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Monday, June 19, 2017

For Me, Pruning Roses is Personal

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