I wonder if a harsher pruning would benefit the plant? If I cut off, say, half the plant - ALL the green would be gone. I've been told that's OK - that new growth would come up, but I don't want to kill it!

Right now my area still has vestiges of old snow and occasionally there is still freezing at night. The bush has no leaves yet, but the tiny little red bumps have appeared.

Prune now? How much? Advice VERY appreciated?

Thanks so much!

:)