Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Table 4.13
Old-fashioned repeat-flowering roses
Boule de Neige
Mme Isaac Perrier
Mme Pierre Oger
Souvenir de la Malmaison
Stanwell Perpetual
These roses need minimal pruning in winter/
spring. Most carry their flowers on the side
growths of healthy older wood so concentrate
on thinning the shrub of crossed or weak
growth rather than heavy pruning. Shorten
the major stems no more than a third of their
length and reduce the side shoots by half. If
they are in need of rejuvenation, cut down
about a fifth of the oldest flowering stems. As
with all repeat flowering roses, deadheading
will be beneficial (see Figure 4.44).
Figure 4.42
Clean out the dead wood and
twiggy growth.
Figure 4.43
The end result.
Old-fashioned repeat-flower roses
This group of roses includes the Bourbons,
Portland roses, repeat-flowering hybrids of
species roses and the old China roses (see
Table 4.13). They were the first repeat
flowering roses and the forerunners of the
hybrid perpetuals, hybrid teas, floribundas
and so forth. Until the early 1800s, roses
flowered once a year in the same way as lilac,
broom or
viburnum does. It was the happy
marriage of east and west, that is, the crossing
of the ancient China rose with the roses of
the west, that gave birth to the repeat
flowering roses we take for granted today. If
only humans could get along as well as roses.
Figure 4.44
To prune old-fashioned repeat-flower roses,
shorten the major stems no more than a third and reduce
the side shoots by half. If they are in need of rejuvenation,
cut down about a fifth of the oldest stems.
