What is a shrub rose?
The shrub rose measures 60 to 120 cm and is characterized by its flared habit. It can be a rosebush with large solitary flowers or a rosebush with small flowers grouped in bouquets. The most common varieties are the Floribundathem tea hybridsthem Portland and some remontant hybrids.
The shrub rose is generally planted and trained in beds and borders and it should not be confused with the shrub rose which has the same characteristics, but which stands out for its greater height, since it can reach 180 cm.
When should you prune the shrub rose?
The shrub rose is pruned between mid-February and April, depending on the climate. Thus, for rather mild climates, pruning can be done early and be done from mid-February and for colder climates, pruning is not done before April. He is important to respect these periodsbecause if the roses are pruned too early in the season, a thaw can cause the departure of the preserved buds which can be killed by a return of the frost which is always possible towards the beginning of spring.
The shrub rose can be pruned a second time, in the fall, to get rid of dead wood and faded flowers.
General principle of shrub rose pruning
There is an ideal shape for a shrub rose and you should get as close to it as possible when pruning yours. This form is the flared cut. To obtain it, you must, during pruning, favor the conservation of buds whose growth is facing the outside of the rosebush eliminating a majority of those that grow inward. Also be sure to air the center of the bush removing as many branches as possible that grow centrally or grow inward.
This flared shape allows the shrub rose to develop better by improving its ventilation and increasing the amount of light it receives.
Shrub rose pruning step by step
To prune a shrub rose, you only need a shears and one saw if your rose has a few thick branches.
To clean
If your rose bush was not pruned in the fall, it needs a little cleaning before being pruned. start with remove weakened stemstwisted and dead wood.
Also check to see if your rose bush has produced any new suckers. If so, delete them all.
Lighten
Thin out the shrub rose removing inward growing branches to allow better air circulation and better exposure to the sun, which prevents cryptogamic diseases.
If it is a rosebush with large flowers, remove the large branches to keep only 3 to 5 which must be distributed in a homogeneous and balanced way, because they are what gives the rosebush its structure. If it’s a small-flowered rose, you can leave more branches.
Shorten
The shortening, also called pruning of the branches, can be more or less severe. Shorten the branches by a third or a half of their length while ensuring that the structure of the rosebush remains harmonious. You can also choose to prune the weakest branches to shorten them from two to three eyes and the strongest from five to six eyes.
There are gardeners who are adept at more severe pruning for roses and who shorten more extensively, but this practice increases, according to other gardeners, the risk of snags forming which lead to the death of the branches. This severe and very short pruning should therefore not be carried out every year, but rather in an interval of three to four years.