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Pruning roses
joanna.tomson
Posts: 2
in Plants
Can anyone please advise me about pruning roses? I have a number of old roses which are about 8ft tall. I would like to cut them down to about 2ft. Will they be ok and is it too late to do it this year? Thank you.
0
Posts
Hi Joanna please let us know what sort of roses they are as this will dictate when and how you prune them cheers Lester
Too soon really but you can already cut them down by half now so they don't get rocked about in strong winter winds. Remove any obvious dead stems while you're on. You could also give them a good mulch of well-rotted manure or garden compost round the base and the worms will work it in for you over winter to give the roses a good start next spring.
Next year - mid Feb to March depending on how cold your winter is - cut ot any thin, twiggy or broken stems and then reduce the rest to just above an outward facing bud on each stem. Give them a generous dollop of blood, fish and bone or specialist rose food and more mulch and they should put on plenty of healthy new growth and flower well.
Joanna Obelixx's advise is spot on. It doesn't matter what type of rose it is reduced height is the main action right now. If you post a picture I'm sure we'll be able to help with type, and type is the determining factor in future pruning.
I am assuming they are shrub and not climbing or rambling roses.
I agree with bulkerb. If your rose is something like 'Mme. Hardy' you wouldn't want to be cutting that back to 2 foot right now..
Thank you all for your advise. I dont know what variety they are but they look pretty old and have been randomly pruned over the years. They produce both pink and yellow flowers on the same plant.