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pruning neglected groundcover roses

5 years ago

How severely can I cut back this mass of neglected ground cover roses? They are approx. 3 1/2 feet tall with more dead canes than new canes. I've had to take a hedge trimmer to them several times, as single cane selection is pointless.

Featured Answer

seil zone 6b MI

5 years ago

The main canes will send out new shoots off them. I would whack them way back and then cut out as much of the dead wood as you cane . Leave only the canes that are still viable. Taking off the dead wood right at the base should encourage them to send up new basal breaks too.

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Comments (9)

rifis (zone 6b-7a NJ)
5 years ago
I routinely cut back to 3 inches from the ground for situations like that. I suspect even lower would work out fine, too, with rapid reinvigorated bounce-back.
fireweed_1947 thanked rifis (zone 6b-7a NJ)
Roxana *** ZN 5 Indianapolis IN ***
5 years ago
I would probably leave them about a foot high and just clean them as needed from there. Roses are very forgiving.
fireweed_1947 thanked Roxana *** ZN 5 Indianapolis IN ***
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Knowing where you are would definitely help. Pictures of these roses would also be a big help. Do not cut that big one back yet. Without know what kind of rose it is you may be cutting off it's entire bloom for the year. Some roses only bloom once a season and then build up for the next season. Only prune them immediately after they have finished blooming and then leave them alone until they bloom again. Some roses also need that big bushy structure to do well. And it could be that it's a climber and meant to be that tall. We need a lot more information before we can begin to help you with them. In the mean time I would STOP giving them Epsom Salts and start giving them some fertilizer. Any good well balanced fertilizer will do just fine. Just follow the instructions on the package carefully. You can take out any dead wood but wait to prune off anything with leaves on it. They need those leaves to feed the plant. If you're unsure if it's dead wood or not just snip off a bit of the tip of the cane. If the center is anything but a greenish white in the center it's probably dead. Keep cutting down in small pieces until you find that white center.
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fireweed_1947
Original Author
5 years ago
rifis, "rapid reinvigorated bounce-back" sounds scary!! :) Thanks.

Roxana, I was thinking the same but wanted a 2nd and 3rd opinion. Thanks.
HalloBlondie (zone5a) Ontario, Canada
5 years ago
I live in a cold climate, so I routinely have to cut back roses to within inches. They will bounce back just fine. I have shrub roses that grow from 6 inches in spring to 4-5 feet by fall. Wanted to share my experience so it would be less scary for you! You could hack them back to just under a foot high. Then selectively thin them out. That would be a less daunting task.
fireweed_1947 thanked HalloBlondie (zone5a) Ontario, Canada
a1an
5 years ago
Rose Noob Question.

When you cut them that low, is it the side shoots that grow to that 3-5' in a season, or is it the main canes with shoots that will grow out 3-5' ?
a1an
5 years ago
Seil - Re. your last comment and I know we touched upon this topic (new rose grower here). I've yet to wrap my head on budded canes and how fast or long or not it will form a ~bush framework~ when it may come with as little as 3-4 canes forming a 270 degree plane of view.

I guess I will see the framework growth - as a result of pruning and see how it grows. This is what has got me completely thrown off on own-root vs grafted....

----

In my world, I like pruning woody shrubs back hard sometimes, to promote new canes and let old canes die. I just can't see how this works on a grafted situation..
fireweed_1947 thanked a1an
HalloBlondie (zone5a) Ontario, Canada
5 years ago
@a1an - Seil explained the cane regrowing part better than I could. Most of my roses end up acting like a perennial vs. a woody plant, due to winter kill. Each year many regrow new canes to flower on.

As for the grafts, up in the north most of us plant out roses deeper. We plant them under the soil line to help protect them from the colder temps. That way even if you have to cut them to inches they will regrow.
a1an
5 years ago
Sorry OP to take this off topic. I plan to plan them so that the cane is right below the soil line (as generally compost or wood mulch adds another 2-3 inches).

I posted this in another thread. We had such a mild winter that my over-wintering mulch, when I removed it, the canes had rooted into the mulch.

Here's hoping the canes go own-root...in time
fireweed_1947 thanked a1an

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