On 11/02/2015 18:52, Another John wrote:
Hi all

I'm erecting a new rose arch for a friend. The previous arch blew down
long since, but of course the roses kept on growing.

Once I have finished the arch I will need to prune the roses (one either
side of the arch) for their benefit.

They have evidently not been well pruned for a long time, judging by the
jungle of growth, hence I'm not sure how to start (or even whether to
start). May I ask: how would you tackle them?

Three pictures:

First shows the site, and the size of the roses (well over six feet in
height, but tied back here so that I can get clear access for erecting
the new arch): http://tinypic.com/r/egrgk5/8

First rose: http://tinypic.com/r/2lu5sh1/8
And the other: http://tinypic.com/r/1115veu/8

I must apologize for using the (now-)dreadful tinypic -- it used to be
oh-so-simple and unadorned, and now it's a frightful mess of
advertising...

Cheers
John



Having read the other posts, I see you've got some good advice aleady
plus a helpful video.

If I were tackling this, I would take out all the dead wood and also the
sickly-looking yellowish wood. You can do that right away and it will
make the remaining task simpler. Normally, I would then cut out any
crossing wood that would chafe on its neighbour, causing damage and
letting in disease. *However*, because you have yet to erect the arch,
I would wait until that's in place. When you lift the rose, ready for
placing and tying in, you will get a better sense of what will chafe as
you fit canes (main stems) to the arch's framework.

Because you're not working to horizontal wires as in the video, you will
find that you're having to train the rose at a more erect angle than
shown. That can't be helped. You have to use the framework you've got.
The rose stems look quite rigid, so it's more likely to be a climber
than a rambler. If this is the case, you will find that forcing the
stems to bend where you want them will result in breakage, so take it
gently.

Before you lift the rose, may I suggest that you lightly loosen the soil
there (with a fork) and give it a very good soaking to soften the earth,
allowing the roots to breathe and move with the rose without tearing.
The earth looks very dry there (I'm assuming that's a crack I can see in
the soil?) and probably compacted where you've been working, so anything
you can do to relieve that will help. Further, when you come to feed
the rose (with a general fertiliser for now) and water that feed in, the
fertiliser will more readily enter the soil where you want it, rather
than washing away and feeding something else.

Later, when the weather is warmer and flower buds begin to swell, you
should apply a high potash fertiliser.

Because an arch usually creates a confined walkway, you need to
a) think about safety from thorns, and b) repeat the forking of the soil
periodically to keep the soil open and aerated to benefit the roots.
--
Spider.
On high ground in SE London
gardening on heavy clay