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Pruning A Shrub Rose To Size

Nigel103Nigel103 Posts: 43
Is it OK to prune a shrub rose to contain it to a specific size? For example, pruning a 4' shrub rose to stay at 3' high. Thanks.

Posts

  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    The harder you prune a shrub rose, the stronger it grows.  Bending one over at target height might be your best strategy.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    Yes no problem. A repeat flowering shrub rose would normally get it’s main annual prune when dormant and mostly leafless in winter/early spring. As a rule of thumb, prune back the shrub by about a third to maintain it’s current size or by half to reduce the height. They are pretty forgiving though, so don’t fret too much about being accurate, if it needs a bit more or a less that’s fine.

    During the summer, also no problem with pruning back the odd tall or wayward cane or two lower, to bring it in line with the rest and keep it in shape. I often do that when deadheading the spent blooms.

    Some of the old once-flowering shrub roses (that don’t repeat after the first and only display) need treating a little differently if you want to ensure flowering the following year. A famous example is ‘Tuscany Superb’.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
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