Hey folks.... I'm hoping it will be dry outside at least for this morning, so I can start deadheading the hydrangeas, there seems to have been plenty of growth already. Also want to do the roses, but they, too, seem to have started growing already. Do you think it's worth pruning them still? And should I cut off the growth that has already started. Would appreciate some guidance, please. There are two standard rose "trees" and one bush rose, which also seems to be quite "greened up" now. Hope you can help, many thanks, Chox.
I don't have any roses but my mum had a huge garden and she had two long flower beds( about 20 ft each) filled with every kind and colour of rose. My job was to dead head them so after school I'd grab a basket and secateurs and head down the garden . The smell was amazing .
Pruned my roses Wednesday. First decent sunny days for ages. If left they would probably end up twice as high as me by the end of the growing season. They'll "work out" to put on a grown spurt lower down and thicken up a bit.
I always cut mine down by a third at end of summer, and another third again any time now, just when they have started shooting, but a gardener did them for me this year, much lower than I would have dared a week ago and the roses are showing me whose boss ! Golly they grow quick when they get couple of warmer days . I know the old adage - let your worst enemy prune your roses, and it really is true, I am too careful with mine !