According to family records, the year would have been 1958, just
prior to my 6th
birthday. The Rosarians, who were in charge of
the annual Rose Parade in
Portland, Oregon, decided to sponsor a contest to
draw attention to the event,
which was always a family favorite.
The grand prize for the first
rose in Portland to come into full bloom
was a brand new black and
white T.V., and 2nd prize was
$50,
both of which would have been a boon to our
large family.
My father loved his garden,
which was full of camelias, rhodies,
grapes, and especially roses
(the Queen of the Garden, as they are
some-
times referred to). My dad was
excited. He had a rose in full bloom
and invited the Rosarians to
come see it. And that they did. According
to them, after much scrutiny
I'm sure, they decided the rose was too
small and not showy enough to
draw attention in the newspaper
to the parade. Needless to say, Dad was deflated!
He may not have won the contest that year, but despite
a bruised ego he still had a beautiful garden, and unbeknownst to him, he was
showing me how to take care of it. My father was responsible for my love affair
with gardening, and most especially of growing roses. I guess you could say it
is in the genes!
For this short article on pruning roses, I will be
referring primarily to Hybrid Tea roses, as they are my rose of choice because
of their long stems and slightly larger flower than the Florabunda, although
pruning techniques are similar. Because of the cold weather here in Idaho, I
wait to prune my roses until early spring after the last frost but while the
rose is still dormant. Before actually starting to prune, I like to stand back and just look the plant over and imagine
how I want it to present. They are all so individual. This is easier with a
mature plant as opposed to a new one.
I obviously start by removing all the dead and
diseased wood, removing canes from the middle, and canes which cross over or
rub against other canes. Then I take another quick look. With a bush that is at
least 2 to 3 years old, I look down at it from the top and imagine a round vase
in the center with several (8 to 10
canes) surrounding it.
In this manner, it gives the rose plenty of airflow,
room for pollinators, and keeps it healthy and vigorous as well as keeping
disease to a minimum. An established rose can be pruned to within 8 to 10
inches from the ground. I prefer to look
at pruning roses more as shaping the plant. You can prevent overcrowding and
can restrict the size. An open-centered rose, with well-spaced shoots that do
not rub against each other is much more pleasing to the eye and less prone to
disease. One of the beauties of roses is that by proper pruning, you can keep
them blossoming for the entire season.
All varieties of roses have alternating buds. So when
making the cuts to shape your rose, after a flower has faded look down the cane from the top to the second
leaflet of 5 leaves and cut approximately
¼ inch above the leaf axil at a downward angle away from the leaflet, so
that water drips away from the bud. Generally, I look for a 5-leaf leaflet
pointing outward, but to maintain the open-centered and rounded shape, you may
need to fill in a space, so you could prune at an inward facing leaflet. You
design your rose bush.
So, have a little fun and shape by pruning as part of
your gardening routine. Roses are somewhat forgiving, they are beautiful, and
you could get flowers all season long, a benefit you don't get from many other flowers.
Sources:
Pruning
and training by Christopher Brickell and David Joyce
Portland
Rose Society Rose pruning Guide
https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/ec1624
