I am dumb for even answering you on this subject...so different are our climates. Where I live in Zone 9, I prune my few Hybrid Perpetuals almost like Hybrid Teas. I take out old canes that are tired to rejuvenate the plant and trigger new basal breaks and remove dead wood. I don't prune anything as drastically as 6" though. I don't have that many HPs: Grandmother's Hat, Yolanda D'Aragon and Jacques Cartier. I took Grandmother's hat down to about 4.5 feet, Jacques Cartier to about mid-thigh height and Yolanda down to waist height...3.5 feet? Something like that. All three look very happy. All three are own-root plants. Hope this is helpful. I don't grow Mrs. John Laing. None of my HPs are what I would call "twiggy". Jerome

Jeri - yes I did, but it was a long time ago and now I forget who told me, but it was probably someone at the Celebration of Old Roses. I think I was told it is Eugene de Beauharnais. The original picture I posted above is the first plant of this rose which I planted in the sun, and discovered it was NOT a once bloomer. Below is a pic of the original original rose, (planted by one of my DH's ancestors) still growing in mostly shade below the crab apple tree, Japanese quince, and several other roses. It blooms happily, but only in the Spring. I know the one above in my original post is the same rose, because I planted that one when the one below tip rooted and I dug up the baby plant. I know you grow EdB, Jeri - what do you think? Amazing fragrance on all three of mine - the strongest "old rose" fragrance of all of the roses I have. Jackie

I thin out canes that are crossing first or canes which are damaged and finally the thinner canes. I try to have the total down to ten to twelve and thin out the center canes if possible. Currently Monsieur Boncenne has 18 canes at the end of the growth season. These include a few new canes which may be used to replace older canes next spring after accounting for winter storm damage. An interesting thing I have observed with hp's is to not deadhead like you would with ht's. At most I snap off spent blooms and do not cut back the cane to any point like I would for a ht. I have found that the bloom continues for a longer period this way. I have pictures on my Facebook page of Monsieur Boncenne blooming into September after starting in early June. It never stopped the entire time. Lance

I can't see the canes on the right very clearly. It looks like you have some canes tied to bamboo stakes with green tree tie. It's just my personal prejudice, but I wouldn't put up with that. If it were my HP, I'd hammer it...in the spring. At that time, I'd prune it down to 15 inches. I'd completely remove any basal canes that are scraggly (if that describes the two on the right). Then I'd prune everything down to stout wood that will support itself. If nothing is that stout, then take it down to 15 inches. The reason I'd wait is that I'm not convinced every HP is equally hardy, especially with Lyon being in southern France. You can top the plant after it gets really cold down 3.5 or 4 feet. One other thing. Again, I can't see clearly. Are those canes coming out of the ground or out of a single basal cane? I'm thinking I would probably have planted that rose deeper. I always bury the crown of any own root rose. It makes for a stouter base with more support for the basals. I plant all my roses deep, and they don't mind in the least. In your climate, it's freeze insurance.