Old High and Woody Stems

Discussion in 'Rosa (roses)' started by BrianD, Aug 2, 2007.

  1. BrianD

    BrianD Member

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    Victoria
    I have some old roses (not climbers or ramblers) that have 6-7 foot stems that are bark-like. All the new growth starts at the top of the plant.

    I was wondering if there was a way for me to prune these stems back to a "normal" height without damaging the plants.

    I am going to take some cuttings from them and try to start new plants but it would be nice to rejunvenate these old rose.

    I am not sure what type they are but one has large fragrant white blossoms with thick almost waxy petals.
     
  2. Weekend Gardener

    Weekend Gardener Active Member 10 Years

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    Location:
    Coquitlam, BC
    It depends on the variety of the rose and what you would like to it them do.

    Some vigorous ramblers, like "Kiftsgate" for example, develop huge mature wood that survive for many years. New canes develop from higher and higher up these old canes. This is what allows them to achieve such great heights - it's a process akin to "leap frogging". I believe Daniel M has a nice picture of some tangled old woody vines of Kiftsgate. If you want your scrambler to climber great heights, you would leave these old canes alone. It's difficult to keep these types of naturally large climbers small by aggressive pruning without sacrificing it's flowering. The highlight of these large beauties is the enormous display of flowering in the spring.

    On the other hand, with other types of climbers, the canes remain productive for a few years, and then gets too old and senescent. These do need to be removed. Even a scrambler like Chevy Chase do best if old canes are removed.


    Take a look at this house eater of a rambler at the Garden of the Rose at St. Alban, UK. You can see the rather large woody old canes near the base of the rose.

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