Molie, you could let her fill out naturally, which she will do if you leave her be. She can be a really big rose with oodles of blooms.What I am trying to say is she will be bushy, just at the taller and wider size.

Your young GJ is looking really good Molie. I agree with Sheila - she will fill out with time. Where she is new, I would just deadhead this season. Admittedly, she doesn’t make the prettiest shrub on earth but she makes up for it with the beautful blooms and the most amazing fragrance.

I prune GJ in spring and deadhead in summer. In my garden setting she has an upright and somewhat arching habit. In a warmer zone she will grow larger.

GJ has light repeat bloom during summer and fall.

Best wishes for your husband's recovery.

Nice to “see” you, Molie, and glad to hear that DH is home again.

You're lucky to live in a colder climate. In mild climates, this monster will eat most of your garden and is very stingy with flower after spring.

I planted my Gertrude last year. She is very similar to yours, tall and narrow. Mine is bushier this year & vigorous. Had a great spring flush and is reblooming now.

Thanks, everyone, for your comments. They were so encouraging to read! My DH went back into the hospital for another procedure, and so I was away from the computer for a while.

Erasmus_gw, I love the way your GJ is growing along a nearby fence. While it looks like I could train mine to grow laterally because her first-year canes are so long, I planted GJ about 5 feet away from the fence. Our fence is looking pretty sad with lichen growing on it. I would have loved to see roses along the top but not possible for me. After hearing about her eventual large growth, it's probably good that she's far from the fence.

Molie, GJ should fill that area nicely. Well wishes for your husband. I LOVE your fence! It has a wonderful wasabi-sabi :-)
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wabi-sabi

It would be nice to see some shrubby Gertrude plant pictures. Maybe it can be pruned to make a bushy shrub...mine just wanted to throw out long canes and they bloomed more when horizontal. You don't really have to put it on a support to train the long canes sideways, also known as " pegging". I hope you'll post some pics if you get it to bush out.

Meant to add this pic the other day and forgot. This is my Gertrude currently. As I mentioned above, planted last year and has doubled in width already. One of the canes has leaned over to Charlotte next to her and I did not notice it until I saw some pink blooms growing on the other side of Charlotte. I'm in zone 5 so winters will keep these in check.

@Erasmus- your photo examples are gorgeous! Love it!

Stephanie, I loved this from the link you provided about wasabi-sabi : "Wabi now connotes rustic simplicity, freshness or quietness, and can be applied to both natural and human-made objects, or understated elegance. It can also refer to quirks and anomalies arising from the process of construction, which add uniqueness and elegance to the object. Sabi is beauty or serenity that comes with age, when the life of the object and its impermanence are evidenced in its patina and wear, or in any visible repairs." I try to have my gardens look as if they belong the place where I put them because ... as it also says in the article ... "nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect."

Sometimes I like to imagine what our property looked like 100 years ago and what it will be 100 years in the future. Although, since we live along a river that leads to the Long Island Sound, I'm thinking this land will eventually be shoreline.

My David Austin roses tend to do that the first year. The second year they are less incline to grow these tall cane and become more bushy. It might not be visually ideal the first year but it does make very thick and vigorous canes for the next year new growth.

I just noticed spellcheck turned my wabi into wasabi...heehehe :-) I have loved the concept of wabi-sabi ever since I learned about it. Perfection in the imperfection. The beauty of age and aging. The beauty of impermanence, which is part of my fascination with roses too.

Erasmus your pictures are beautiful and inspirational. Love everything you show in these pictures. I keep looking at the little evergreen in your picture and how pretty it looks in front of your rose.

Molie I wouldn’t prune your rose just yet and would peg her canes horizontally if that is something you would be willing to do. I really think she is known for throwing long canes and even as a small climber so I would use her natural form and guide her instead of fighting her.

Halloblondie your roses are looking great like always. Looking forward to seeing how your Gertrude does in the future.

Molie Sorry I ended my post before finding the video by Paul Zimmerman I used when I first started learning about pegging roses. I am no sure if this will help you, but it has helped me when I have a rose that has canes that are too long for my taste but I don’t want to cut back. It also encourages lots of lateral grow which translates into more blooms.

https://youtu.be/fr3cTEjzrcM

Wow, Dianela! Thanks for this link to pegging roses. It looks like something I could do with mine even though she's far from the fence ... maybe even encouraging GJ to "reach out" to the fence. Looks like this is something to be done in the spring if I understood the directions.

Yes great video! Explains pegging perfectly.

You are very welcome. Pegging can be done at any time, but early spring is a wonderful time to strip all leaves and just handle the clean canes that are easy to see and manipulate. There is a young lady in England that does the most impressive rose pegging/training ever and I have gotten great results by copying some of her most basic ideas.

Her name is Niff Barnes and her work is very impressive. Here I will share some her work but there is a lot to see in her Instagram.

Wow ... just wow! I will definitely try this in the spring. I'll strip any viable canes that make it through winter and then see which ones may meet the fence, perhaps doing something funky as Niff Barnes does if they don't reach. I'll look for her account. Thanks so much, dianela!l