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Complete beginner - Rose pruning

kphchasekphchase Posts: 7
in Problem solving
Hello all, I attempted to prune my rose plant for the first time and it’s not produced any roses this year and isn’t looking too healthy.
Can you advise me please, step by step with annotations on my photo if possible, of what I should be doing to bring it back to life for next year. Or is it looking beyond rescuing? Thank you so much for any advice.

Posts

  • MarlorenaMarlorena Posts: 8,705
    ...not a lot of point really, it's completely dead.... perhaps try something else in your pot like Lavender? a Geranium?... less care required.. 
    East Anglia, England
  • kphchasekphchase Posts: 7
    Thank you. I have a lot to learn!
  • parrotfeather*parrotfeather* Posts: 188
    Yes, this rose is clearly dead and beyond hope (you can tell if a woody plant is dead by scraping a bit of bark...if it is alive it will be green underneath).  Roses in pots can be a bit of a challenge as they need lots of feeding and moisture, and I would never try to grow a rose in a small pot.  Ideally, you need something at least 35cm in diameter and John Innes No 3 compost with added manure if you want it to look good.  I don't think you killed it by pruning it, though, and perhaps it was more lack of water.  Easier to grow in full sun with less care would be something like a Convolvulus sabatius or Rosemary, perhaps a Pelargonium or Hebe.  If you have the pot in shade you could try the Hebe, Bergenia or one of the ferns which will cope with dry conditions.  It is all about choosing the right plant, the right compost and the right pot for the situation.  These are things you will eventually learn by experimenting but when starting out it can be helpful to do a bit of research first.  This GW website has some useful stuff and www.rhs.org.uk will also help you by receommending plants for particular situations. The David Austin Roses website has advice on growing roses in pots and which ones to choose if you want to try a rose again.
  • kphchasekphchase Posts: 7
    That’s really helpful! Thank you very much. 
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