Unsecure chicken perches

[merlina]

I have decided that omleteers are the font of all wisdom - and therefore am trying the forum with a question I've been asking around for two plus years and got no answers.

 

I have inherited a very neglected garden with some fabulous roses. Trouble is, said roses are very tall/overgrown (i think they are HT varieties and would guess they're between 20 and 40 years old)

 

Everything I can find says to prune regularly and don't let them grow old thick wood. Well - what if they *have* already grown like that? Do I chop them dramatically? chop tentatively? let them form the next generation of triffids? Or something else..?

 

I've mostly just been removing suckers (i think that's what it's called when they grow 'wild rose type shoots?) and deadheading

[sjp]

this time of year you only really dead head roses cutting back the dead flower heads to the next or next but one leaf

hard pruning is a mid to late winter job. they won't put new growth on from really old wood growth but I think the do put up new growth from the base which have 5 leaf petals were suckers have 7 and grow off away from the crown of the plant but really old roses do have a tendancy to only grow at the top but I can't remember which type benifit from hard pruning every now and again

[coppers]

I once saw on Gardener's World, years ago, that they did a rose pruning experiment. It was done in March and they pruned in different ways. They pruned in a traditional way, down to outward facing bud and cutting on the slant , keeping the centre open etc, They tried a few other methods which I cannot recall details of but the most dramatic was when they literally used a chain saw to chop them down at about 6 inches high (if I remember rightly). They all grew okay afterwards! The conclusion was that people are too precious with rose pruning As you have a few rose bushes I would chop one down low next spring and see what happens. If it does okay then do the same with the others the spring after and if it succumbs I apologise on its behalf xx

[merlina]

heh - thanks both

 

I guess what I'm scared of is that dramatic pruning after all these years might be too much for the plant to cope with?

 

I was thinking I might try dramatic (ie to within 6 ins of the ground) of half the bush one year and the other half the next.

 

But I really don't have a clue

[coppers]

Erm, chop one low that you aren't that bothered about and see how it goes? x

[coppers]

I presumed you had a few bushes needing attention but I may be wrong having reread the thread? x

[merlina]

yes, there's probably about 10 of these monster bushes dotted around!

I'd feel bad if i killed them as they belonged to my grandparents (and then my mother)

[Valkyrie]

If they are rambler type roses, nip off a stem and stick it into a sand/compost mix with some rooting powder. My grandmother just stuck an Albertine rose cutting in the ground - no powder and it soon took root and grew like a triffid!

[merlina]

One of them is a rambler - has huge beautiful flowers that you don't usually seem to see on rambling roses. It's grown over an archway. There's a bit sticking up the top that's taller than a tree!

The sparrows love perching on it as a lookout for cats - I'd feel bad depriving them of it, but it really ought to come down!

will definitely try sticking a bit in a pot and seeing what comes up - didn't know that worked with roses

[Valkyrie]

My dad did the same when we moved here - he took cuttings and we planted it down the end of the garden. Sadly it never liked our clay soil - plus the fact I think there's something down there that doesn't like shrubs, having planted numerous things down there - so that's where the chickens are now and hidden by a bed of Jerusalem artichokes! Sorted!!!

[Hayleybug]

if i were you i would wait until early spring after the major frosts have finished if you decide to prune them, as they may have quite a shock if they have been left alone for such a long time. better then to give them chance to recover without danger of frost and also thats the time they will be thinking about growing again for the season so they are more likely to recover quickly. put some rose food around their roots and cross fingers. just what id do tho, not talking from experience as never had the same situation but i love roses! hope whatever you do works out!

[sjp]

the traditional time to prune roses bushes is mid to late winter before the temp' starts to warm up and the sap starts to rise the theory been that you get flowers earlier in the season and for a longer season.I used to try to do mine at least one winter in 3 weather permiting between christmas and new year pruned to about 4-6 inches from the ground.but ramblers get pruned differently and not as hard you take any dead stems out to the ground and them thin out any very old wood but you need to have good strong new growth stems coming up to replace the main stem before that gets cut out but. with all roses the main thing is dead heading cut the f=dead flower stem back to just above a pair of leaves about 2 sets below the flower