Jeri

Ingrid

Jeri

I'm so glad that you added the comment: few roses tolerate it well, and it does not make for a pretty shrub. I'm assuming you're talking about cutting back ruthlessly. I don't know whether this applies only to roses grown in a dry climate (I strongly doubt that), but, I've resisted cutting back my roses "ruthlessly." I don't think I want ugly shaped bushes for a few more flowers.

Robert

Some Austins in some climates are natural climbers and will always produce a succession of octopus canes after the first flush and into the fall. These can still be grown as pruned shrubs but will look a bit hairy at times during the season.

*** Our conditions aren't everyones.

Our water is of poor quality.
Rain is increasingly scarce.
Our climate IS increasingly dry, but also coastal, often cool and humid.
The combination, for whatever reasons, results in roses that respond poorly to most conventional pruning -- it works better for us to remove old canes completely, rather than cutting canes back.
Many of the Austins have not responded well to that (some have) -- and, really, we have better luck with Teas and Noisettes and the like. Those roses LOVE not being cut back, and bloom more generously in response.

And the truth is that, at this point in my life, I'd rather grow fewer, bigger roses, rather than cutting plants back to fit more of them in.

But I am fully aware that things can be done differently in different environments.

Jeri

patricia

*** Patricia -- Do you get that "candelabra" effect, where a cluster of scrawny little canes emerge where you cut the big cane back?
That's one thing we see, and it really IS ugly. :-(

Jeri

Many Austins, by midsummer, will send out what some people call octupus canes, or Jolly Green Giant canes, certain hyper canes that grow much taller than the rest of the bush. I deal with these by pruning them back to below where I want them. Usually these canes grow back and I have to cut them back again.

Gertrude Jeckyl doesn't do this as much as some other Austins in my garden. And GJ does have less rebloom than most Austins, but pruning her back hard doesn't help as much as for those in warmer zones, as our growing season is so short, by the time she regrows and puts out buds it is late in the season. Still a lovely and fragrant rose though.

Scott

Scott

patricia

Jeri

Crown Princess Margareta - 6 of those, yes, needs a lot of room, probably should be pegged or let climb, shoots out long canes, some short, and Jap beetle fav. I'm getting rid of them but want to enjoy one more bloom cycle next spring when they're best. Thorns are so bad I'm tired of trying to keep the weeds out, can mulch but want the space for more perennials.

Pat Austin - no but mine is not very robust and blooms shatter quickly, some still droop after first flush but gorgeous gorgeous otherwise. Another Jap beetle magnet.

Hyde Hall - yes but maybe because it doesn't get quite enough sun. It also has one cane that is too tall and thick, should have pruned it down last spring.

Enfant de France, no, got too crowded, didn't notice in time, shovel pruned it, sad because it was a beauty and reasonably hardy here.

Geoff Hamilton, no not at all, vase shaped, but is too tall for where it is, puts out pretty blooms but sporadic

Dark Lady, yes and no, think part of it stretches out for more sun which is very close to her, excellent rebloomer and Jap beetles bother it one of the least.

Charlotte, no, gets the most sun but another Jap beetle magnet, am keeping those two awhile longer, have to prune them back more than I'd like because they grow over the sidewalk, try to keep them tied back.

Wisley, no, either not very strong or most blooms droop, constant rebloomer.

Miss Alice, a dud, pretty peach but flat ugly blooms, probably doesn't like being so close to the French drain.

Evelyn, don't remember about her, didn't do much this year, beautiful last year.

Rosemoor, no but not doing much at all

That's it for the Austins or ones I'm not sure. Haven't posted much lately but I have two Hettie, love my clones of her more than the photo at RVR, am going to try to move or make her happier. She's not winter hardy but springs back quickly, got a couple canes come up through my clem that exceed 6'. Awakening, don't know what I'm going to do with those, good rebloomer, Jap beetles love it and would move it to where it could climb better but think the canes, though winter hardy to some extent, will never top my arbor and live.

My conclusion is that if you are going to grow Austins, they need lots of sun and space, difficult to interplant with perennials, and if you do, they should be the kind that are shorter and scramble/fill in.

With most of them, it's my inexpertise but I think some of it is I'm not going to do the kind of spraying you have to do to have nice roses around here except for ones like Carefree Beauty. This year was horrible for lots of new problems, too much rain, and just about every rose but the once bloomers got blackspot. One huge once bloomer got that or something similar and lost most of its leaves. The other once bloomers? Not a trace of it yet. Odd. But they take up valuable space to only bloom once then add no interest to the garden areas.

I'm really disappointed in my venture into roses except for very few, don't have the right kind of yard for them. Plus I would never buy any grafted roses again even though the own root take longer.

Eric

Gertie is a rose that must be sprayed for BS if that is a problem in your area; otherwise she defoliates pretty bad. In order to get Gertie to rebloom, she demands a severe pruning after every flush; I prune her by at least 1/3 to 1/2. This keeps her long arms in bounds also.

My Gertie is several years old, and has gone own-root. She is a massive girl and is several feet wide now. She's quite a sight to behold when in bloom....and the fragrance! is to die for when I'm deadheading her. She's an Austin I would not be without.
-terry

'Wife of Bath', 'Molineux', 'Perdita', 'Queen of Sweden', 'Jubilee Celebration', 'The Prince', and the like.