Rose Tree Pruning

Here in SoCal I am immersed in rose pruning.  Having started a little before the new year, last week I pruned 239 bushes.  Today I did 48 bushes.  So my total so far this season is 287.  Follow along if you want to see my crazy numbers ascend! 


 I am not a fan of standard tree roses. That is where they graft one(or more) rose variety onto another rose's trunk to make a tree. I think it's weird especially when they graft a tall growing hybrid tea rose up there. Then it grows huge and stupid.  This is Iceberg at a job, the white floribunda landscape rose that is everywhere.  It works mostly well on a tree(if we HAVE to) because floribunda varieties grow bushy.   This is before my whacking.  

I took out any middle growth because air circulation is crucial to a healthy plant.  And I took out little twiggy growth because it doesn't  flower well.   I made it much smaller because we get to start over every year.  You can direct the new growth by cutting just above a bud eye or where a leaf was.  Try to make sure the cut is above a bud eye that is pointing away from the center of the plant.    

Also I'll be doing a rose pruning demo for the LA Rose Society this Sat Jan 11 at 9:00AM at  San Gabriel Nursery  .            Come out to watch and learn how to prune your roses.