I don’t know why, but pruning seem to generate more angst in rose gardeners than anything else.
Each year when I teach my crash course in rose gardening, I say that the worst thing you can do is give a rose a bad haircut. In other words, even if you prune very poorly, the worst consequence is that your rose will look bad for a season.
Why do we prune?
- To remove wood that is dead, diseased, or damaged in some way.
- If we’re talking about hybrid teas (HTs), floribundas, and grandifloras, to “open the center of the bush.” If you don’t grow these classes of roses, this isn’t a concern.
- To remove canes that are rubbing against each other (more of an issue with HTs).
- To shape the plant. The key is to work with the shrub’s natural shape. In other words, you wouldn’t give an across-the-top buzz cut to an arching, fountain-shaped bush.
- To encourage growth. This last is the reason Southern gardeners don’t usually prune in the fall—and why everyone stops deadheading late in the year. We want the plant to go dorman, and pruning gives the plant signals to grow.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
