Rose pruning

[Vegemiteandhoneyontoast]

I've just discovered Jenny 'Niff' Barnes and her pruning and training methods. Thinking of introducing some of her rose training ideas into the ones I care for. I really like the idea of achieving a profusion of flowers in this way and think this will be more effective than my previously used methods.

https://www.gardenista.com/posts/ask-expert-jenny-barnes-how-train-roses/

That's amazing, thank you.

Really interesting, l have quite a few climbing roses and clematis and will now incorporate this method thanks.

I can't wait to get started on it. At my main work there are four huge ramblers and four climbers growing up the walls and this method looks ideal for dealing with them.

On one wall there are two 'Seagull' ramblers and they're absolute monsters, so fingers crossed this will make it a bit easier to manage them.

I'm hoping to replicate this, seen at Asthall Manor. It's 'New Dawn' and I put four in a few years ago.

Thanks for the link veg. I've seen this done to shrub roses at Sissinghurst but never thought to try it on climbers. Here's an article about Sissinghurst's technique:

www.susanneosmond.com/blog/rose-pruning-at-sissinghurst

Very interesting, thank you, PoppySeed.

This pic from that page shows how I've been training, but the idea of more circular training looks like it could be amazing.

Fascinating and stimulating - thanks for starting this thread, @Vegemiteandhoneyontoast

Thank you, I'll be reading these.

Thank you for the thread. I'm just going to make a nice cup of tea and sit down and read the links. Heaven is tea and reading about roses, or anything gardening.😊

Similar here, Clabony, I've been enjoying spending a damp grey day reading about rose pruning and obsessing.

Just remembered a terrible rose I was asked to work on some years ago and how I miraculously managed to bring it back.

The owner of this rose, 'Maigold' I think, had allowed her non-gardener grass guy to tend it. She wouldn't let me work on it at the time, so I tended to avert my gaze, but one day she asked me to cut out the suckers. This done I realised that there was only one main stem left and it was bare up to about 2m. It was a real 'Oh crap' moment. This lady was very elderly so I was concerned that the option of just chopping it back would mean she might not see it flower again.

I came across some stuff online about 'nicking and notching', which is usually used on fruit trees to increase or decrease growth. For increasing growth the advice was to take out a notch just above a dormant node, which tricks the plant into putting out new stems. After making the notch I leaned the stem over to encourage sprouting. It worked and several fat, thorny new stems erupted from the main one.

Three years later.

@Vegemiteandhoneyontoast are...are you the chosen one!? That's a stunning transformation.

@IcakethereforeIam lol, I was once called a Rose Whisperer! 😅

Wow what a difference in that rose! I hadn't heard about notching. That's amazing. So, potentially, could I do this with a couple of stems or does it only work where you have one main stem?

That Jenny Barnes technique looks very effective. I'm only sorry that I didn't know of it earlier. I might have a go with the Rambling Rector, as it's top heavy on the old brick outhouse. I could do with bringing some of it down to cover the lower brickwork. Perhaps put some horizontal wires across and tie in a circular way?
Thanks @Vegemiteandhoneyontoast 🙂

Knew it!😁

could I do this with a couple of stems or does it only work where you have one main stem?

It certainly works on one main stem, but I've yet to work on another rose that's been in a similar condition.

Yes, Clabony, both vertical and horizontal wires make it much easier to shape the stems.

More on Jenny Barnes.

https://www.oxoniangardener.co.uk/rose-cloud-pruning-the-asthall-technique-15996/

😜😅

Definitely in need of a Rose Whisperer!

If you're in Oxfordshire give me a shout!

These are beautiful! I am a very novice gardener who inherited various roses when I moved house. I am starting to get to know how they behave and really like the look of this. I looked up pruning before for my climbing rose but always found it quite confusing, this looks both pretty and easier to interpret. When would be the best time to start it? Thank you!

I’m just marking place here. I have heard of Jenny Barnes before. I’ve planted what I thought was a shrub rose but has turned out to be a climber. It just wants to go up and up and there’s not a lot of space to go out so these techniques may be perfect. Love the ‘notching’. Will def. Give that a go.

I don't do roses, I've bought one this week through to specifically grow and prune it the Sissinghurst way. So this is timely.