...but some have more (and bigger) thorns than others.
I have ten Knock-Out roses on the front side of the house. Usually some time in February I do the spring pruning and fertilizing, but this year the buds and new growth were starting to break early.
These bushes have been in now for four years, so when I prune them in spring I cut them back hard. Last year I didn't do a good job of touch-up pruning during the growing season, so some of them got a little unwieldy.
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| Before |
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| After (hey, there's a gardenia back there!) |
Pruning rosebushes can be a little intimidating the first time. First, I'm going to cut out anything dead or diseased. For plants that don't have much for live leaf growth right now that may be hard to tell, but there are some stems that have obvious signs of death.
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| Hollow stems, discolored, no off-shoots |
On others, I'm looking for rose hips which would indicate a previous bloom. These need to be pruned back so the axillary buds further back on the stem have a chance to develop properly
Axillary buds are those that form at the crook between a leaf and the stem. This is where the next branches will form.
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| Two axillary buds. The transverse lines immediately below the buds are where the leaves had attached. |
In pruning back the rosebushes I'm looking for strong branches and axillary buds that will help increase the width and breadth of the bush. I also want to get rid of any branches that are rubbing against other branches, which usually happens when branches in the center of the bush cross each other.
You need a sharp pair of bypass hand pruners to make a clean cut. Blades should be disinfected regularly to prevent the spread of disease from plant to plant - I usually dip mine in bleach when I finish or after cutting plant material that looks diseased.
Cuts need to be on an angle. This helps to shed dew or rainwater from the cut surface. It also helps to pick a spot where the axillary bud is pointing in a direction you want the plant to grow. The plant will usually put most of it's energy in the buds closest to the end (or removed end) of the branch.
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| Do you know how hard it is to take a picture left-handed when the smart phone camera refuses to focus? | | |
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I tend to get aggressive with this pruning job. Anywhere that I see a lot of knots or previous dead-head pruning I want to get rid of that misdirected growth.
I felt a little bad for taking off most of the leaves on many of the plants, until I saw this.
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| Aphids! |
Sometimes you find surprises, like pecan saplings growing within the
branches of the bush. Sometimes you find signs of unwanted guests.
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| Don't worry, it was vacant |
I'm also pruning to help prevent the spread of disease. The trimmings are headed to the burn pile, not the compost bin. To help with aphid and insect control I'll be raking out the fallen leaves from around the base of the bushes - something that's easier done when the plants have been recently pruned.
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| Burn, baby, burn (in a few months) |
In the end, the plants are now cut back to about one foot tall, crossing interior branches have been removed, and I've started the bushes on the right path to numerous, gorgeous blooms this summer.
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| Won't be long now |
