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My rose bushes have gotten way too big!

11 years ago

Thanks to my irrigation system my G Nabbonand and Duchesse de Brabant have gone totally berserk, reaching about 7', way too big!

Can I prune these back without any lasting effects? Can I prune them severely, or just a little?

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Comments (12)

grandmothers_rose z6b
11 years ago
Holy Cow! 7' for Duchesse de Brabant?! Mine's in a 20 gallon pot. I live a much cooler zone so I hope she stays a little smaller. I LOVE her blooms, scent, color, everything! You are sooo lucky!
GatorRose
11 years ago
Yes mame ogrose, you may trim them back, just not as much as you would in the spring. Good luck!
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fogrose
11 years ago
I've read that many teas don't like to be pruned and may sulk as a result.

Here's an article by Cass Bernstein about pruning Teas.

Diane

Here is a link that might be useful: Pruning Teas
jerijen
11 years ago
Cass speaks truth.
The roses are not too big. They're In the wrong place. Consider moving them -- because, really, you don't want to try to make 4-ft. Plants out of them.

Jeri
seil zone 6b MI
11 years ago
I never complain when my roses get too big, it means they're happy, lol! Are they causing a problem being large? Can you move something else to give them more room?
eahamel
11 years ago
Help Me Find says DdB will get up to 8', and in a warm climate, that's what I'd expect. You should see my Blush Noisette - it'a about 7' tall and at least that wide.
jardineratx
11 years ago
I find that my teas do better with little pruning. Trying to bring their size down by several feet at a time has resulted in gawky, awkward branching that results in an ugly rose bush. In the case of Safrano, however, I cut back by deadheading further down the branch than I would normally do because it is so wide and reaches into the driveway, scratching our vehicles. It was my first tea and I did not plant it with enough room for its natural mature size.
Molly
jacqueline9CA
11 years ago
Wow - I had never seen Cass' article on pruning teas. It is a keeper!

I agree with the others above that your DdB is NOT "way too big" - it is the size it is supposed to be, and is happy being. I have two DdBs, and both of them are 7-8 ft tall. So, I echo the above question - why do you think it is too big? If it is in the wrong location for a tea (almost all of which will get at least 7 x8 ft tall and wide), can you move it to a better location?

You will not like the result if you try to prune it for size.

Jackie
ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
11 years ago
I'm a little worried about my row of tea roses. Most of them are already touching each other and it won't be long before they're intimately intertwined which isn't what I had in mind. They're six feet apart from center to center and obviously that's much too close. When they're planted as bands you just can't believe they'll ever grow this big. They showed me!

Ingrid
ogrose_tx
Original Author
11 years ago
Thank you, thank you! They will stay where they are (not a bad place), and I will enjoy their large size, covered with roses!
kittymoonbeam
11 years ago
Most people are sad that their teas don't grow. Enjoy your good fortune I say.
eahamel
11 years ago
I love it that some teas get so large. I have a bed that runs the length of my porch, about 15'. I took out a bunch of azaleas that were there when I bought the house, and replaced them with THREE Mme. Antoine Mari bushes. They filled the bed and got about 7' tall and as wide in about a year. Every now and then I cut them way back and they promptly filled out again, and it seems like they're always blooming.

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