Ours has been in the ground for 3-4 years now and was planted at a small size but now stands 6-7 foot high and maybe 5ft in diameter. It has sent some shoots from the bottom but I can't see if it's suckered. I think they need to be grafted to prevent its suckering nature but im not sure how common that is with this species and ours were just cheap wild types ithink. We have never pruned it as it has more room to grow into and we like the wild look.
Rugosas are (allegedly) tough as old boots but, like all ramblers and species roses will still be establishing themselves for the first 2-3 years. So long as it’s healthy I wouldn’t worry too much about lack of buds, just let it grow and do it’s thing and prune out only dead wood - don’t prune for the sake of pruning. A simple mulch of compost or leaf mould will help to retain moisture but don’t feed and cosset it like you would other garden roses.
I say allegedly because the hedge of rosa rugosa alba I planted struggled and died - they must’ve hated my extremely alkaline clay soil and/or warmer climate. A hybrid rugosa ‘Hansa’ likewise turned up it’s toes.
Once established, best to prune if necessary after flowering is finished at the end of summer - it needs that woody framework it’s built up over the summer to carry and maximise next year’s blooms. A bit of light pruning in spring is fine.
All that is according to my rose pruning guide anyway. That also says rugosas can seem to resent pruning (by not flowering well) and resent spraying, but a rampant, overgrown rugosa can take a severe cut back. Just don’t expect any flowers for the first season after you have wielded the chainsaw.
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
Rugosas are (allegedly) tough as old boots but, like all ramblers and species roses will still be establishing themselves for the first 2-3 years. So long as it’s healthy I wouldn’t worry too much about lack of buds, just let it grow and do it’s thing and prune out only dead wood - don’t prune for the sake of pruning. A simple mulch of compost or leaf mould will help to retain moisture but don’t feed and cosset it like you would other garden roses.
I say allegedly because the hedge of rosa rugosa alba I planted struggled and died - they must’ve hated my extremely alkaline clay soil and/or warmer climate. A hybrid rugosa ‘Hansa’ likewise turned up it’s toes.
Once established, best to prune if necessary after flowering is finished at the end of summer - it needs that woody framework it’s built up over the summer to carry and maximise next year’s blooms. A bit of light pruning in spring is fine.
All that is according to my rose pruning guide anyway. That also says rugosas can seem to resent pruning (by not flowering well) and resent spraying, but a rampant, overgrown rugosa can take a severe cut back. Just don’t expect any flowers for the first season after you have wielded the chainsaw.
That’s interesting about not cosseting it and feeding etc.
mine is in the front garden, where it has to survive to earn its keep, I only gave it some manure in spring and pruned it hard back, because it had acquired a very spindly frame after not doing very well last year (its first year).
It looks super healthy at the moment with lovely foliage. Shall leave it be then!I hadn’t realised that pruning it hard back in early spring would mean no flowers… That’s really interesting considering that other roses are quite the opposite.
Am I better off not pruning it at all next year then, if I want it to flower the following?I’ve heard it has some beautiful hips, and I’m a bit reluctant to prune it after flowering at all… Once it does eventually flower! I was pretty much hoping to leave it be once it starts flowering in order to get the hips coming through.
Apologies @Nollie I hadn’t read your post properly - so a light prune in spring only if necessary, but otherwise leave the main framework alone, in order to get flowers that year. No extra feeding. Got it 👍🏼 And I never have to spray (loads of sparrows and blue tits, plus ladybirds, do my aphid clear up).
A bit of deadheading is fine at the start, but later on stop the deadheading if you want those big fat hips to form from the spent flowers.
It’s the opposite pruning advice because, unlike modern repeat-flowering roses that bloom on new growth produced in the same year, the majority of once-blooming old roses, ramblers and species (wild) roses flower on old wood or a mixture of old and new, so you need to keep as much of that as possible so it has plenty to flower on the following year. Hence no more than a light prune/cutting out dead wood immediately after flowering is over at the end of summer.
However, I’m not sure exactly where Alba fits on that continuum tbh, maybe flowering on both old and new wood? Since all mine died on me I’m obviously no expert!
Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
So, it seems that I've got everything back to front. I've been doing a bit of light pruning after flowering and then pruning quite hard Feb/Mar. I find it hard to make sense of anything while the leaves are on, it's a jungle in there. In the last couple of weeks though I've had to take out a couple of large branches as it has gone a bit bananas and it didn't help when we had some heavy rain and it just flopped over. Sounds like I've been fortunate that pruning hasn't made any difference to flowering and the flowers are on the new growth.
I have the pink one, it’s spread everywhere, we cut it right back to the ground each spring, it’s just starting to flower now, It grows on the banks, not much soil, never fed or mulched.
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
Thanks all. Yes, but if a mystery to me and no wonder mine didn’t flower (though it is also only 2 years old). I fear mine will get too large for its plot now…I’ll have to go and take out some of those underground runners that are spearmint out from its base, I think. Hope I can contain it! Good to know that it flowers on new growth. Did it also flower in the old?
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I say allegedly because the hedge of rosa rugosa alba I planted struggled and died - they must’ve hated my extremely alkaline clay soil and/or warmer climate. A hybrid rugosa ‘Hansa’ likewise turned up it’s toes.
Once established, best to prune if necessary after flowering is finished at the end of summer - it needs that woody framework it’s built up over the summer to carry and maximise next year’s blooms. A bit of light pruning in spring is fine.
All that is according to my rose pruning guide anyway. That also says rugosas can seem to resent pruning (by not flowering well) and resent spraying, but a rampant, overgrown rugosa can take a severe cut back. Just don’t expect any flowers for the first season after you have wielded the chainsaw.
Shall leave it be then!I hadn’t realised that pruning it hard back in early spring would mean no flowers… That’s really interesting considering that other roses are quite the opposite.
No extra feeding.
Got it 👍🏼
And I never have to spray (loads of sparrows and blue tits, plus ladybirds, do my aphid clear up).
It’s the opposite pruning advice because, unlike modern repeat-flowering roses that bloom on new growth produced in the same year, the majority of once-blooming old roses, ramblers and species (wild) roses flower on old wood or a mixture of old and new, so you need to keep as much of that as possible so it has plenty to flower on the following year. Hence no more than a light prune/cutting out dead wood immediately after flowering is over at the end of summer.
This is a pic from last year 🙂
It grows on the banks, not much soil, never fed or mulched.
I fear mine will get too large for its plot now…I’ll have to go and take out some of those underground runners that are spearmint out from its base, I think. Hope I can contain it!
Good to know that it flowers on new growth. Did it also flower in the old?