It's barely spring here and I have these 3 scraggly looking roses. They are starting to get tiny buds on the bottom, so I know they are still alive. Should I trim the tops off or wait until I see if more buds come further up? I know little about roses.
Could you do a close up of the roses ?, i can't see the shoots. Scrap the bark further up to see if it's still green and yes you can leave it a while.
For roses that size, I usually cut a half inch above the top active bud. If it looks scrawny, I'll cut further down. As long as it's above the graft, I think it doesn't matter exactly where. Roses are pretty resilient.
Thanks all. I have been wondering about this too. My roses bloom very well despite my neglect. I do know they need pruning.
Initially you want as much growth starting close to the base of the plant. Try and decide what type of rose it is, HT, florabunder, climber or rambler. knowing this will help you to prune to an acceptible shape. Untie that one in the corner. I'd be inclined to spread the stems around the corner of the fence, securing branches at suitable points. Try and get new growth at short intervals. This will fill the area and help produce more blooms. Generally speaking. I would do away with at least half the height at present.
