@peteS I agree with Nollie. It's good to leave it at least a year or two to see how it grows and what it wants to do, where are the flowers formed etc. And when you understand this, you should also get a good understanding of how cutting the plant back affects it, both its blooming potential and shape.
You can cut it back and still get some blooms but it will be significantly fewer blooms than without cutting it back.
I haven't seen Monty on Friday (no TV here, I sometimes watch old programs on Youtube but I rarely have time for that). I guess his alba is something like my clematis montana, planted by the previous owner on an arch, which I have to prune twice per year and I still get a lot of blooms simply because the plant is enormous.
@edhelka the Damask was Kazanlik and the Alba Queen of Denmark, both huge, free-standing shrubs that looked as of they had been there years. He also had repeat-flowering Bourbon Mme. Isaac Pereire, still flowering so he delayed pruning it. Some comments on the latter in the link I posted of interest to me since I have it on order.
@Tack, I know you can’t get it just now but you asked to be updated on progress of The Prince - astonishingly, still healthy, no blackspot and loads of buds to come.
Its gone pretty cool here with near freezing temps overnight, so most of my roses are winding down. I can see snow on the Pyrenees already!
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
@newbie77 - I wasn’t sure about the asters but I just took deadheadings where I’d cut back to a join. Cut the flower off, and cut above a leaf at the top and just below a leaf at the bottom. Removed all but the top leaf as they were very short sections of stem and put into individual cells. They grew very chunky roots! Have had to pinch off lots of attempted flower buds.
All of the cuttings I’m keeping inside until they’ve had a bit longer in the pots. Then I’ll move into my mini greenhouse.
@edhelka...it's probably in it's 4th or 5th year and about 5ft tall and very green but getting top heavy...it's never had the opportunity to flower because as @Marlorena kindly pointed out to me, it's a Gallica and flowers on the previous years growth...which I've always hard pruned off (through ignorance) So that's why I'm reluctant to follow Monty's advice without checking.
@peteS ...just tip prune it, to stabilise it for winter, that's all I would do.. pruning back to where the cane is a bit thicker... at that height it does not require any further pruning at this time, only after it has bloomed next summer, then you can prune harder... it's a rose capable of some 10 feet, I've seen it over an arch, and at that height you could cut more off to keep within bounds, but keeping as much of the main framework is essential as it is right now for you...
I think I do have to have The Prince @Nollie. I have found it on GrönlooF Rosen und Stauden and have a request open with Perryhill Nurseries. Has anyone used either?
We finally got some rain! over 100mm of it over the last few days, luckily in a steady fashion so nothing was wrecked. Lots of roses and colour still to enjoy and look forward to.
@Tack I haven't bought from GrönlooF Rosen but exchanged some messages with the owner, Karin Schade, last year. She has a good collection of European found roses that can't be bought anywhere else and many hard to find old roses. I would buy from them with confidence but it could get quite expensive to have just one rose shipped.
Edit; that emoji is 'whistling nonchalantly' I hope. I went through and had a look at every rose in their catalogue pretty much @edhelka, an astounding number of Gallicas and many that HMF couldn't help me with.
@edhelka...as we probably share a similar climate, and there are a number of offers on bare roots at the moment, can you suggest 2 or 3 rain tolerant shrubs which you have grown and have succeeded in less than ideal summer weather.
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How do you overwinter those? I have some rooted salvia cuttings but not sure now where to keep those over winter?
Its gone pretty cool here with near freezing temps overnight, so most of my roses are winding down. I can see snow on the Pyrenees already!
All of the cuttings I’m keeping inside until they’ve had a bit longer in the pots. Then I’ll move into my mini greenhouse.
...just tip prune it, to stabilise it for winter, that's all I would do.. pruning back to where the cane is a bit thicker... at that height it does not require any further pruning at this time, only after it has bloomed next summer, then you can prune harder... it's a rose capable of some 10 feet, I've seen it over an arch, and at that height you could cut more off to keep within bounds, but keeping as much of the main framework is essential as it is right now for you...
Monty Don and I, just wouldn't get on...