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Dublin Bay climber more advice please
I was advised that my DB rose is a pillar rose and not really suited to bending over my pergola bench thing.
Now that it's stopped flowering for a while, I would like to cut it back and just grow it up just one side of the pergola. There's good 6ft of bare stem before the leaves start.
How far off the ground should I cut it?
If I go too low, will I end up with suckers?
Thanks chaps
In London. Keen but lazy.
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Any chance you could take a photograph. Just curious why it is bare stem. Previously, did you cut it back? These roses need to be cut back either in winter or early spring. If that is done, they should still be flowering now. Do you deadhead the rose? There is nothing wrong with cutting it down, but is this because you think it's finished flowering or you don't want it to flower anymore.
It's a few years old. main stem successfully trained over pergola but the side shoots grow at a fast pace and shoot up about 4ft into the air from the top of the pergola but snap when I try to bend them. It has been explained to me in another thread that it's because it's a pillar rose and not meant to be trained in that way
It hasn't finished flowering for the year, but the first flush is over . I didn't want to chop it and miss the flowers. - most of which were on stems poking at least 2ft in the air .
I want to go with its natural inclination and grow it up the side of the pergola rather than across the top.
I suppose my main question is whether it is likely to have been grafted onto a different root stock and will be likely to sucker if I trim it right down or should I stop at a couple of feet to avoid this?
Thanks borderline. I hope I've explained the problem. I'll take a photo if it helps.
It was growing through a vigorous clematis and this may account for the bare stem. The clematis has already been pruned back.
Thanks for the explanation. I doubt the pruning will affect the rootstock area, unless you have initally planted this shrub quite proud of the soil level. There are many roses grafted but should be below soil level for your shrub, unless you bought a standard style rose. If that is the case, you should look for the connection area and make sure you don't cut below that point. Where it is bare, I take it , there are multi-stems? If you cut so low, you will lower the chances of it flowering until late summer.
Regarding the tops of the pergola, because it's one of those leaning style shrubs, you really need to tie them in much much earlier on, as 2ft and over will mean the branches have turned more brittle and stiff. But I understand, being at the top of the pergola, it's quite a lot of work to do and at height.
If you have multi-stems on the lower sections, you could cut back half for now and leave the rest to see what happens.
There's only one main stem. I'll cut it back to a couple of feet and forgo flowers for a while. Thanks very much.