Allotment gardeners who want to regularly surprise their loved ones with fresh roses have to do something about it. The popular flowers with the prickly branches need to be looked after and cared for, especially after the cold winter months, so that they can develop their full splendor in the summer. And not just once, but ideally several times. To ensure that secondary blooms follow the first bloom, there are a few things to consider. Mistakes can have fatal consequences, especially when pruning roses. We explain what hobby gardeners most often do wrong when pruning roses and how to do it right.
A good pair of rose scissors made of stainless steel costs around 50 euros from specialist retailers. Of course, cheaper models also work. However, always make sure that the blades are sharp. If you attack the shoots with blunt scissors, they could be bruised or torn off. So you injure the plant – and that can affect the growth of the entire rose bush. Rose scissors also need to be cleaned regularly and thoroughly. This will prevent the rose from being attacked by germs or fungal spores.
Older rose varieties in particular cannot be replanted. Their trick: They plant the flower buds the previous year and then only reveal their full beauty once – in early summer. The problem: no new flowers form on the new shoots in the same year. So they won’t produce a single flower in the summer if you prune them in the spring just as radically as roses that bloom more often. Tip: Only light such roses slightly in spring so that the crown does not become too dense.
The eyes, i.e. the places where a rose can form side shoots, play an important role when pruning roses. With a little imagination, a rose eye resembles a mouth with a tongue sticking out. And that’s exactly what you shouldn’t get too close to when pruning in spring. If you cut the shoot too close to an eye or side shoot, they could dry out. What would be left behind – instead of a fragrant blossom – would be an ugly stub. Therefore, place the scissors about five millimeters above the top eye and cut the shoot slightly downwards. This means that no water can collect at this point, which provides a perfect breeding ground for pathogens.
Of course, beauty is always in the eye of the beholder. But even hobby gardeners should be a little vain. To make passers-by enjoy your rose bushes even more, you should try giving the stick a horizontal umbrella shape. This can only be achieved if you make sure to only trim the shoots above buds that are growing outwards or eyes that point outwards. The inside of the rose should be kept as light and airy as possible. So if you cut the shoot above an eye that looks inwards, the new side shoot will also grow inwards.
The question that hobby gardeners probably ask themselves most often when they stand in front of the rose bush with rose shears (here an anvil model from Löwe): How hard can I prune? The rule of thumb applies to all types: the larger and stronger the rose, the less you cut it back. This means that in spring the five strongest shoots of the rather delicate bed and noble roses should be shortened to three to five eyes and the rest cut off. The following applies to shrub roses: cut back to a maximum of half the shoot length. Otherwise, long and unstable shoots will develop. The approach to climbing roses is different again. Here, last year’s shoots remain uncut and are only thinned out slightly.
And one last tip: Even if your fingers tingle earlier. Be patient and wait to cut roses until severe (night) frosts are no longer expected. A good indicator of the right time is the yellow flowers of the forsythia. And depending on the weather, walkers can enjoy it between mid/late March and early April.
Sources: “ndr.de”; “My Beautiful Garden”; “Garden care tips”
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