esrosedotblog

PRUNE

Today was the annual rose pruning. It is emotionally hard to do it. There are still blooms. But there are still blooms because the roses got pruned last year.

I took the buds and they are in a vase in the dining room.

The bushes are shorn down to a nice bowl shape with a few green leaves to get things started.

With the warm winters, pruning is especially important to stop the sort of leggy growth that occurs just now.

The only question is how far they get pruned. My neighbor takes them down to about three feet. His roses are gorgeous all summer. They are in shade. But they are very tall. The way he wants it.

I will go all the way down to a foot or less on most canes. All of my bushes are in full sun and need to be dense. The way I want it.

The argument about height continues but the pruning is not in doubt.

Gotta do it.

Labels: garden