Digging out roses

azzabazza

I have a few shrub/patio roses which to be honest are very spindly. I am thinking of digging them out now and replacing with new stock in the spring.

I know you shouldn't plant new roses in the same soil as those just dug out. However, if I dig out old now, fork in new top soil and some blood, bone and meal will this prepare the soil sufficiently for the new stock?

lostinrates

azzabazza wrote: »

I have a few shrub/patio roses which to be honest are very spindly. I am thinking of digging them out now and replacing with new stock in the spring.

I know you shouldn't plant new roses in the same soil as those just dug out. However, if I dig out old now, fork in new top soil and some blood, bone and meal will this prepare the soil sufficiently for the new stock?

Cannot you just prune them hard, or are the varities destined to be leggy?

Rose replanting, you. An remove all the old soil in the area (a good half metre I would guess, maybe more).

But......you have missed the best planting time so I really would try a hardish prune (I know it's mild but I pruned some at the weekend...) and then plan what you might replace them with over summer and do the Job ion late autumn if they do not earn their place this year or don't rally to the pruning.

azzabazza

lostinrates wrote: »

Cannot you just prune them hard, or are the varities destined to be leggy?

Rose replanting, you. An remove all the old soil in the area (a good half metre I would guess, maybe more).

But......you have missed the best planting time so I really would try a hardish prune (I know it's mild but I pruned some at the weekend...) and then plan what you might replace them with over summer and do the Job ion late autumn if they do not earn their place this year or don't rally to the pruning.

The ones I am thinking about removing are very leggy with thin stems. They were pruned quite hard last spring and really did not perform this summer at all. I do realise I have missed the late autumn planting window. I have always pruned my roses hard in spring (we are in Scotland). Would you recommend pruning now? There are new buds on the stems. I think you are probably right to suggest I give them a chance. I did give them a good feed in the autumn and will give them another feed in the spring. Most of these roses were container grown and given to me the summer of 2011 to celebrate my retirement/ruby wedding. Probably wasn't the best time to plant anyway!

lostinrates

azzabazza wrote: »

The ones I am thinking about removing are very leggy with thin stems. They were pruned quite hard last spring and really did not perform this summer at all. I do realise I have missed the late autumn planting window. I have always pruned my roses hard in spring (we are in Scotland). Would you recommend pruning now? There are new buds on the stems. I think you are probably right to suggest I give them a chance. I did give them a good feed in the autumn and will give them another feed in the spring. Most of these roses were container grown and given to me the summer of 2011 to celebrate my retirement/ruby wedding. Probably wasn't the best time to plant anyway!

I prune while dormant this side of christmas for most roses. (I usually aim for late jan, feb, but the last years have been bonkers). There are things you can prune in autumn, but as I love the stray late blooms I do not.

Infact, few of my roses have defoliated the last two winters, so I have accepted I am pruning non dormant plants, but that's how it goes (fwiw mine were all moved or anted in the last two and a half year so have only been very lightly pruned, but in that time I don't think the weather has been fair to judge performance on, it's been two bad summers in a row for roses.

What I would say is that even roses I know to be compact and easily round little shrubs have been inclined to go a little leggy last year. It's the worst possible weather.

If they are black spot and fungal free personally I would prune now, and take. Third of the growth down to the very lowest shoot bud facing outwards, and hop that's elow half a foot.

There are excellent pruning diagrams on line and on the austins on line website.

A not of caution on hard pruning, I know austins do not recommend this for most of their roses now, rather just the top third. I usually take more than this off and prune the way I was taught my my mama, and I have decent roses but I am at the other end of the cou try to you!

Peter beales classic roses have an excellent if very quiet rose forum and members will happily guide you with better knowledge than I have, and more experience, and will certainly ask for variety to help you.

azzabazza

Thanks. My dad was a 'hard' spring pruner and I tend to follow in his footsteps! If it remains mildish tomorrow will go out with the secateurs and take a decision then! As you say, last two seasons not the best for roses.

Sambucus_Nigra

I am hesitating to advise anyone to make big decisions on anything in the garden based on last summer.

If they are budding, I'd leave well alone personally. Just remove any straggly bits for now.

azzabazza

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

I am hesitating to advise anyone to make big decisions on anything in the garden based on last summer.

If they are budding, I'd leave well alone personally. Just remove any straggly bits for now.

Yes, I am inclining to the view that they deserve another chance!

lostinrates

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

I am hesitating to advise anyone to make big decisions on anything in the garden based on last summer.

If they are budding, I'd leave well alone personally. Just remove any straggly bits for now.

Actually, you make a good point about leaving. They haven't been in there long, and I perhaps on that basis would step away from my senate aura and agree with SN here and say prune less hard then I recommended initially, let them have a (hopefully) better year.

The great thing about roses is they are fairly tolerant. You can refurbish them with time And over about three years get a total refurbished plant, but let the roots get happier first.

Mojisola

azzabazza wrote: »

Thanks. My dad was a 'hard' spring pruner and I tend to follow in his footsteps!

Hard pruning is good for Hybrid Tea roses but not for shrub or patio ones.

There's no reason why roses shouldn't be planted from late winter to early spring.

I've had success planting new roses in a border that's had roses in it for 30 years by using mycorrhizal fungi - available as Root Grow. I also improved the soil by adding manure and/or compost, depending on what I had available. I had tried by just changing the soil and had several failures but the fungi made the difference.