THE PRUNING OF ROSES

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 130, 3 June 1937, Page 26

THE PRUNING OF ROSES

June is generally considered the best month for pruning roses. The aim in pruning should be to make the plants shapely and'well balanced, and with this object in view each- cut should be made about a quarter of an inch above an eye.' pointing. in the direction in which the new shoot;is required.-"; In. the great majority of cases this will be an eye pointing away from the centre of the bush; but; '; very pendant , y or lateral growers.must 'frequently have their shoots'cut';to an eye pointing.up-wards".-'.and 'sometimes even inwards. This. principle applies when cutting blooms as well as in the annual pruning period. The top eye left on a shoot is almost always the one which grows the strongest and which decides the shape of the plant.

The first thing to cut away is any dead wood or twigs. These should be removed right to the end of the decay, leaving only clean, healthy wood. Next remove any weak or, spindly growths or branches which are crossing or crowding the centre ol the bush. Having got so far the pruning proper may be attended to.

As a general rule strong grower* require lighter pruning than those which make weak growth. It can be easily understood that a plant which is naturally a weak grower "is not able to produce so many branches as one which is very vigorous. ,

Allow five or,six eyes to remain'on the; shoots of strong growers and not more than "three or four, on weak growers. Most varieties of roses should be pruned with the definite object of making a new plant from the base up every,three or four years. With this object in view some of the older branches should be .cut; right back,to the base each year to encourage, new growth to break away low down;, ,-_ CLIMBING ROSES. These require different treatment to

bush roses, the severest pruning being given immediately after the spring flowering. At this time the long shoots which have flowered for several seasons, should be cut right away, so as to force new leading shoots to ripen during the summer, for flowering in

the autumn and in the next year. At the same time laterals which . have flowered should also be cut back to one or two eyes.

Some of the very strong-growing roses which are not climbers, such as Frau Karl Druski and the Dicksons, give good results if the long wands. are bent over and tied to a stake. They will then send up a flowering .lateral from each eye and after flowering may' be cut right down to the ground and fresh growths pegged down in their place. ,