Pruning Roses

posted a while back about 4 david Austin roses that I planted in a garden

spectacular blooms and had 2-3 flushes of roses last year ...

but the problem was that they grew huge and very tall ... as an example, one of them is supposed to be 500mm high, and last year, some of the stems were close to 6 foot tall (the previous year, I pruned them an inch above the lowest bud and the lowest buds were pretty high up the stalks)

2 weeks ago, i decided to prune them 'different' .... instead of pruning an inch above a bud, I thinned out the old growth and cut the thicker new growth right down to approx 1 foot high from the ground (there were no buds below the area I pruned) and thought I may have messed up ....

worked in that garden today, and amazingly, there have been new buds formed below the pruning line on all the stalks

well, I have learned something new ... I have also learned that after the 1st lot of flowers, I should cut them down again to keep the desired height

 

That's good to know. I inherited a very neglected tall gangly Graham Thomas. Last year I pruned by a 1/3rd as I think generally recommended. It didn't really improve its general health or shape.
Last week I thought I'd take a bit of a gamble and pruned it it down to about 1 1/2 feet.
No buds yet but your post gives me hope!

Thanks for that. Hope it works out well for you.

 

I prune my Roses to within an inch of their lives!

I do prune to an outward facing bud, but I go over them a few weeks later and see if any buds have "broken" at better positions. Quite often you wind up with a really strong growing shoot that "came out of nowhere" !

I also remove all crossing branches - so anything that has grown inwards or crossed another stem.

And a tip and "old boy" taught me. If there is an outward facing bud that you want to rune to, but there is a significant inward facing bud, lower down, which is clearly going to clutter the centre of the bush - then just rub the inward bud out [with the blade of your secateurs] to stop it growing.

 

Cheers Kristen.
I hate Roses - as I have previously stated - however OH had me plant a whole bed of the damned things, which I am expected to maintain.
My method is to prune savagely each Spring - and the damn things keep growing and supplying flowers which, even me accept, provide a good display each year.
Apologies to WOO for the rant but it just goes to show that ne matter how hard you are on them these bloody roses just keep producing. - and when I say bloody I refewr to that vital bodily fluid that I regularly shed as part of the annual battle twixt me and the thorny devils that OH so much admires.

 

I have right hand "bare" with secateurs and wear heavy duty glove in my left hand, for handling each stem as it is pruned. On the whole that works pretty well - I can't manage the secateurs using a gloved-hand - but I still get thorns embedded and torn skin ...

 

OH YEH! And they say Gardening is an enjoyable pastime

 

Pruned all of mine this year (first time pruning roses) I have about 8, most are growing back pretty nicely, hope they grow bushy, especially the tea rose I have