How Soon Can You Prune A Young Rose
comments (6) February 12th, 2013 in blogs
Paul Zimmerman, contributor
4 users recommend
I like to let young roses grow before pruning.
Photo: Paul Zimmerman Roses
I was on-line surfing some rose forums and someone asked if it's okay to prune a young rose or should they leave it alone. I'm glad I ran across it, because it is a question I'm frequently asked. Since this is pruning time in some parts of the country it's a good opportunity to answer it.
First, let's define "young rose". This would be a rose you planted last year, be it spring, summer or fall. It's not how old the rose was when you got it, but when you planted it that counts. As we've talked about before, bareroot plants can be two years old when you get them and some own-root bands can only be 6 months old.
Now that we know what we mean by a young rose we can turn our attention to the question should you prune a young rose.
No.
In my opinion this is not a good idea because I feel it's best to let my roses get to mature size and fully establish themselves first. To get established and truly settle in their root system, they need food to create the energy to do so. A critical part of this is their leaves - known of course as photosynthesis. The less foliage a plant has, the less food it can make and the less energy it has to get established. By established I'm particularly talking about the root system. Remember the old saying. Roots first - tops second.
If you worried about keeping canes on a newly planted rose nicely shaped - don't. If everything goes according to plan the canes that were on the rose when it arrived in your garden will be gone by the third year or so. Replaced by new canes that have grown from the base of the plant.
The reason this is a goal on every new rose I plant, is because the canes on it when it arrived had likely been cut back several times during production and while it was for sale. This is to keep it a sellable size, get it to bush out better thereby making it more attractive at the garden center and other reasons. I feel chances are these canes will never make a nicely shaped plant.
For this reason I like to focus on getting new canes to grow from the base of the plant. These are sometimes called basal breaks. I will allow these canes to grow unhindered to their mature height and these will form a nicely shaped plant. As these canes come up, and I feel can replace an original cane, I cut the original canes out. Over time all the original canes are gone, having been replaced by new ones.
Of course these new ones need energy to form and grow. Energy provided by the leaves on the original canes. My way of thinking is, the more foliage I have at the start the faster I'll get those new canes popping up. This is one of the main reasons I do not prune young roses.
Are there exceptions? Of course. If a plant takes off like a rocket and throws out long canes feel free to keep them in check. Particularly if you feel they might snap off in a windstorm. Use a light hand and try to keep as much of the cane as possible.
When it comes to pruning young roses my rule of thumb is not to do it and use a very light hand if I do.
Happy Roseing
Paul
posted in: Pruning
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Everyone loves roses. If you always wanted to add roses to your garden but were too intimidated by their diva reputation, Roses Are Plants, Too is the blog for you.
Paul Zimmerman has grown thousands of roses for over 15 years and for ten of those years in a sustainable manner. His common-sense approach shows you how to integrate garden roses into your landscape by looking at them as nothing more than flowering shrubs, all the while encouraging you to trust your own "Gardener's Instincts" in the care of these beautiful plants.
You will learn how to prune and train climbing roses, and how to get the most "ka-bloom" out of your shrub, David Austin and Knockout rose bushes. You'll get tips on growing roses organically and trimming them all season to keep their shape. You'll discover the difference between own-root and grafted roses, and more. Much of the instruction will be via videos that Paul produces himself!
Paul Zimmerman ran a rose care company in Los Angeles before moving to South Carolina to start Ashdown Roses. Now he focuses on rose education and teaching via Paul Zimmerman Roses. He lectures, gives workshops, and judges rose trials around the world, and it is this experience he brings to this blog.
Whether you are new to roses or an experienced grower, Paul will open your garden to the vast diversity our national flower offers.
If you have questions about roses and rose care or would like to share your own experiences please visit our Roses Are Plants, Too discussion forum.
To inquire about Paul's workshops and lectures, email him at paul@paulzimmermanroses.com.
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Comments (6)
Say hi to everyone in Toronto for me and I hope you like the book! Posted: 10:39 am on April 30th
planted last year and came across your article on pruning
young roses. I must admit that I did not know this! I have
always pruned new roses in the spring, along with my
other roses.
You article was an eye opener....and it makes
sense. Except as you mentioned, a rose that just takes
off and grows extremely tall. I'm thinking of the 6 Kordes
Fairy Tale Roses I planted in 2011. So I shall leave my
'Knock outs' alone. I am looking forward to you new book.
I read your entries and watch your videos. I am the President of the Greater Toronto Rose & Garden Society and have told all
my members about your columns. (I am an organic gardener and
live with black spot on some roses, but am looking forward to see how these new behave! My Kordes Roses were clean last
year.) Thanks for listening to my rant! I'm a great fan of yours! Posted: 3:51 pm on April 24th
I'm learning so much from you, thank you very much. Appreciate the advice re the tree rose, I'll upload some pics when it blooms this year.
Again, many thanks, and congratulations on creating such a beautiful and informative (and reasonably priced) book.
Best,
Pauline Posted: 2:41 pm on March 8th
Thank you for ordering the book!
Regarding your Sunsprite. Outside of dead wood I would let it be. If it appears to be getting top heavy during the season feel free to trim a little to keep it shaped. Posted: 12:20 pm on March 7th
Ordered your book, and can't wait for it to arrive! So glad you created this carbon based resource, as it just doesn't feel quite right curling up with a duvet, glass of wine, and a laptop.
On the subject of pruning new roses, thank you very much for sharing your wisdom. I planted most of our roses last year, and was planning to prune them on the weekend. Now I'll wait till next year, as I want them to thrive and be beautiful.
One question, please - we had a Sunsprite standard rose in a big pot. Bloomed thrillingly the first year. Did not bloom the second year, so was planted (last fall) in the ground. Do I prune this spring, or wait till next year? I was thinking of pruning the branches half-way back, to about 8 inches long.
Your advice would be greatly appreciated, and meanwhile, I'm meeting the mailman every day to see if he has your lovely book.
Many thanks,
Pauline Posted: 10:49 pm on March 5th