MID-SUMMER ROSE PRUNING AND FEEDING

I don't know about you, but I always dead head my roses regularly, removing old flowering heads before they get the chance to make hips and thus allowing the plant's energy to go into any remaining buds.  While dead-heading, I take the opportunity to lightly prune my rose bushes into shape once the first flush of flowers on any particular stem is over and there are no more buds left.  I think that all my rose bushes, and climbers, are repeat flowerers so I do it as soon as possible rather than leaving it until new buds start to form.  This way, I encourage strong new growths to be formed from lower down that will stand the roses in good stead over winter. However, this is not something that I do to climbers.  As you can see from the photographs taken today of the row of Arthur Bell roses that I have at the front of my home, a bit of pruning back over the last couple of weeks or so has stimulated the roses into producing new, very healthy, stems with yet more flowers to come. 

Healthy new shoots from Arthur Bell rose 23072013

Healthy new shoots from Arthur Bell rose 23072013

 

Strong new stem growing from

base of Arthur Bell rose

Second flush of flowers coming

from Arthur Bell rose 23072013

 

Yesterday, I gave Arthur Bell roses their second feed of Toprose by Bayer.  The first is applied in spring and the second when the first flush of roses has finished.  The roses at the back of my home are a little behind and still very much in flower.  I'll probably feed them in a week or so. 



Regarding pruning my climbing roses, I leave them until late autumn or early winter when the flowers are finished and I do it not only to help prevent wind damage but also to encourage plenty of flowers next year by pruning back the side shoots.  I did this with iceberg, for example, last autumn and you can see that it had marvellous results this year.





Climbing Iceberg rose 17072013

Climbing Iceberg rose 10072013