PRUNE YOUR ROSES

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 358, 19 May 1928, Page 26

PRUNE YOUR ROSES

; Before we can start pruning we must know why we prune. Briefly, the reason is that a rose tries to do more work to produce more growths than it can manage. Leave a strong bush untended for a year, and in its second season it will have grown twice or three times its size. We prune, to keep down the number ot' new growths produced to a reasonable limit. This limit varies in accordance with our requirements. If we want a few especially choice blooms, for exhibition perhaps, we prune so that only very short growths remain, the bush thus concentrating all its strength on them and the few buds that later spring from them. If garden decoration is the object in view, we permit more growths to develop; our prunning is less severe. If big bushes are wanted, to screen an unsightly corner, for instance, the number of growths permitted to develop is still further increased. There are other considerations to be borne in mind. Weak-growing varieties, if they are making a good number of growths, should be pruned more severely than those which naturally grow vigorously. This is so that the weak roots may have the smallest reasonable number of growths to perfect. Varieties of medium robustness would not be pruned so severely as the weaker varieties, but more severely than the stronger. Again, weak growths would be pruned more severely +• ban strong growths.