Sometimes yellow is from overwatering, sometimes it from iron deficiency.
Since roses are pretty much pigs, I'd bet you're not overwatering them
unless you're REALLY overdoing it. (Besides, if your rose can't take a lot
of water, it ain't never gonna be happy in our climate!). It's probably
iron deficiency. Buy some chelated iron. It's cheap, but go easy on it.
It's good for other plants too.

JimS.

"simfan" wrote in message
...
Thanks. I'll take advantage of the good weather and do it now.

I've posted a message in rec.gardens titled "Need help with yellow leaves
problem" which has got no response. Do you think you might help me out
here,
too?

SF

"JimS." wrote:

Simfan,

I'm in Seattle. Our weather is essentially similar enough to yours for
rose-pruning purposes.
You can still prune now, you've got plenty of growing season left. And,
if
you're fairly close-in in the city in Vancouver, your roses are not
going to
get a winter hard cold that really makes them die back anyway. Go ahead
and
prune again now if you need to, you're not going to hurt them unless you
really over-do it and shock them.

JimS.
Seattle

"simfan" wrote in message
...
I live in Vancouver, BC. Not really certain what's the optimum time
for
pruning. Have you any idea?

The sun's come back, it's not really hot yet. It's 18 degrees Celsus
out
in
the yard, and where the roses are there is no shade.

The few branches I pruned already had buds on them, and the new shoots
have
come out nicely, though.
Should I prune now?

SimFan

Cass wrote:

wrote:

There are some roses that came with the house which have grown
really
tall. I believe they've not been pruned for a while, and now the
lower parts of the main stems, to the height of 2 to 3 feet, are
hard
woody and totally without buds. I've done some inexpert pruning
and
made them look worse. How can I make them look better?

Depends on when the optimal pruning season is for your zone.
Rejuvenating an old plant is a project over two or three years.
Depends
on what kind of rose and how old, tho. If it's less than five or six
years old, you can cut back some roses, like floribundas, to 12
inches
all in one fell swoop. You don't want to necessarily do that every
year
or with every rose.

I look for the oldest cane. You want 4 or more from the base. If you
have lots of basals, then choose one with the weakest top growth,in
the
most inconvenient, crowded location and with the most ugly, 90
degree
growth off of it and mark it for removal. I've removed single basals
in
the middle of the season, after pruning time, with no ill effects.