Don't worry, New Dawn is a tough rose. I just pruned two New Dawns this past Spring--was was heavily pruned into a compact shrub and the other somewhat normally for a climber--both are blooming just fine. But, if you want a repeat bloom later in the year, just remove the spent blooms--don't cut the canes way back, or it will regrow the long canes before blooming. I wouldn't prune back the long canes until Spring--and only if they grew old and woody or if I wanted a smaller plant. In my case, one of the plants had a lot of really old canes that needed to go.

I will challenge you to kill a ND. :) It is a tough rose, and a rampant grower. It will be doing just fine.

I don't know where your neighbor got the idea to prune off the canes of a new rose. Baby roses need the energy stored in the canes. As for New Dawn, she will soon cover your house and take over your garden. Just joking, but your rose will survive just fine, as everyone has said. Diane

No, you do not want to prune off the canes of a new rose. They need all of the canes and leaves they can get. Now, some people cut off the first bloom from new roses, but even that isn't necessary, I never do it. Tell the neighbor that the rose people on the internet said no. :-)

I found an article called 'From bare root to bloom' by Jill Barnard of the ARS that instructs the reader to cut all canes down to 6 to 8 inches before planting. The explanation was something about coming out of cold storage (??) the plant would be breaking dormancy and would therefore produce too many bud eyes for the amount of root. I'm sorry I don't know how to post a link to it. Is this based on some sort of older practice, perhaps? I seem to remember being given this advice once, a long time ago, which is why I did a bit of Googling, and this article came up. Anyway, at least you can forgive your neighbour, if this was once an accepted/recommended practice - she's not crazy!

I NEVER pay any attention to articles from ARS - they are usually strictly about Hybrid Tea roses to be used for their cut flower competitions, and are of no use for garden roses. New Dawn is not a HT, it is a climber. I agree that you really cannot hurt it, but it is true that the new canes should not have been cut off. I would just leave it alone for at least 2-3 years, to allow it to attain some growth, and to bloom. That way it will have time to produce some new large climbing canes. Then you can look at it and decide how you want to train it, prune it, etc.

Jackie

Thank you all for your helpful feedback! I am delighted to know my New Dawn rose will recover. My neighbor must have been thinking of the article that you mentioned. Next time I will check the internet first.

one other question: here is a photo of where my rose is. you can see my trellis is shaped like an L to cover the a/c units. I since added a fourth panel, so the trellis is now 2 panels per side. Do you think this one New Dawn rose will grow large enough to cover the whole trellis (all four panels)? Or should I train this one to cover one side (2 panels) and get another to cover the other 2 panels?

Thanks again

I second that, except it may only take one year to attain that size. I really wasn't totally joking when I said earlier that ND will cover your house. It might not get that big, but it will get mighty big. And consider buying those goatskin gauntlets when pruning and arranging the canes of New Dawn. She has terrible thorns. Diane

Thanks for the suggestion of goatskin gauntlets. I will look into it!

diane_nj, I thought there was enough room to get around, but after thinking about it some more, maybe not. The trouble is, I already planted it. Can I still dig it up and replant it somewhere else? Or am I stuck? It's been there for a few months and the weather is really hot now (I'm in Burlington County about 10 miles from Philadelphia—weather here has been in the high 80s almost every day).

Thanks for your help!

I'm in central NJ, and from Philly originally.

Yes, it is small and can be moved. Get your new hole prepared first. Then, water your New Dawn a few hours before you transplant. Once moved, water it well, and keep up with the watering. You also might want to put some kind of shade over it after transplant, especially if the temps will be over 85 during that time.

What Diane said. Then, if you want a rose to grow on that trellis, research how big it will get first - ND truly is a house eater.

Jackie

Diane_nj, we are almost neighbors! Thanks so much for your help. I'll see if I can rig some kind of shade cover because it's been hovering just below 85 lately and I think it's supposed to get up to 88-90 this weekend.

Jackie, I understand your point. Do you have any recommendations?

Hi Saki, I'm in the northern Virginia/DC area. We have very hot, humid summers and winters in the single digits. I've been told by several experienced home inspectors and HVAC technicians that heat pumps last ten to fifteen years here. If the unit is a Carrier or Trane, it should last fifteen years. If its a cheaper model, the life expectancy will be shorter. Also, I can't have any vegetation within three feet of the compressor. So in my climate, that trellis would have to be removed to replace the compressor every decade or so. Cutting a big rose to the ground to remove the trellis would upset me, so I would not plant a rose there. Your mileage may vary.

Cecily, thank you for sharing your experience! One of the reasons I chose New Dawn was because it would cover the trellis quickly. My thought was that at least I would be able to enjoy it for a few years even if I need to remove it in order to replace the a/c at some point in the future. However, I think I would be sad to see it go and since everyone seems in agreement with you that it is a bad idea to plant it in this spot, I am going to move it to the front of the house this weekend, where it can go wild over the roof of the porch. :) The question remains what to plant in it's place, though? I really would like something that will hide the a/c units from view, but I think whatever I plant I will run the same risk. I'll have to give it some thought, but if you have any suggestions, please do let me know! Thank you.

Have you considered clematis? Some of those are supposed to be whacked hard each year.

Oh, that sounds perfect! I'll look into it. Thank you!