Reine des Violettes blooms all season for me but the spring flush is the biggest. I've grown it pruned often and heavily as a shrub and virtually unpruned. There seems to be no difference in the frequency of the blooms. Its performance does improve after about the third year. Hope this helps.

Agree with Hamp. The rebloom gets better as the rose matures.

Carol

I haven't grown those two, but maybe this generalization will help. Some repeating shrubs, including many HP, bourbons, and vigorous Austins, make vegetative growth after the first flush with long laterals or basals that at most can terminate in one bloom or cluster. Some may not bloom immediately. So to answer your basic question, you would not be cutting off much potential bloom if you prune these shoots before they bloom or just run out of gas.

These long shoots could be pegged, self-pegged, wrapped, or stretched on a fence so they at some future time produce many blooming laterals from the leaf-joints. Or they can be pruned so they produce two or three upright laterals. With repeated pruning you get a bushy, self-supporting plant with enough yardage of shorter stems that the plant doesn't feel the need to routinely shoot long canes. Because of the many stems, such a plant is capable of producing many blooms just like a pegged or espaliered plant.

RdV is normally supported, but I think Olga prunes hers to stand up, and Randy says he did. RV is naturally bushier and should be easy to grow that way. Subject to correction, you might prune to 3-4' in spring, cut laterals back by 1/3 or more after blooming, and cut back strong summer growth that looks like it isn't going to bloom any time soon (prune to the general height of the plant or shorter).

With maturity you should get more repeat bloom and less vegetative growth.

Sorry, I meant Hamp, not Randy.

I think the single, most beautiful display I've ever seen on any rose may have been years ago, on a 'Reine des Violettes" that we pegged, nearly flat to the ground, with just enough arch to prevent the canes' snapping. It was astonishing when it flowered. Hundreds of closely-packed flowers. On the other hand, we've never done it again, because after that flower flush, the structure of the plant was a mess, and we pruned at it for a long time to make it "normal" again. And it was a lot of work to peg it in the first place.

Nowadays, we grow it as an untrained, unsupported bush, which easily reaches 6-7' tall by nearly as wide in a season. We do prune it fairly hard, especially for height, in the spring. We get a major bloom flush in the spring, then a few flowers here and there all summer, then another heftier flush in the fall. It then continues with a few flowers through the winter, until we prune, usually late February or early March. (this is in Lakeland Florida)
Malcolm

Would you RdV growers be willing to post pics of pruned, support and free-standing shrubs? I am putting my RdV in the ground this year, and would like a heads up as to what to expect. Thanks in advance!

support-ED that is!

Greenhaven, here's a link to photos of our plant at Florida Southern, which we prune each spring, but is not supported up in the scion portion. I should clarify that, like all of our 'Fortuniana' rooted plants, it does have a small stake at the base to hold the graft upright. But it is without support in the sense of a pillar or something else larger.
Malcolm

Here is a link that might be useful: FSC's 'Reine des Violettes'

Wow, gorgeous, Malcolm! Thanks for the pics! Your rose is lovely. Do you prune it to kind of "self-support?"

Malcolm, great shots of your 'Reine des Violettes' @ Florida Southern.
I like the way the blooms on RdV are usually nestled right atop foliage ... the leaves come right up to the bud/bloom. Your photos show that unique characteristic of this rose very well.

Randy

I'd say we prune it much like our HTs, but somewhat taller and leaving quite a few more canes. So after pruning, it's probably 3+ feet tall by nearly as wide, with perhaps 50 canes. The main goal is to shorten it so people can appreciate the flowers at eye level, and to keep it from trespassing on its neighbors' space.
Malcolm

Malcolm,

The foliage on your RdV looks incredibly healthy for Southern Florida. Do you spray? If so, what do you use?

And another question for Malcolm (or anyone!). You mention your RdV being a grafted plant; I have just received an RdV own root plant. I am wondering if there would be a benefit to having a grafted plant vs. own root. This question concerning ANY rose variety always throws me off. (And then there is the question of WHICH root variety is best - very confusing!)

Thanks so much,

Lynn

Belle Gallica, Yes, we have a commercial spray service that sprays that garden every Friday. I know they use Manzate (or Dithane M-45 or similar), and they alternate with something else -- I'm not sure what. They also occasionally add an insecticide when the chili thrips take over.

Texaslynn, it all depends on your climate and soil. So there is no one right answer. If you're in an area with quite a lot of clay in the soil, own-root will likely do very well. But in our very sandy soils, 'Fortuniana' roots tend to do better than most own-root varieties. In other areas, still another rootstock might prove superior.