On Fri, 20 Aug 2004 00:17:44 GMT, ben boorman
wrote:

I have seen this done for hedge roses, doesn't look that good for garden
roses.

Well, that's not what was written here recently. They say it works
surprisingly well. Apparently some big garden in the UK does it this
way, to great effect. That's why I'm interested, but I don't think I
saved the post unfortunately. My more conventional pruning hasn't been
all that succesful with this bush, not that I claim to have done it
exactly right.

Besides, you aren't really growing roses unless you have scars
to prove it.

Well, your idea of rose growing and mine don't coincide, esecially
since I usually do my pruning shirtless, in shorts and barefooted.
I've got more holes in my foot than anyone can imagine. Yeah, I know -
it's my own fault, but I'm lazy g.

dave weil wrote:

I'm curious about the details of that pruning method that some Brits
use for bushes. You know, the one where you just make a straight cut
across the middle top of the bush. Does anyone have any details about
it? Where do you choose your line? Do you do any other "lateral"
pruning. Etc. Etc.

My big Aloha is getting rangy and "tall growing" instead of its normal
bush form. I'd like to get it back to normal if possible. It's now
about 10 feet tall in the middle but looks sparse on the side. It used
to be really round. If this odd pruning method can help, I'm game. My
previous pruning methods haven't really helped the shape of the bush.