So that your roses bloom lushly and keep their blooms for as long as possible, regular pruning is important. For older roses, rejuvenation pruning also ensures that the bushes do not go bald, but rather give you joy for a very long time.
When and how should you cut old roses?
If you cut old roses, the main pruning takes place in spring when the forsythia is in bloom. Cut the bush back by about a third or half, leaving side shoots stronger. Radically cut shoots older than five years, remove faded and damaged ones.
What are Old Roses?
The old roses, also known as historical roses, are very rare, mostly heavily filled and equally fragrant varieties from the years before 1867. These include the following types:
- French Rose
- Damask Rose
- Alba Rose
- China Rose
- Portland Rose
- Bourbon Rose
- Moss Rose
Like all roses, historic roses require careful care and educational pruning measures. When and how hard you ultimately have to prune depends primarily on the type and variety of rose: While the permanent bloomers can tolerate more vigorous pruning, many once-blooming varieties should only be thinned out. In addition to wild roses, the old once-flowering varieties include: Rosa alba, Rosa damaszena and Rosa gallica. Both the Portland and Bourbon roses, on the other hand, are remontant, and China roses even bloom more often.
Cut old roses in spring if possible
The main pruning of historical roses is also carried out in spring, ideally when the forsythia is blooming. You should cut back the entire bush by around a third or even half. Cut side shoots back more than those in the middle to create a dome-like growth habit. Shoots that are older than five years usually no longer bear flowers and should therefore be radically shortened. Shrubs that are completely senescent - for example due to a lack of pruning care - can be cut down to just five centimeters; they usually sprout again without any problems.
Pruning depending on the rose variety
How much you cut back your historic rose depends on the specific type and variety. Bourbon roses, for example, have to be cut back quite heavily, while the summer-flowering Damask roses can be cut lightly (they quickly become lazy). Instead, you can tweeze them, i.e. H. Carefully clip off the tips of new shoots with your fingernails.
Remove faded flowers regularly
Also make sure to always remove diseased (especially fungal!) and damaged shoots as well as dead wood, as well as shoot tips with faded flower heads. These hygienic measures ensure that various pathogens cannot establish themselves and threaten your valuable old rose.
Tip
If a climbing rose has been neglected and side shoots have not been encouraged through regular training and tying, numerous bare stems may be visible near the ground. To encourage the development of new basal shoots, cut some of the old bare stems back almost to the ground.
