I have what I think is a rambler rose bush. It has a massive bloom late
spring to early summer. Now they (flowers) are all dead and I have a massive
bush. Can I prune this way back so I can see the fence again?. Is now the
time to do this. Any help appreciated

THANKS

jOHN

"John W" wrote in message
...
I have what I think is a rambler rose bush. It has a massive bloom
late
spring to early summer. Now they (flowers) are all dead and I have a
massive
bush. Can I prune this way back so I can see the fence again?. Is
now the
time to do this. Any help appreciated

THANKS

jOHN

I generally prune ramblers and climbers to
make it comfortable for me to walk around
them. That isn't scientific, but so far
has worked. I'm not sure I'd prune yours
back a lot - but you can probably do a
fair amount of trimming with no harm.

What you might want to do is cut out
some of the older canes, usually the
bigger ones, all the way back to the
ground. That can help rejuvenate the
rose. Then shorten the remaining canes
for appearance/convenience getting
around.

When it doubt, do a little bit now, see
how the shrub responds, then do more
later.

Gail
near San Antonio TX Zone 8 USA

Hey John;

I have several once blooming ramblers and I prune them much the same as
Gail. In general, Old World roses bloom on last year's canes, so cutting
out the older beat-up canes is a good idea, as it leaves the newer canes to
produce flowers next year. As for when, anytime after the bloom cycle is
good, but unlike modern roses, not in the spring, as it will reduce the
blooming rate.
How much can you prune? Well I've run over mine with a lawn mower and
they've come back. On the other hand, Gail's approach seems more prudent.

Good luck

Jeff, Southeast Michigan, Zone 5

"Gail Futoran" wrote in message
...
"John W" wrote in message
...
I have what I think is a rambler rose bush. It has a massive bloom late
spring to early summer. Now they (flowers) are all dead and I have a
massive
bush. Can I prune this way back so I can see the fence again?. Is now the
time to do this. Any help appreciated

THANKS

jOHN

I generally prune ramblers and climbers to
make it comfortable for me to walk around
them. That isn't scientific, but so far
has worked. I'm not sure I'd prune yours
back a lot - but you can probably do a
fair amount of trimming with no harm.

What you might want to do is cut out
some of the older canes, usually the
bigger ones, all the way back to the
ground. That can help rejuvenate the
rose. Then shorten the remaining canes
for appearance/convenience getting
around.

When it doubt, do a little bit now, see
how the shrub responds, then do more
later.

Gail
near San Antonio TX Zone 8 USA

"Jeffrey L. Kline" wrote in message
. net...
Hey John;

I have several once blooming ramblers and I prune them much the same
as Gail. In general, Old World roses bloom on last year's canes, so
cutting out the older beat-up canes is a good idea, as it leaves the
newer canes to produce flowers next year. As for when, anytime
after the bloom cycle is good, but unlike modern roses, not in the
spring, as it will reduce the blooming rate.
How much can you prune? Well I've run over mine with a lawn mower
and they've come back. On the other hand, Gail's approach seems
more prudent.

Good luck

Jeff, Southeast Michigan, Zone 5

I'll have to try to lawnmower trick! I
hate to shovel prune weak roses and I
should. Maybe if I tell my husband
they're "weeds" when he's weed-
whacking...

Gail

On Mon, 9 Jul 2007 09:19:13 -0400, "John W" wrote:

I have what I think is a rambler rose bush. It has a massive bloom late
spring to early summer. Now they (flowers) are all dead and I have a massive
bush. Can I prune this way back so I can see the fence again?. Is now the
time to do this. Any help appreciated
Hi there John,

Once blooming ramblers can be pruned now. In fact now is the perfect
time to prune. Never ever prune a once bloomer after August 1st or in
the winter or spring.

Keep in mind that the rose will bloom on the new growth that will
happen between now and the end of the season frosts. So you need to
fertilize it after you prune to encourage new growth.

In general, I would recommend not cutting back any bush back more
than 1/3 of its mass in any given year. But if the bush is totally
out of control, then cut back up to not more than 1/2 of the growth.

Have a good day,

Bob Bauer
http://www.rose-roses.com/