On Thu, 5 Aug 2004 18:56:29 +0200, "JennyC" wrote:


"curiosity" [email protected] wrote in message
.. .
A novice here. I've recently moved into a house with a pleasant but - for
the
last three months - neglected garden.

I'm sure there's a list of jobs I will need to attend to since there seems to
be
a wide variety of shrubs (though I suspect nothing extraordinary) but I am
concerned about what, with the help of my readers digest pics, I've identified
as a weigela, It's about 8 feet tall (RD seems to set 6 feet as standard)
just
started to flower but has some particularly long stems growing from its
middle -
anything up to 11 feet tall. Can I cut these back now or should I wait until
the flowering has finished?

Also roses of many kinds (sorry for my blind ignorance on this) I suspect
shrub,
climbing etc. Any rules of thumb for pruning etc that I could use for
immediate
guidance prior to achieving my goal of becoming competent?

most grateful for any input.

Hi

The following article sums rose pruning up in a nutshell :

Now to the pruning myth. Roses will survive in spite of any amount of neglect as
far as pruning is concerned. Indeed some of them seem to flower much better when
not pruned at all, but it does nothing for the appearance of the plant and can
shorten its life span by several years.

The method of pruning has been shrouded in controversy in recent times as to
whether proper pruning or slashing is the most successful. That in itself is a
guide as to what the humble rose will endure. You can prune it hard or lightly,
in the autumn or the spring, look for outward facing buds and prune above one of
these, or just take potluck, slash everything in sight and hope for the best.

The way the professionals do it is to prune hard the first year, which is about
one inch from the union, or the second bud. Then in subsequent years they prune
floribundas to three or four buds, and HTs to five or six buds according to
variety. Some of the modern hybrids require less pruning and are best treated as
shrubs.

Pruning times is another contentious subject. In the nurseries the roses are all
topped in the late autumn and pruned in early spring. That is in February or
early March at the latest. There is nothing to be gained by delaying until later
as one cannot predict the weather, which has little or no bearing on early
pruned roses in any case. I always pruned my roses in mid February with no ill
effects.

from http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/513/32567


Jenny


Jenny, many thanks for this if only because your post is at least calming - it
seems I can be clumsy even neglectful and all will be well.
There is still a problem for me in identifying the various types. HTs for
example (I've heard of hybrid Ts...is that it?). What are they and how would I
recognise them.? There is a pergola sort-of-thing in the garden with a rose
clambering over it. Is this 'obviously' a climbing rose? Also, could you guide
me on the subject of dead-heading? Is it the case that there is always benefit
in removing the expiring flowers? If one is arriving late, as am I, to a garden
where dead flowers have fallen off of their own accord and rose-hips are
growing in profusion, should any action be taken to prune these off? (sorry if
this sounds stupid - I really am at the clueless stage).
I heard also the other day that there are two pruning episodes per year, once in
autumn and more aggressive in early spring. Does this make sense?

I sympathise if my post seems too confused to warrant a reply but thanks so far.