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rose issues
I planted a Tuscany Superb rose last summer, but the problem I've got this spring is the lack of new growth. It has 6 or 7 stems/shoots from last years growth, which are about 2-3ft in length and rather thin and whippy in nature. There is plenty new growth being produced on the ends of these stems but very little in between. This is causing them to be bend downwards, which will be even more pronounced if they develop flower buds
I followed the pruning advice for a new plant; very light prune taking off just the first 2-3 inches until the plant is established. Should I be more drastic and cut it back by half to create sturdier stems. Has anyone else had similar problems with a new rose.
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Hi Peter. I would do as you said. Reduce the whippy stems to an outward facing bud/node. This will promote the growth that you want.
Peter, I planted one last year for a client. This spring growth was a bit whippy. I've since pruned it hard, and I mean hard, right back to a few inches and mounded soil over the union. Since then it's produced some lovely strong new stems, strong thick, and to be honest quite gorgeous to behold. I'd prune it hard and wait. A good feed, water and mulch will all help as well. I'm in the process of renovating all her roses and hard pruning to encourage the new stems is fail safe IMHO. Roses need tough love.
This Spring, I didn't manage to prune my new roses which were planted in tubs last year and year before last. Only this last fortnight have I managed to get into the garden and they are all leggy - thinner than a pencil, bar one which I've transplanted into a bed - dark red leaved thick-stemmed 'National Trust' red rose.
I thought it was too late this year to prune them down and have summer blooming, so I only pruned about 6" off the top as some already had buds. They were sold as 'climbers' but the same roses are often described as 'bush'. I have lazily decided they can be left as 'climbers' and I've bent the stems horizontally as far as the stems could be arched down. I replaced the top couple of inches with fresh compost, gave a good granular rose feed and watered in and then mulched with a few inches of horse manure. They look happy enough - just long thin stemmed. I had hoped the stems I arched over horizontally and tied in might produce some vertical shoots - but at this late stage perhaps that's wishful thinking! One, in a bed, had grown so spindly tall but has lots of buds - that I've just 'plunked' (!) an obelisk over it and tied the stems in and thought I'd prune them all as normal next year - just to save the buds on then already this year.
I assumed May was too late to prune them down to two thirds - and thought that as they are so young to my garden that I ought not to prune them at all this year anyway.
I'm not sure whether to leave them as I have them now or whether to just prune them all down now. I don't want to lose the early blooms on the repeat bloomers.
I always thought I would be a bit of a risk with roses! But they are so very lovely when they bloom - which is how you get drawn in!!!