Ready To Make Your ROSE GARDEN The Envy Of Neighbours?
Shrub Rose
Shrub roses like the beautiful rugosa are both long blooming, and disease resistant. These are also great for the novice planter. They are gorgeous even when they are not in bloom because the foliage is so pretty.
Shrub Roses comprise various wild species, hybrids, and varieties that develop large, dense bushes more closely resembling shrubs. Their small spring flowers and fall seed pods contribute to their value as ornamentals. Their primary use is for mass, screen or hedge plants. The fragrant pink or white Musk roses are typical of the group.
Repeat-flowering shrub roses bear flowers on mature stems that are not old and woody. Severe pruning of these roses would result in reduced flower production. In their first two or three seasons in the garden, shrub roses can be left unpruned. Wait to see what shape develops and then try to prune so that the shape is maintained. Many modern shrub roses are pruned by a method called the "one-third" method. Suggested pruning sequence:
In the spring, remove one-third of the very oldest canes. This helps keep the plant from becoming an overgrown thicket of poor-flowering canes.
Replace these canes by identifying about one-third of the very youngest canes that grew the previous season.
Remove the remaining canes.
The result of this one-third method is that you are continually renewing the rose while at the same time keeping enough mature wood to ensure a good supply of flower-producing wood.
However, keep one thing in mind. Do your pruning in early spring just before new growth begins, but remove spent flowers and dead canes whenever they occur. The goal is to keep the center of the shrub free of twiggy, weak growth.
The equipments you should keep with you while prunning your roses are:
Sturdy, thorn-proof, elbow-length gloves to prune thorny rose shrubs.
You will also require a pair of sharp hand pruners for canes up to 1/2 inch in diameter.
Keep long-handled loppers or a small pruning saw to cut larger stems and to reach into the center of dense shrubs.
How to inspect your Rose Plant?
First, identify all the dead and damaged canes.
Then, locate long thin canes and canes that grow from below the graft union.
Finally, look for canes that rub against or crowd each other, especially if they're growing through the center of the bush.
Steps for determine where to cut.
Prune canes back to fat, pink buds that face the outside of the shrub.
Cut the spindly canes back by half their length or to 2 to 3 feet long.
Cut or break off canes completely that grow from below the graft union.
Remove diseased canes, and those that rub or crowd, back to healthy, outward-facing buds.
If you see brown tissue in the center of a cane when you cut it, prune a little farther back until the tissue is clear and healthy.
How to make the right pruning cut?
Make your cut about 1/4 inch above a healthy bud and at a 45-degree angle.
The bud and the high point of the cut should be on the same side of the cane so that water will drain away from the bud.
To prevent the spread of disease, clean your pruning tools between shrubs with a mix of one part bleach and nine parts water.
Remove spent flowers.
To encourage repeat flowering, use a hand pruner or scissors to remove flowers as soon as they finish blooming.
Cut each flower stem back to a leaf with 5 to 7 leaflets and a healthy bud.
Other important tips:
In cold-climate areas, prune the buds just when they begin to swell in spring. At this time, it is easy to differentiate between healthy canes and buds and those that didn't make it through the winter.
To encourage strong new growth, fertilize roses after spring pruning.
