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Is it too late to prune Roses and what to do with climers?

Last post 30-04-2010 4:11 PM by Obelix. 2 replies.

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  • 13/04/2010 01:20 PM
    • Astaril
    • Somerset
    • 13 Apr 2010
    • 3
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     Hi there, I am a new to gardening and this is my first spring in our house which has quite a large well established garden, it has several roses of all different types bush, climers, ramblers. I have learnt how to prune bush (the normal ones, I don't know if bush is the right word) roses by watching films on the internet. but I wondered what I was to do with the climers and ramblers? as cutting them back would lose all the years it took them to grow into their position, is this right? How do I know what bits to cut on these?

    Also have I left it too late to prune any of them now? I know March is best so April must be late, but could I damage the roses by pruning them now?

  • 21/04/2010 01:35 PM
    In reply to
    • Thistle
    • Sheffield
    • 19 Apr 2010
    • 2
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    I am pleased you have asked this question as my problem is very similar. We took over an established garden last September which unfortunately hadn't had any pruning for about 8 years. The rambling rose just has a few leaves on very long thin straggly stems. Will I loose any flowers they might have by pruning now? Or if I wait until the flowers have finished I don't know where to cut it back to, as all the stems look very old and brown. Thankyou
  • 30/04/2010 04:11 PM
    In reply to
    • Obelix
    • Belgium
    • 24 Nov 2004
    • 440
    Top 25 Contributor
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    Rambler roses and climbers need similar pruning regimes to keep them in bounds, renew vigour and remove dead wood.   It is a bit late to do it now as the plants need their foliage to feed themsleves but at the very least you should remove any obvious dead wood and broken stems that may encourage disease to enter through damaged tissue.

    Then take a look at your plants and remove up to a third of the oldest main stems right back to the base - the most brown and woody looking.   This will encourage new growth which will produce flowers next year and encourages the plant to flower all over and not just at the tips. 

    Feed the plant with a top dressing of rose food or pelleted chicken manure, water in some rose or tomato food and then add a mulch of good garden compost or well rotted horse manure.   Train as many stems as possible in a horizontal or diagonal position to encourage more flowers.  Dead head repeat flowering climbers to keep flowers coming.  It's enough just to trim off the dead flower but you can also cut back to a healthy set of leaves.  Ramblers usually only flower once and then produce hips so do not dead head.  The hips are attractive and will feed the birds in autumn.

    If you get a greenfly problem, hang peanut and fat ball feeders next to your roses.  The sparrows and tits will come and hoover up the aphids whilst queuing to feed.

     There's probably more precise info on the RHS Advice site or you could look on a main grower's site for advice eg David Austin, Peter Beale's , Harkness.

     

     

    Obelix - Belgium