"Martin" wrote in message
...
A rose pruning guide has just been added to the BexRose
web site at:-
http://home.btconnect.com/cadoss/bexrose

You'll find the article under 'Rose Articles'

Any comments, good or bad, will be gratefully recieved.

Enjoy.

Martin Double
BexRose, Webmaster.

Email:
Web Site: http://home.btconnect.com/cadoss/bexrose

I'm in the midst of spring pruning of my roses so this
information is current as well as useful. I didn't know
about basel stems losing productivity after 3 or 4 years.
Most books I've read simply state "cut off older canes"
without saying why. Since I only started my rose garden
late in 1998, and have lost a number of roses to weather or
my ignorance (that process seems to have stabilized, and I
have lost only 1 or 2 roses out of 150 in the past year),
it's only in recent years that I've had roses survive long
enough to have older canes.

The only question I might have about cutting back canes due
to age is whether that applies to old garden or antique
roses. Many of them seem to have a longer life span than
moderns (due to growing in their own roots??), so I wonder
if the advice about cutting out 4 year old canes should be
conditioned by the type of rose bush.

Other than that the article seems very clear to me,
including all the important information and written very
well.

Gail
near San Antonio TX USA Zone 8