hello

I would cut it back. Spindly canes never do anything good in my experience.

I never thought that AD was a fussy grower myself.

good luck

pcc

Isn't it too late to cut back though?

And how unforgiving do I have to be with my pruning?

You can cut back spindly canes anytime you find them.

But how far down should I cut them? What constitutes spindly non-productive growth?

Anyone?

If I may, I'd like to point out that it's actually hard to kill roses. I have to work at it. (Either by not spraying for two months, or 'forgetting' to water when it's 95 degrees for weeks...You see what I mean.

Abe Darby is a pretty vigorous rose. I'd feel comfortable cutting back as far as needed. Maybe to canes that are at least a pencil size in diameter.

Heck, I've been known to hack off ALL the canes right down to the bud union just to see what happens. (Result--A great flush about 7 weeks later, but I'm in a very warm zone with no winter chill to speak off.)

Anyway, just use your best judgement.

Elaine

Elaine, I'm in a much colder zone, but I also find that if I cut back non-vigorous growth right to the base, feed and water it well, that it usually comes back with strong growth. Newbierosarian's rose sounds like it is several years old. Perhaps it wasn't in the best of situations and needs time not to recover from stress. I'd say, cut it back and keep it well fed and watered and wait and see what happens. Organic fertilizer would be a great choice, because you can feed it fairly heavily without worrying about burning the roots.

Yes, I would give it some time. Even potted roses go through 'transplant shock' when planted and may not perform well the first year. They usually come back strong the following spring.

Ok, the job's done. It looks like quite a drastic prune - I just hope I get to see at least one bloom this year.

Well, whether you have a lot of bloom this year or not, it prepares it for the following year by giving it a new lease on life and it will be healthier for having done that Rome was not built in a day and we need to be patient, do what is best for the roses, even though we might not want to at the risk of losing a bloom. Speaking of blooms, I usually get several flushes from Abe, so I trust you will have "some" bloom this year.

My Abraham Darby went through transplant shock when I bought a 2 gallon (J&P) at the local nursery. The blooms deflated. Austins are known for having weak canes when they are young. It will be better next year. BTW I don't have to try to kill my roses - they die quite easily on their own.