Gardening Tips: pruning roses...

[Miranda]

Well, you ladies are so helpful on many things, maybe some of you gardening gals can help. My question is regarding rose bush pruning. I've googled it, but I'm not quite sure...

I planted a beautiful floribunda variety rose bush as part of my tribute to my sweet yellow lab that passed I posted about. My first ever rose bush. To my amazement, the thing is blooming beautifully.

The garden shop gal was trying to explain to me how to prune it to keep it blooming. From what I read, this is not an ongoing task, but once in a season thing??? The shop gal said once a flower dies, to prune below it. Something about "go down far enough until you reach a three leaf foilage, and then cut it"??? I thought she meant to do this as on ongoing thing???

I saw a google diagram of where the "eye" is on the cane. To prune, you cut at an angle above it. I assume this is what the shop gal meant by where a three leaf foilage might be growing... or that's an "eye".

Soooo... I was just out in the yard hacking away at all the dead blooms, but I don't know if this is overkill, or what?

Thanks for any help!

btw, here is pic of the rose bush...

[Trek420]

First off, what a lovely memorial to your fur-baby.

Now, I'm not Luther Burbank (though I grew up in his town) but my Mom taught me this about roses and pruning in general:

You're right that pruning roses is a seasonal thing. Around here most do it in February. Ask your gardener when is right for you.

What I was told is first (and this is true of all pruning, whether fruit tree, rose, whatever) trim back all dead or diseased growth.

Then with what's left my Mom prunes anything that's heading in. Think of wanting the bush or tree to grow up and out. Anything that's crossing over each other, trending to grow inward, cut it.

I can't easily describe where you cut, that you'll need to watch someone.

Then with the remaining branches you cut the rose back pretty severely. The pruned bush resembles a cupped hand, fingers turned up.

I find pruning very meditative, and with this what a great way to remember your pet.

I think this usually happens around the time you'd mulch heavily to protect from the weather too.

Ask your gardener to recommend the right shears. For now you water, feed appropriately and dead head. That is when blooms start to fail, take them off. This may encourage more blooms.

[tulip]

I prune roses in late February in these parts. I prune the bush to 1/3 it's size.

[Miranda]

I prune roses in late February in these parts. I prune the bush to 1/3 it's size.

Thx for the tip... we live in the midwest. February, start of March, would seem right as the thaw starts to come for spring. I will ask next time I stop at the shop for sure in our area.

First off, what a lovely memorial to your fur-baby.

Now, I'm not Luther Burbank (though I grew up in his town) but my Mom taught me this about roses and pruning in general:

You're right that pruning roses is a seasonal thing. Around here most do it in February. Ask your gardener when is right for you.

What I was told is first (and this is true of all pruning, whether fruit tree, rose, whatever) trim back all dead or diseased growth.

Then with what's left my Mom prunes anything that's heading in. Think of wanting the bush or tree to grow up and out. Anything that's crossing over each other, trending to grow inward, cut it.

I can't easily describe where you cut, that you'll need to watch someone.

Then with the remaining branches you cut the rose back pretty severely. The pruned bush resembles a cupped hand, fingers turned up.

I find pruning very meditative, and with this what a great way to remember your pet.

I think this usually happens around the time you'd mulch heavily to protect from the weather too.

Ask your gardener to recommend the right shears. For now you water, feed appropriately and dead head. That is when blooms start to fail, take them off. This may encourage more blooms.

DEAD HEAD!!! That is what the shop girl meant I think now by the ongoing cutting of the bush. No wonder why I couldn't figure out why all the of pruning hits on google didn't advise to cut more than the yearly event. I appreciate all of the advice on exactly how to prune. I just don't want to kill the bush.

Wow... sounds like your mother was quite a great gardener. Sure your own garden is beautiful. I agree about the meditation. The repitition of pedaling soothes my soul, and there is just something about working with the hands that does it too.

Thx for the thoughts about my furbaby. The bush is planted right next to here favorite spot on the patio she used for sunbathing. It was funny... first time a squirrel sprinted off the patio (usually she chased them away from the bird feeder) it ran straight into her rose bush. I thought, well, that's befitting... even in spirit, she's still giving the squirrels a hard time.

[Trek420]

Wow... sounds like your mother was quite a great gardener.

Is, present tense. 85 and going strong. I'm just back from a visit with bags of lemon cucumbers from her garden.

I'm sure that working in the garden keeps her healthy. She's got her aches and pains, and her hearing's not great. But compared to many of her peers and heck even a lot of folks far younger she's doing well.

Asked her secret she says "just keep moving".

Deadheading tricks your plants. They bloom, you either cut the flowers or as soon as they fail you just pinch them back. Poor plants, they suffer from short term memory loss. The plant thinks "wait, wasn't I suposed to bloom now? I forgot ..." and may reward your work with another show.

I have a condo and not much of a garden. But compared to my neighbors who do nothing at all it's great.

[lph]

I learn the most helpful things on TE, thanks from me too! We also have one rose bush ("blue", but it's more of a pale lilac), planted as a housewarming present from my father and his wife, but re-planted to mark where we buried our cat when she was killed last year. It carries beautiful huge roses, but I was wondering if shouldn't "be doing something" with them. Now I know what

Miranda, that rose is gorgeous!

[LBTC]

Miranda, that variety of rose is fabulous! What a wonderful choice for a tribute!

What I have been taught about dead heading roses (glad you found the right term before I read the thread!!) is a bit more extreme than your garden center employee described....

Depending on the number of leaves in most of the leaf clusters, a branch of 3 is probably not far enough back. Where the rose has finished, follow the branch back until you find a cluster of 7 leaves, then cut just above that. If your plant does not have any clusters of 7 leaves, look for 5. Only if your plant has no clusters of 5 leaves would you cut above 3.

I am not a gardener, but the house we bought has many rose bushes out front. Despite the fact that I have not fed them and have not pruned them, they continue to produce many flowers for me throughout the year. Literally, all I do to them is dead head (and remove damaged, diseased branches). My DSIL is a landscape designer, and she told me the rule of 7 or 5. Considering the sucess we've had, I think she may be right.

Hugs and butterflies,
~T~

[xeney]

You can deadhead roses either of two ways: either just snap off the dead flower just below the bloom, or cut the whole branch back as you were instructed by the person at the garden center. A couple of years ago somebody did a study and found that most roses rebloom just fine with either method. The snapping method results in slightly faster rebloom, while the more drastic method (if done right) results in a neater bush.

I tend to do both, depending on how much time I have. I have about 75 roses so deadheading is a daily chore around here. (In my part of the world, roses bloom year round.) The snapping method is easy to do when I'm playing fetch with the dogs, but the other method is a bit faster overall.

Pruning is not the same as deadheading and is done once a year. The "when" is totally dependent on climate, so follow your garden center's advice.

[GLC1968]

Thank you for starting this thread and to all of you who have responded!!

We bought our house in June and it is surrounded by tons of rose bushes who have all been blooming off and on (at different times). I have never had a rose bush before, so I wasn't sure what to do with them. So far, I've just been ignoring them in favor of other tasks...and it shows.

You all have inspired me, and I'm going to get out there and clean up those poor bushes ASAP!

[Miranda]

Thanks so much ladies for your additional responses. It never ceases to amaze me of the wealth of expertise that lies on this board (besides cycling of course).

DH has been wanted to tear out some overgrown evergreens in the front of the house for a while now. Hmm, maybe if all goes well I will plant some more roses in the front. It's about the only other sunny spot on our property.

It was an interesting trip to the garden shop when I bought the bush... at season's end, the selection was limited. I wanted a yellow rose for my yellow lab. They didn't have any. I think the multicolored one works even better. It's called Mardi Gras. How appropriate for a memorial celebration. Plus, it does remind me of a rainbow (like Rainbow Bridge). So, all it good. Especially now that I have great advice on how to care for it.