On 19/09/2015 4:13 AM, Hypatia Nachshon wrote:
After the customary late January pruning, I neglected my roses for the first time and am reaping the consequences. Suckers (7 leaves) now predominate over normal (5 leaves) foliage. The suckers are long, strong and aggressive

I have gone through and trimmed out as much as I could. Now looking ahead to January pruning and have the following question:

Can these roses return to normal foliage after seasonal pruning?
Or have I ****ed up big-time.

This is So. Calif coastal, Santa Monica CA.

Any advice on rose situation appreciated.

Roses are as tough as old boots. Yes, they will come back if they aren't
dead and all wood is dry and dessicated and snaps at the use of a little
finger. I've posted into David's response about suckers (don't cut -
tear off). Give then a deep watering after you've torn of the suckersw
and a good mulch of quality hay (eg Lucerne which in US is called
alfalfa) and then go away and leave them alone to get on with their
recovery. If you normally prune in late winter, then that is the time
for you to return and give them a normal prune.