I have a wild rose on one side planted by previous owner of land. Do I prune it down for thicker growth , leave it ? I hate the prickly stems but lovely flowers and hips .
I'd prune the older growth out. wild roses are very large plants with long wavy stems, very painful as you've found. If they get up into trees they're quite hard to pull out when they die off which they do often. Naturally they make great thickets, a bit like bramble with dead stuff inside and live growing away. Not pretty for a garden.
It's only about 5ft high and on its own, running itself along the fence to pergola ...handy that , should be nice with honeysuckle. I shall armour myself up and have a hack ,thanks.
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I'd prune the older growth out. wild roses are very large plants with long wavy stems, very painful as you've found. If they get up into trees they're quite hard to pull out when they die off which they do often. Naturally they make great thickets, a bit like bramble with dead stuff inside and live growing away. Not pretty for a garden.
In the sticks near Peterborough
Hack it back as much as you want-it will bounce back-probably quite painfully