Pruning

11 years ago

When I started gardening in pots several years ago, I was told to prune my roses to an outside bud and leave about 3--5 buds on each cane. Clean out the middle of the plant. Don't keep any cane that is thicker than a #2 pencil. Keep only three to five canes on each plant. Make sure they don't rub against each other, remove dead, diseased canes, etc. So I have been doing this for years.

I am now reading articles from various rose societies about pruning. They are saying prune to an inside bud (so the cane grows straight rather than out) and keep your thicker canes. A weak flower will grow and bend on a thinner cane. I was always confused about how to prune a climber and just only pruned the laterals unless the original cane was way too thick and way too old and would start again with a younger, fresher cane.

Wow! Have I received bad advice? Have I been doing this wrong all these years? It is too late for pruning this year but I can try this way of pruning next year. For some of the DA roses, they grow to be monsters every year even with the severe pruning that I have been doing. Will they get to be out of control if I only prune back a third?

I noticed on the DA roses I ordered this year on their own root that the canes are very close together and the branches forming off of them will hit each other. I am assuming (probably wrongly) that the folks at the DA nursery know what they are doing and I should leave them alone, or should I clean out the canes that are going to have crossed canes in the future so they don't hit each other. Especially should I leave them alone this year, crossed canes and all, since they are newly own rooted babies and wait until they get older? Although as thick as those canes are, I suspect these are at least a year or possibly two years old.

Featured Answer

Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR

8 years ago

Mustbnuts, congratulations on the retirement! It sounds like you are doing all the right things. Getting the underpinnings of home, financial, legal all set up is so important. So great to get on to the fun part. You are going to love it. It is so great to have your life flip to all your private interests, instead of all work, work, work. I am loving getting in to the Tea rose growing. I've expanded some garden areas. I do need to work on refining my efforts. My project is an attempt at a wild naturalistic look. It could get all out of control so easily. I've been dreaming about growing these roses for decades, so I'm still in that acquisitive stage rather than the refining maintaining stage. With the help of nature, and friends on this forum I'll get there.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

jerijen
11 years ago
There's no real "wrong" or "right." It's just -- what you like. We prune almost nothing. DH likes to deadhead all of the "Grandmother's Hats" and his Golden Celebrations. And when we get back from the beach, we're going to go after 'Bishop Darlington,' because where it is located, it simply cannot be allowed to reach the size it reaches -- no matter what we do. It doesn't mind getting whacked -- so it gets whacked.
The Austins that we pruned hard here were not happy about it, so we quit doing it. In our conditions (Coastal Ventura County, SoCal) -- and given that we're happy to let them be big -- they're better that way.
We quit pruning "Smith's Parish" altogether. It's too hard to do, and the rose isn't in the way of anything else. It wants to be massive, so it is massive, and almost never without bloom.
Our oldest, biggest "Grandmother's Hat" was pruned annually for a few years, so it has a nice round habit -- but it's huge, now, and very productive, and we haven't pruned it at all, in years.
The only caveat is that Tea Roses and China Roses (particularly Chinas) don't "like" to be pruned hard.
It IS possible to kill them by hard-pruning -- I know that because I've done it. That was a long time ago, but I haven't forgotten that lesson-learned.
See below -- "Grandmother's Hat" -- un-pruned.
mustbnuts zone 9 sunset 9 thanked jerijen
Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
8 years ago
Hi, mustbnuts. I really miss your posts. Hope you are doing well. I hope you can retire.
mustbnuts zone 9 sunset 9 thanked Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
Related Professionals
Athens Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Philadelphia Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Anderson Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · San Marcos Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Des Moines Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Reno Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · El Paso Landscape Contractors · Sterling Landscape Contractors · Everett Landscape Contractors · Montgomery Home Builders · Fort Smith Home Builders · Cincinnati Home Builders · Jackson Home Builders · Cornwall Home Builders · Sarnia Home Builders
mustbnuts zone 9 sunset 9
Original Author
8 years ago
Shelia! I can't believe you resurrected this thread! How are you? I have missed posting here but with work, it was just too much. Well, as of April 1st, I retired!!!!! I don't have to go to "the wretched place" any longer! I just finished a week's worth of continuing ed credits to keep my state license and have been cleaning out the house to get rid of things. I am tired of clutter and no space to put stuff. If I haven't used it, it is gone! It has been lovely to have the time to do that. In addition to the great clean out (which is still continuing), I am redoing my master bath, updating my trust and getting my funeral arrangements done and paid for. No, I am not dying and am not planning on doing it anytime soon but if it happens, everything will be done and not a worry for those that survive me.

I am currently working on catching up with the yard. It has done well in spite of my neglect this year. I learned a few things about pruning in the process. I didn't prune my Sequoia mini rose and it is just amazing and the blooms just don't stop and they last forever!

I have been transplanting my Candice rose into bigger pots. I am about to take out my Eyes for You in the front and put in two small Candice roses. Then I am going to take out my Purple Passion (I think that is the name of the rose--which has the most ugly flowers when they are past their prime) and put in Plum Perfect. They are all small and it is supposed to start getting over 90 degrees again, so I hope they will make it.

Front yard this year (at least the part with the roses)

Back yard this year (at least the part with the roses)

So good to hear from you! I will be posting more now that I don't have to be at "the wretched place!"
mustbnuts zone 9 sunset 9
Original Author
8 years ago
Sheila, it sounds wonderful! You must take lots and lots of pictures as I would love to see your work on your garden. It sounds fabulous!
Lisa Adams
8 years ago
Congratulations, mustb! That’s wonderful news both for you, AND us on the forum. I’m looking forward to having you back and seeing your lovely work again. You mustb SO happy to be done with that place! Again, Congratulations on your retirement!!! Lisa
mustbnuts zone 9 sunset 9 thanked Lisa Adams
mustbnuts zone 9 sunset 9
Original Author
8 years ago
Thanks Lisa. It is still so new and still feels a little weird to get paid NOT to work! However, I am getting used to it.