Will hard prune damage knockout roses?

vivian_2010 (IL Zone 5a)

15 years ago

I have several red knockout and double knock out roses. They grew to ~ 2-3 feet last year and bloomed nicely from early June to October. I hard prune them to ~ 1 feet tall, without too much thoughts. Now new growth start to appear. But will any damage be done due to the hard prune? Will they still grow to bloom in time? last year the bloom started in early June.

I should be more careful this year when prunning, I just pray that they would survive the hard prune? Does Anybody have experience with hard prunning?

Thanks,

Vivian

Featured Answer

mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)

15 years ago

Depending on where you are, 1 ft may or may not be hard pruning of a modern rose. Here, it is perfectly normal to prune Knock Out down to six inches or less because of winterkill. That is severe enough pruning that they don't necessarily like it. One foot simply means they will end up somewhat smaller than if they weren't pruned that much. Without knowing how much space they are allowed, that may or may not be what you want.

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Comments (6)

tepelus
15 years ago
There are two that grow outside the south facing door of the hotel I work at, and every year the "landscapers" come by and whack the heck out of them. But they grow back quickly and flower all summer long. If they didn't whack them back so harshly, the plants would be five foot tall and around, if not bigger, and grab the guests that come in and out through that door.

Karen
alina_1
15 years ago
I hard pruned my Double Knock Out rose 2 years ago because I needed to transplant it. The rose is still about half of the size of the identical rose planted on the same bed. It does bloom the entire summer, but the one that wasn't disturbed looks much more lush and performs significantly better.

Oh, and Karen is right, the one that wasn't hard pruned is approximately 5' wide and tall. I receive lots of compliments on it. The size works for me as long as the rose is covered with blooms. I do light pruning each spring.
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hunt4carl
15 years ago
Yes, I "hard prune" my Knockout roses every year - there are eleven of them,
including the ones I prune in town garden planters - save for the two that
I actually WANT to be 5' tall ! It's not clear in your post WHEN you pruned
them (or, for that matter which Zone you are in), but here in Zone 6b, I'm
usually pruning by mid-March, which allows plenty of time for new growth
before June bloom. Pruning to only 1' is fairly severe - you're asking that
plant to do an awful lot of hard work! - and personally, I opt for about a 2'
pruning level. One of the beauties of "Knockouts" is that you can continue
to judiciously prune them during the growing season (until late August here);
check out the Rose Forum for some really expert advice on when, how and
why to prune roses.

Carl
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
15 years ago
in general.. from my old hybrid T rose growing days ....

roses can be cut back to one or two buds.. and without damage to the root system [in other words.. transplant] .. return to the size they were in one growing season ...

just make sure.. if they are grafted.. that you .. obviously.. do not prune below the graft ...

ken
vivian_2010 (IL Zone 5a)
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you all for your comments. I live north of Chicago, zone 5. I did not know what got to me that day in mid March when I decided to prune them. Now I just watch and pray that they will be fine. Now all of them have new growth on all the branches (or whatever left of the brunches).

I do not mind they come up smaller, as they do grow to be a little too tall for their roles in the garden. As long as they bloom well.

Forecast said we may have frost tonight. I have never protected my plants for the years I live here. Hopefully this year the new growth will survive. The ES hydrangeas just start to show new growth too. How do you handle situations like this?

Thanks again
Vivian