My Fukien Tea has three branches that I'm not sure about, the main branch comes up straight from the soil, then takes a 90 degree turn, then straight up, with a few small branches at the top. But there are three branches coming off of the main branch. First one right where it bends, and two others where the main branch goes straight up. It's in pretty good health with small leaves and flowers, but those two branches are bugging me, and I feel they should be gone. I bought this one at a big box store for $10.99, and looking on line one like this goes for over $500.00, did I get a good price? Wish I could post a photo of it here, but I don't see a link to upload it. Anyone?

Roses that are twiggy with many blooms and clusters can be sheared back after blooming as you suggest, and as far as you want. However, with plants this old, it can be beneficial to remove some of the canes at the base every year. You can wait until next April for this. Remove 1/4 of the canes, the oldest-looking ones , to promote new basal shoots and keep the roses young.

seil: I've had this peace rose for about 5 or 7 years now and its always grown the same way... in a large T shape and always full of blooms along that top T line. This last year its been a real pain. I have had it tied up along a fence then moved it and tied it up along a flat straight up trellis attached to the side of our redwood shed. This year its been a real brat and not wanting to cooperate with me. Hopefully now that I've hacked it down to the stump and this new growth is taking off, it will look better. When I had it along the fence my neighbor would come out and cut it down level with the top of the fence. Every year I saw buds starting to form the next day I would come out and look to see the entire top level with the top of the fence. So my husband and I dug it up and moved it away from that fence where the neighbor couldn't reach it. ANYTHING that grows up above the top of that fence they hack right off. Yes I've asked them not to touch our things. Even balled my eyes out after they dug up my flowers from my front yard right before mothers day this year. I yelled at them through tears on mothers day... Would you PLEASE leave my yard alone!! Stop touching my things!! Mind your own property and leave ours alone!! We still hold out hope that the peace rose is going to look better next year now that its out of the reach of our hacker happy neighbor.

Sometimes I'll leave the tan (not brown) center if the plant is young and there would otherwise be very little surviving wood. So I agree with you, but I suggest marking the cane with a ribbon to see whether it supports vigorous growth. If mostly blind growth follows, prune some more, and maybe make a note not to leave tan centers on that variety. If it is a big vigorous plant with plenty of energy stored below ground, I'd be more inclined to insist on leaving white pith only. Note we are talking about relatively young, green canes. Old barky canes commonly develop tan centers with age, and these are usually OK.