Melissa - your catalogue of things which need pruning in your garden has made me feel better - I was overwhelmed by the stuff which needs pruning in our garden, and our lot is only 1/3rd of an acre, and that includes the house, driveway, garage, etc.!

Our weather here is confusing our plants - it was over 75 degrees F yesterday, and it has hardly rained at all since last winter (only 4 inches instead of the normal 15 by now), and it has been relentlessly sunny and mild for over 3 weeks. Last night we had a dry windstorm, so with the lack of rain and the dry wind, I decided to turn our irrigation system back on, which normally would be ridiculous in the middle of Jan.

Of course, the tea roses are loving it, and are all setting buds already. I have managed to prune all of the hybrid teas, but that is only about 5% of the total population of roses in our garden. We have a doe who comes mostly at night, and she is helping with the others.

Jackie

Good luck with your pruning -- that's a lot of work compared to what I have to do (pruning about 30 roses, mostly in pots). I'm wondering if you have a wood chipper to process the broken bits into mulch or if you will just lay the branches in the beds? Or perhaps compost the detritus before you use it?

For once I'm ahead of schedule with pruning (one benefit of working from home due to Covid - I can take a break from work, walk out in the yard and knock out a bit of pruning every day). I have only about 30 or 40 roses left to do, and they're the rugosa, chinas, and teas which don't need much. All the fruit trees are done, and even some of the volunteer native trees. Whew!

Question for those of you more experienced than I: I know people say not to prune teas, rugosas, and some other roses except to cut out dead wood. So I understand I should definitely avoid any heavy pruning of those.

But what about a haircut of, say, 20-30% of the growth? (either by shortening canes or removing canes) Are there any roses out there that are so extremely sensitive to pruning that even this would offend them?

Jackie, given a choice between dry, sunny, pleasant winter weather, and gray, cold, wet, miserable winter weather, I'd take the latter. You have my sympathies, and I hope you do get rain and cool temperatures soon. Teas are desperate creatures, by the way: my huge 'Archduke Joseph's numberless buds are showing color; cold, snow, short days, and all.

K S, no wood chipper. I've thought about it, but the garden is very large and spread out, and exceedlingly steep. It's easier--at least, I think so--just to cut up the pruned growth using pruners and loppers and then leave them on the ground. Branches, such as those from the olives, get used in terracing. When I have a lot of organic matter like now, I move it to areas that are in particular need of it, as the areas where I'm currently pruning have good soil. We compost, but very unscientifically.

Slumgullion, sounds like your pruning is going well, and is working out pleasantly. I hope someone else will answer your question, as I have no personal experience in pruning as you suggest, though I think I've heard of other gardeners doing so.

We had major breakage three years ago with the ice storm: it took forever to clean it up. It seems a bit much to experience it again so soon.

Sorry to hear you're having repeats of the same weather. Seems like the weather is going to be more changeable and more severe from here on, unfortunately.

I'm interested by the fact that you cut up your rose prunings and use them as compost - I've been in the habit of sending them to the green waste company, so as to avoid spreading diseases, the same as I do with fruit tree prunings. I guess I've been too cautious!