Hey! where has the time gone? OK. I do tend to have the odd siesta during the day, ( an oldie's privilege) Anyway checking my roses. I was amazed thankfully, at the new buds, but at the same time, concerned. Oh dear. There I go again talking to myself. Well it's the only way I get agreeable answers. Immediate thoughts of buds being hit by winter frost. Then considering climate change etc. Oh well. Now we are into February, nearing time to sharpen the secatures ready for pruning. Just a thought. How do you get on with pruning. Do you cut straight across or at an angle? Do you prune really low/short or leave a few buds. I had to chuckle. Browsing some old emails the other day. One was a reply regarding some pics I had sent a nursery for a refund. It was a tequeila sunrise. Cut down to five stems longest about six inches. The whole plant was as dead as a dodo, already fully in die back. Laugh. The lady said. It's not for me to say but. It does look like the pruning has been incorrect. One should always prune back to a new bud. SORRY missus. This is how I received the rose. Never mind. Lets hope 2022 will be a good gardening year for all.
Mike, I join you in your hope for 2022 being a good gardening year, and a good year in general! When pruning our roses, I cut at an angle--high end toward the bush's center, low end outward. Since our roses are own-root, "antique" roses, I generally let them grow as they want and just remove crossed canes or the canes that grab us as we go by.
Mike if you still have them in the pots you can move them as long as they're not too big pots of course.
Mike—I prune mine at an angle and facing the sun...and never when rain or frost is expected. As for how far back I cut to, well that depends upon what I want to achieve in terms of height, direction and degree of fullness or bushiness. Choices used to be a bit of hassle, but now I am down to just one rose and it gets pruned the same way each year. Jane—I like the looks of your red rose. It looks like what I envision as the typical bush rose and habitus. If I had room, I would like to do that. It simply looks splendid.
@MIKE ALLEN , the older you get, the faster time flies! “How did it get so late so soon?” – Dr. Suess On rose pruning, if I want a lot of flowers, I prune about two or three feet high. If I want a few, larger flowers, I prune about a foot high. I prune at angle sloping away from the bud, so water drains off. Somewhere I read it doesn't matter, but I do it anyway. @marlingardener, gorgeous rose!
