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Ragedy, skinny, leggy rose bushes
My mum and dad's garden has a lot of roses. But most of them are in a sorry state. Here are some examples.
What can I do to help them recovery, grow, flower?
Most of them have very skinny branches with few offshoots. I don't know how to prune, I am scared of making them worse.
A lot of them were choked by wild geraniums, red roots wrapping themselves around the rose roots. I carefully removed and replanted them last summer and autumn.
But now that they're weed-free, I want them to thrive.



What can I do to help them recovery, grow, flower?
Most of them have very skinny branches with few offshoots. I don't know how to prune, I am scared of making them worse.
A lot of them were choked by wild geraniums, red roots wrapping themselves around the rose roots. I carefully removed and replanted them last summer and autumn.
But now that they're weed-free, I want them to thrive.



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Posts
Edited to add. Make sure they are in soil based compost if keeping them in pots.
You must be brave and cut them down by at least half, if not to 9 inches from the base.
Weed all the pots and then when you've pruned, apply a good mulch of bagged manure around the roses, but NOT touching any stems.
Hopefully, they will survive but if not, cut your losses and buy some new roses for your parents. If you happen to have any photos of the roses in bloom and can post them on here (reducing the photo size if possible) then we might be able to identify whether they are hybrid tea roses, floribundas or shrub roses (which have a bearing on how you prune the different types.
Have a look at some Youtube videos on how to prune roses if you are unsure.
Rest assured, roses are quite hard to kill and want to grow!
Good luck.
Roses will be happy for a year or two in pots but prefer to be in open ground. They are hungry plants so need regular feeding and the soil around them is kept clear of weeds.