You may want to consider getting a Cut N' Hold Bypass Pruner tool so you can stay away from the thorns. Once you got it trimmed down you can then saw off the remaining canes with a saws-all....

Felco model 100

What a monster! Do animal just get stuck and die inside? I like the 3rd pic where the sawzall is prominently displayed in front of the bush like a battle will begin shortly.

Really? Dead animals? How gross! Good luck with that monstrosity!

Janaina, I agree it doesn't fit in with the other roses you grow so beautifully. Thanks for the heads-up.

@BenT (NorCal 9B Sunset 14) hahahhaha. Yes! Thank you! You precisely described my feelings. It is a battle. I just wish I had more info about this rose before I got it. I think rose nurseries should better describe some plants. 4th the July is not an easy plant to care for. @rosecanadian yep. Dead animals and bird’nests . Gross. I assume they get trapped in there. 4th the July was very nice when it was a young plant, but as it matures it’s hard to control. I just hate that climbing rose. The thorns are insane. It’s a very vigorous and ugly . @hugogurll @toolbelt68 thanks so much for the tool information. I’m going take a look

Get thee gone, you horrid rose! Sheesh! :)

Oh my, those are ugly. I just bought a 4th of July and put it in my pride of place in the courtyard April last year. It didn't grow much or flower much but this year it seems to be growing normally. Still not much on the flowering front. But oh my, yours are so ugly that now I'm doubting my decision to get it. I fell in love with the flowers. How old are your monster bushes?

@mmmm12COzone5 i started my garden 5 years ago, so I believe it must be a 5 years Rose, bc it was one of the first ones I planted. I totally agree with you. IMO It’s almost like a blackberry bush but taller. The only reason it’s does not look as bad as it seem, it’s because there are tons of beautiful flower beds right by it, so people don’t pay much attention on 4th the July.

Hmm...I had one a long time ago and loved it. Got a new one and put it in a prime spot. But it is good to kick out the ones you don't like. My problem roses are ones that sucker badly and take over. It's really hard to get rid of those.

@erasmus_gw awesome! I would love to see pictures of your rose, and the prime spot you are talking about. The only thing I’m thinking at this moment is “Thanks the Lord I didn’t put this rose in front of my house”. Because I almost did. UGH!!! saved by a skin of a teeth. I just finished trimming my 4th the July rose. Omg! I’m not expert at it. So, right now I don’t know if I killed it or it will come back with new leaves. if it comes back I won’t let it get that big anymore. I hope I didn’t kill it because I’m not looking forward to digging the roots. I Wont touch the other one for now

Erasmus, I know what you mean about suckers! I went through 4 years of kicking Chas de Mills out. He had hundrerds of off spring that were just as tenacious as the big guy. I know a lot of people love that rose, but I'm not one of them. We dug to China and still didn't get all of his tentacles. His babies were coming up under every other rose in that bed. After working on that spot for 4 years, we placed heavy cardboard over it and I plant in pots there, now. I'm afraid to see if he's still there under the decomposed cardboard and mulch. I think he might pop out like a jack-in-the-box to taunt me.

Oh Jana how annoying to find out years later you don’t like the rose !! I think you may be surprised at the roots not being so bad. I had to dig up darlows enigma who was 4 years old and the roots weren’t as bad as I had imagined. Or you could put round up on it to kill the plant . And plan for next spring . If you wait for it to die the roots won’t be held as tightly in the soil

lol flowers , sounds like a rose that would do something like that !!

Lilyfinch, I'm wondering why you removed your Darlow's Enigma. I have one in pot and are going to plant it soon. It seems like that I need to consider where to put it more carefully.

Oh no I loved that rose Feiy! It sadly caught RRD. I loved it but it is not one you want where people walk closely too. Although, it has a lovely lovely fragrance and I loved smelling it , it has sharp hook thorns . I will definitely grow it again in my next garden .

I don't have a good whole plant picture of my old Fourth of July. It was in my front yard right by my front steps, but not where it could snag anyone. I don't remember it being ugly, just vigorous, with lots of cheerful blooms. I have an unruly looking front yard altogether and if I lived in a place where there was a home owner's association they'd have a fit about my front yard. There are some paths through it but quite a lot of it is plants. Here it is on the left edge of the picture.

For a prime spot to put it, I am giving it arbor space. I had planted Cl. Souvenir de la Malmaison on a white arbor and it looked terrible so I dug it up. I love the bush form but for the first time found the cl. form had ugly blooms. That and it being too washed out a color for a white arbor.

I wonder if you'd like your plant of it any better if you cut it way back. You might get a more pleasing shape out of it. I heard of someone who was happy with theirs trained on a fence. Maybe they have to keep after it. But it is wonderful to get rid of a plant you don't like.

Shailer's Provence is the worst suckerer in my garden. Next to that is Ruth's German Rose. It is a pretty thing and healthy but it is becoming clear it's a thug. Funny, my Ch de Mills is not that bad a suckerer. Probably due to shade.

Lilyfinch, though it sounds weird, I'm glad that I misunderstood it because I love it much as well. LOL. I'd like to plant my Darlow's Enigma on the edge of the slop near a rockery retaining wall, so it won't bother any human beings. I think our racoon family (yes I found 7 little babies followed their mum walking through my back yard last year) will like it as a temporary shelter.

I have a 15-year old Fourth of July in my garden in Brooklyn and love it. It’s among my favorites of the 30 or so roses I have. Yes, it’s very thorny and the old canes are hard to remove because they get so thick plus have all those thorns, but it puts on the most gorgeous display every year. I wouldn’t want it near a walkway but it does a great job of covering an ugly wire fence. My plant isn’t dense enough to trap animals, maybe because I train the canes horizontally along the fence at various heights? Sadly I may lose this rose to RRD from a nearby plant that I just learned is infected, but until now it has been very healthy and full of flowers for all these years.

brooklyn, Any pictures? I would love to see it.

@brooklynros1e @erasmus_gw @Lilyfinch z9a Murrieta Ca Thank you guys. Nice to hear different opinions. 15 years old rose? It must be terrific. I will give it another chance. I cut all the canes about 2 feet tall and I will wait for it come back. If it does, I will start training the canes differently and I will

keep it more manageable

Here in northern NJ, Fourth of July is one of my favorite roses. I planted it in 2004, but you wouldn't know it based on its size today. It has had some years that it has grown over my fence (2013 was its best year), but after last year's horrible wet spring and summer, it really took a set back. Now it is just reaching the trellis to combine with the jackmanii clematis (I love the purple and red together). I will attach photos of the small bush this year and one of 2013.

Love the blooms!

Sixteen years old, but just reaching the trellis after recovering from last year's wetness

2013 - it was up and over the fence - strong and vigorous - looked great from both sides

This is my Fourth of July. Planted April 2019. It was a complete runt last year but is growing normally this year. Only two blooms so far and not setting loads of buds like some of my others. Didn't have very many blooms last year either.

My old Fourth of July was a bare root body box rose from Home Depot. It was very vigorous, though not as big as yours, Janaina. My new one is own root and it doesn't seem as vigorous but it's a little early to judge. I guess you'll know fairly soon if your plant seems worth keeping. It must have good roots.

If you live in a cold zone, this rose is as timid as a lamb. Mine is regular shrub no taller than 5 feet if I am lucky. I think the flowers are beautiful which is unusual for me as I don’t usually like single petal roses.

Now I'm thinking I should plant 4th of July roses around the outer rim of my 4ft high fence (still is my property) to keep the deer from leaping over the fence into my yard! My house and yard (and fence) are surrounded by woods.

I am glad that I saw this thread when I did. I had ordered Fourth of July that was just about to ship, but ended up canceling it based on this discussion. Thank you for the warning!