Hi everyone, I am very new in gardening and need some help with pruning roses.
Here's my story: Our family moved into a house in Lilburn, Ga about 3 years ago. We have a large yard with tons of flower trees and shrubs. I don't have green thumbs and I am not confident when it comes to taking care of plants. I discovered just now three Sally Holmes bushes on the side of our house. I am not sure how long they have been there. The house was built in 1986. The roots are as big as my arm. One of them had a vine that grew straight from the root and intertwined with the rose branches. I removed the vines and cut down tons of dead twigs and branches. However, I am scared of cutting too much. I noticed the bushes bloomed more flowers after I removed dead branches but not as much as the pictures I see online. Sally Holmes rose bushes should give hundreds or even thousands of blooms but mine only got a bout 40-50 blooms each bush. I figure I need to be aggressive in pruning but don't know how and where to cut. The bushes grew to be 12 feet tall and top branches don't produce any blooms. I read online these are bush/vines so the branches grow out really long and falls down when they get heavy with flowers.
My questions are:
1. Should I prune heavily, cutting down 5 feet of the top branches and 1/3 or all branches around once blooms are over? Or wait until next spring?
2. I don't know if there are any suckers since I don't know how to identify them, should I just cut away any new grow from root?
3. If I want them to grow as vines, how do I put up a fence or post for them to grow on?
I love the flowers and wish to keep them around with lots of flowers to enjoy. Any input is appreciated!!
Sally Holmes bushes
Are you sure that is Sally Holmes? Does it get lots of sun? Do you regularly fertilize it? SHs is a heavy feeder.
Since it has leafed out, you might want to wait to prune it heavily before it leafs out next spring and just follow the second video on deadheading this year.
I think SH is a shrub more than a climber. I show no mercy in pruning shrub roses before they leaf out. The ones I have seen are huge mounds of blooms more than climbers.
I found this video for you
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pR0C2oniEMw
and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNSGfGzT_Y4
Hope these help.
PS Just jump in, in gardening. Most plants are forgiving. You will be a pro in no tim.
Here is a good video on pruning climbers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNiOW1kBNGo
Thank you Kell. I have searched all over the Internet to find out what type roses they are and I am pretty sure they are Sally Holmes. I can't wait til next spring to tame this beauty.
Does it have the peach buds?
https://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/91712/
It is a gorgeous rose!!!!
Yes, they look just like the image. There are about 17-24 buds per bundle. Peach buds turn to white blooms with light fragrance. Oh boy I got pricked by the thorns too many times and bled quite a bit....(^!^) my ignorance!!! The last video is scary I can't cut that much. I'll follow the first and second videos although I have bushes instead of climbers.
Good luck! Post pics when you get them in shape and covered in bloom!
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