Pruning Roses

Rebecca's Garden : Episode REB-621 -- More Projects »

The signature rose at Longue Vue is called Summer Snow Rose, a floribunda variety that was introduced in 1931.

Just outside the heart of New Orleans is beautiful Longue Vue Gardens, known for its well-manicured landscape. One of the main attractions is the courtyard, where hedges upon hedges of white roses bloom, peaking in the spring and fall. The head gardener shared some secrets for pruning roses.

At Longue Vue, the big pruning job occurs in late January and again in late summer. The roses are pruned hard in January to about knee-height and in August to thigh-height. In January the bushes might be full of blooms, but they force them into dormancy, and that's when the pruning starts.

The key to successful electric trimming is making sure the blades on the hedge trimmer are very sharp and that the cuts are clean. Even then, hand pruners are needed for some touchup work.

Determining at what height to prune the rose bushes is the first step. The floribundas are usually pruned about two feet high. Rose trimming can be intimidating, but the goal is to get the height down with electric hedge trimmers, and then go in with hand pruners to clean up the cuts, the dead wood and cross branches. This encourages the bush to produce a healthy new shrub.

The electric trimmer should be used only on bush roses, floribunda or polyanthas. Hybrid teas should be pruned by hand. Once the roses are pruned, the next step is to fertilize in about six weeks. Then, deadhead all summer long and in August start all over again.

Guests
Ann Donnely
Head Gardener
Longue Vue Gardens
New Orleans, LA
Phone: 504-488-5488
Website: www.longuevue.com
Also in this Episode

Rebecca's Garden : Episode REB-621
•	Designing Annual Beds
•	Rhubarb Recipes
•	Plant Rescue
•	Pruning Roses

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