Regular pruning is important to ensure that your roses bloom profusely and carry their blossoms for as long as possible. In the case of older roses, a rejuvenation cut also ensures that the bushes do not bare, but give you pleasure for a very long time.
Pruning old roses should be done with care
What are Old Roses?
The old roses, also known as historical roses, are very rare, mostly double and just as fragrant varieties from the years before 1867. These include the following types in particular:
- French rose
- Damask rose
- Alba rose
- China rose
- Portland rose
- Bourbon rose
- Moss Rose
Like all roses, historical roses require careful care and educational pruning. When and how much you ultimately have to cut depends primarily on the type and variety of the rose: while the perennial bloomers tolerate a more vigorous pruning, many varieties that bloom once should only be thinned out. The old, once-blooming varieties include, in addition to the wild roses, e.g. Rosa alba, Rosa damaszena and Rosa gallica. Both the Portland and the Bourbon roses, on the other hand, are reblooming, and China roses even bloom more often.
Prune old roses in spring if possible
The main pruning of the historical roses is also carried out in the spring, ideally when the forsythia are in bloom. You should cut back the entire shrub by about a third or even half. Cut back side shoots more than those in the middle to achieve a dome-like growth habit. Shoots that are more than five years old usually no longer bear flowers and should therefore be shortened radically. Shrubs that are completely senile - for example due to a lack of pruning care - can be cut down to five centimeters, they usually sprout again without any problems.
Pruning depends on the rose variety
How much you cut back your historic rose depends on the specific species and variety. Bourbon roses, for example, have to be pruned back quite heavily, while the summer-blooming Damask roses may be pruned very little (they quickly become lazy). Instead, you can pinch them, i. H. Use your fingernails to carefully pinch off the tips of new shoots.
Remove spent flowers regularly
In addition to diseased (especially fungus-infested!) and damaged shoots and deadwood, make sure to always remove shoot tips with faded flower heads. These hygienic measures ensure that various pathogens do not settle and threaten your valuable Old Rose.
tips
If a climbing rose has been neglected and side shoots have not been encouraged by regular training and tying, numerous bare stems can be seen near the ground. To encourage the development of new basal shoots, prune some of the old bare stems almost to the ground.