Pruning roses

Most of the roses need to be pruned, a little trick of horyzon.

Bush roses with large flowers, grouped flowers or stem roses

March is the best time to prune your bush roses. You should leave 5 to 7 branches well distributed around the base. Give preference to young shoots and aerate the center of the rosebush by cutting off the oldest ones.

You must then cut these branches at about 15 cm from the ground in a bevel (the bevel oriented so that the water does not flow on the bud) just above an eye which goes towards the outside of the plant (5 mm above). Preferably leave three or five eyes, but if it is misdirected, cut to less. In general, three eyes are cut for young roses or bedding roses (Polyanthas and Floribundas) and five eyes for large flowered varieties (tea hybrids).

Remove weak or dead branches and cut back the others to 3 or 5 eyes. This will rejuvenate your plant. The cut should be clean, angled and about 1 cm away from the bud. The bud should be facing away from the plant.

For large flowered varieties and more vigorous roses, prune to four/five eyes.

In the fall, prune your roses at about 40 cm from the ground. This is simply an aesthetic pruning, to avoid seeing them without foliage all winter long.

Climbing and shrub roses

Also in March, you will cut back the branches by about a quarter of their length, above an outward facing eye. You will remove the dead and unhealthy branches, keeping only the vigorous wood. You can also remove older branches that are replaced by new growth.

For non-climbing roses, you should prune after they have flowered, in the fall.

Ground Cover Roses

Prune your ground cover roses according to the space available.

Miniature roses

Cut back miniature roses by one fifth and give them an elegant silhouette. Remove the small stems.

Pruning rose bushes in spring

Why prune evergreen roses in spring?

For traditional remontant rosebushes, maintenance pruning should be carried out throughout the season, as well as a clean-up pruning in the autumn, which consists of cutting back all the branches to half height.

But at the beginning of the following spring, during the month of March, or even at the end of February, given that the rose is a plant that does not fear the cold, it is necessary to proceed with a rejuvenation pruning, which allows the rosebushes to remain dynamic and to produce a maximum of flowers. In fact, if you want to obtain new sap conduits that are well distributed throughout the plant, it is necessary to prune the old wood.

The right calculation before pruning

The first step in spring pruning is to count the number of branches on the rose. This number determines the number of eyes* (and therefore branches) to keep.

During a classic pruning, if we count 10 branches (2 small ones can count as one), we must keep 10 eyes on the rosebush. With the pruning technique, we keep 20. The calculation is the following : number of branches emitted in the year x 2 = number of eyes to keep on the rosebush.

Knowing that the first 12 centimeters of a branch carries 3 to 4 eyes, if we leave 5 branches cut back to 12 centimeters, we keep the 20 eyes desired.

Pruning the branches

To leave only 5 branches on the rosebush, we will first remove the branches located in the center, as close as possible to the base. Then, we cut back the preserved branches above the 4th eye.

Avoiding flowering holes

To avoid flowering holes during the season, it will be necessary to intervene again, but only after the roses have grown back. When the new branches reach 20 to 30 cm, 2 branches are selected and pruned to 3 eyes. Thus, when the rosebush is in bloom, these two branches will have produced 6 new branches which will, in turn, be filled with flower buds.

If we repeat this pruning on 10% of the branches, every 10 days, even if it means sacrificing a few flowering branches, we obtain a rosebush bearing roses permanently.

Pruning roses in autumn

After flowering, comes fruiting

In the fall, the roses in the garden are almost finished flowering. It is possible to leave them as they are. Some will produce fruit that is quite decorative (rose hips) and will also serve as food for birds during the season. However, by producing fruit, the rosebush expends energy that will then be lost when it comes time to bloom again the following year. Therefore, in order not to exhaust your roses and to obtain a beautiful bloom every year, it is recommended to do a minimum of maintenance, that is to say pruning.

Pruning roses with hedge shears

Roses are usually pruned with pruning shears, working on the branches, one after the other. In the case of a rose bed or hedge, where there are many branches to prune, the task can quickly become tedious. To simplify the work, use hedge shears, a tool that is less precise than pruning shears, but with greater efficiency; a tool that is not usually used to prune rose bushes. But for this fall pruning, the lack of precision is not a problem. So we use the hedge shears as we would for a classic hedge.

Why prune roses in the fall?

Pruning roses in autumn with hedge shears simply consists of a light cut to shorten the branches slightly. This makes it possible to remove the end of the flowering period and the fruit in formation. We also take advantage of this to give a nice shape to the roses and limit their expansion (the stems quickly spread on the surrounding lawn, or grow in height depending on the variety).

And then, in spring...

In the spring, more precise work can be done. For example, if there are some dry or badly placed branches. It is then possible to intervene, but this time, with the secateurs.

And if it is necessary to shorten the roses again, most of the work will already have been done.

Cutting roses

You would so much like to have that beautiful rose that illuminates your neighbor's garden, but you can't find it in the shops! You have been offered particularly beautiful roses and you would like to keep a trace of them... No problem, cutting the stems is quite easy to succeed in autumn. 

However, you should know that the world of roses is ruthless and that the creators are fighting a real battle. Some roses are now protected by a trademark, and like all works of art, their reproduction is theoretically forbidden. However, as long as the production remains in the private and individual domain, it remains tolerated...

The choice of the future cutting

The stem of your chosen rose must be of the year. Vigorous, free of any trace of disease, choose it straight, with an arch or semi-arch. On a 25 cm long shoot, make a bevel cut under the lowest leaf and do the same at 0.5 cm above the top leaf. Take care not to cut a bud and then gently remove the thorns and all the leaves except the two top leaves to limit evaporation which would weaken the plant.

Cutting

You have two options: take cuttings from the rosebush in the garden if you have one, or in pots or deep polystyrene boxes from your fishmonger.

In the first case, choose a shady and sheltered spot in the garden if possible along a wall.

• Dig a V-shaped trench in which you will put coarse sand in order to favour the recovery. 
• After applying a cutting hormone to the lower part of the rose stem, place the cuttings every 15 cm, leaving only the last two pairs of leaves and a 2cm piece of stem to protrude so that the leaves are not in contact with the soil. 
• Fill in with light soil, then pack and water.

If all goes well you can transplant your cuttings within a year. 

In a pot or box, the mixture will be composed of light soil and sand. Dip the rose stems in the cutting hormone and plant them deep enough. You can install several stems per pot. Keep the soil always fresh but not too much at the risk of making the process fail.

Be careful, in pot you will have to transplant your cuttings as soon as the roots come out of the drainage hole to ensure a good recovery.

As soon as spring comes, you can put them in the ground, making sure to water them copiously the first year.

The scent of roses

Whether sweet or intoxicating, the scent of roses always offers some moments of happiness. There are several families of perfumes, each one quite distinct, let us see how to differentiate them.

Sweet or intoxicating fragrances

The fragrance of a rose will always be intensified by the right climatic conditions. Thus, a warm and humid weather will allow the perfumes to exhale at best. It is little known, but it is when the flower is in bud that the perfume develops.

The petals emit the majority of the fragrance, which is why English roses and old roses with a lot of petals generally smell better than hybrid tea roses selected for the straightness of their stems, the shape and the color of the flower rather than for the fragrance.

The stamens also emit fragrances often reminiscent of clove or musk, so a single rose can combine several types of scents.

The different fragrances of roses

1. Old rose

This is the scent that most reminds us of the rose in the collective unconscious. The scents are rich, strong, sometimes haunting but always balanced.

The most classic examples are "Harlow Carr", "Bolshoi", "Gertrude Jekill" or "Falstaff", which are very characteristic of the genre.

2. Musk

As we have seen, it is usually the stamens that give off the musky scent. There are few roses that smell only of musk. The smell is often associated with that of the old rose as on "The Generous Gardener" "Monica Bellucci" or "Francine Austin". Many hybrids from the well named "Rosa moschata" have invaded the market for the pleasure of our senses.

3. Tea

Often present in yellow or slightly orange colors, the scent of tea has no equivalent other than the opening of a box of fresh tea. Two well-known examples of this delicate scent are "Graham Thomas" and "Crown Princess Margarita".

4. Fruity

Apple, citrus, pear, apricot, raspberry, grape or even guava: some roses have a very fruity and complex scent. Among them, "Rene Goscinny", "Botero" or the famous "Jude The Obscure" an example of the genre!

5. Myrrh

Perfume with oriental connotations, the roses exhaling the scent of myrrh remind, some spices or incense. A strong, powerful and bewitching scent characterizes these roses. "Contance Spry" is the most beautiful example.

The stem rose, planting, maintenance and pruning

Ideal as an isolated subject on a lawn, the stem rose is a very elegant shrub, especially when it is covered with flowers. Although its silhouette is a little different, it meets the same growing conditions as other roses.

What is a stem rose?

A stem rose is a horticultural achievement, this form does not exist in nature. It is usually a classic rose grafted at a height of 1m to 1.20 m on a vigorous rootstock. Very often, Rosa canina is the species chosen as rootstock for stem roses.

This type of rose tree is therefore a first class ornamental subject in the garden.

Depending on the choice of the rose, its habit can be weeping or upright. Many well known roses exist in a 'stem' version, so you can choose among the many varieties.

When to plant a stem rose?

As with all roses, the best time to plant a bare-root rose is in winter, except during frosty periods. For plants purchased in containers, planting can be done throughout the year, except during periods of drought, hot weather or frost.

How to plant a stem rose?

One of the most important parameters is to choose a very sheltered place to plant your rosebush because its height and the small diameter of the trunk make it very fragile to the wind.

• Dig a 50 cm hole in all directions in a sunny area of the garden.
• Dress and prune the roots if it is a bare root rose.
• Plant a strong stake at the bottom of the hole facing the prevailing wind.
• Place a 2 cm layer of clay balls or gravel at the bottom of the hole.
• Mix some good potting soil and compost with the excavated soil.
• Place your rosebush in the center of the hole and fill it in with the mixture.
• Make sure the trunk is vertical and attach it to the stake.
• Water copiously and add soil if necessary.

How to maintain a stem rose?

Water your rosebush very often the two years following its planting, especially during the warm season. However, let the soil dry out a few centimeters before watering again. Scratch a mixture of compost, dried blood and ground horn powder at the base of your rosebush in early spring.

Mulch the base in summer to retain moisture in the soil. Mulching with cocoa shells or pine bark will look best on such an ornamental.

Pruning will depend on the growth habit of the rosebush, but it should be done at the end of winter whether it is an upright or weeping variety. In the first case, prune each branch to 2 or 4 eyes. In the second case, cut the branches that cross and clear the center of the shrub by removing all the dead wood and fragile stems. Then prune the end of the weeping stems to 40 cm from the ground.

If the rootstock produces shoots, prune them back to the ground.