"curiosity" [email protected] wrote
"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.
snip

The following article sums rose pruning up in a nutshell :
more snipped

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.

Go with the flow - or "may the Force be with you" ........

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.?

http://www.regannursery.com/getting_...rose_types.htm
Has a list of explanations of types

There is a pergola sort-of-thing in the garden with a rose
clambering over it. Is this 'obviously' a climbing rose?

Could also be a rambler - but that's just to confuse you even further :~)
See link http://www.oldheirloomroses.com/ramblers.html
and how to prune:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basic...lingrose.shtml

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).

Deadheading is mostly used to make the plant think, "Oh b***er", they've nicked
all my seeds, I'd better produce some more flowers to replace them". Or in
other words extend the flowering season. Note - not all plants respond to this -
some just get greener and wait till next year to flower again.

You might want to leave some flowers on a plant as them can become pretty seed
heads during winter - or feed the birds - or both.

Rose hips are nice for winter colour so that's a personal choice. Some roses
don't have a second flowering season so you might as well enjoy the hips (or
make jelly from them !)

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?

Yep, that's what I do. Tidy the rose plants up in late autumn, but leave some
length of shoots so that if the frost catches them, you can prune that bit of in
early spring. In spring I run over them again to make the final 'shape' for
summer.

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

No problem, we all had to start somewhere :~)
Jenny