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Rambler maintenance
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Posted by
idixierose z8b Coastal SC (
My Page) on
Fri, May 30, 14 at 16:53
| SOS -- Seeking advice on how to manage a bunch of ramblers. Everything I read about pruning and maintaining ramblers tells me to remove old canes and leave the new. In my situation, that doesn't exactly seem practical. My ramblers grow on 7' pillars and out onto chains. The canes are woven around and through the wrought iron pillars, then wrapped around the chains. The roses are in their fourth season and have become enormous. I cringe when I think of removing the old canes and extricating them from the tangle on the pillars and chains. We're talking about 8 pillars and 175' of chain. I'm tempted to cut them back to the ground and let them put out new canes. I have a gut feeling that the canes would be back out on the canes by the end of August. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Rambler maintenance
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| Some ramblers bloom on old wood, some bloom on new wood, check what you have first. what do you have? |
RE: Rambler maintenance
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| idixierose, what you suggest is exactly how they do it in in those French gardens with pillars and swags. Cut them down right after blooming each year, and they will regrow to bloom the following year. All the garden books from early and mid-20th century recommend this practice. The first time will be rough, but after that it gets easier. Soil needs to be fertilized as you will be removing lots of nutrients from the system with each pruning. Your garden sounds spectacular--pictures, please |
RE: Rambler maintenance
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I grow many ramblers and have found that rather then being pushed over the sanity edge trying to prune them "professionally. I cut them down to about 12 inches after they have finished blooming and they come back with a bang. The ones that do best are the wichurianas. With those I give a little help and use soft ribbons to start to help guide them upwards. Multifloras will go straight up by them selves.
My garden may look like I am growing the horticultural
challenged, but it is only for a season. Don't forget to give them some food after you have cut them down not before. |
RE: Rambler maintenance
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| I have two ramblers/climbers bloom on old wood-Blushing Lucy and New Dawn, I don't cut them down much, and they are doing pretty well every Spring. I trim them into the shape I like. My Blushing Lucy is wrap around front porch, I like to see it there 24/7. Thinking about replace it with Cl Fairy for re-bloom, but not sure if Fairy can wrap around the porch like Blushing Lucy does. The ramblers should look dramatic, it's their job to stop the traffic. :-) I am more into rambler display. I don't let mine go short at all, they are born to be tall, above average. I am not an old fashioned gardener, can you tell? :-) Rose garden style is like fashions in life, there is no fashion there if it's bare. :-) " 8 pillars and 175' of chain", that sounds wonderful, I'd just trim them into the the shapes I like. It's all about your style, your passion, just fellow your heart dear....... |
RE: Rambler maintenance
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| I don't grow ropes or chains of ramblers, but I do cut ramblers back severely after bloom. I've had great success with multiflora ramblers and Lady Banks roses. They bounce back but remain manageably modest in Portland. In your climate, these same ramblers would probably bounce back as well. I cut mine back by about 50%. Carol |
RE: Rambler maintenance
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| I have immense rambling ramblers that I don't cut back except for dead wood. On my pergola though I have pulled all the canes down ,trimmed laterals, got rid of excess wood and then wrapped the canes back up on the pillars. |
RE: Rambler maintenance
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| Here's a recent photo of a section of the ramblers. All of them are Alexandre Girault, which is a wichurana type. Thanks to the feedback y'all have given me. This afternoon, I started cutting Alexandre off the pillars. What a beast! |
RE: Rambler maintenance
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| Lynette, which of your HWichuranas do best with your method of cutting back? I have a stretch that I plan on planting 3 that being able to cut back would be a good thing. |
RE: Rambler maintenance
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RE: Rambler maintenance
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| Somebody probably should have added, don't start the radical pruning routine until they are a few years old and have built up some root mass. But I'm sure that would be obvious to people who understand plants. idixie, thanks for the great picture. |
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