Q. Is it a good idea to prune my Roses way back this time of year? I didn’t prune them earlier and they have a lot of black spot. I would burn the branches. Thanks Dottie Morris – Shelton, WA
A. Whether it is a good idea is debatable. Rose pruning seems to me to be part science and part art. Even dyed in the wool rosarians disagree at times on the finer points of pruning. Yes you can summer prune roses especially old roses ramblers that bloom once per year. They are flowering on the previous seasons growth so the recommended to prune these roses right after they bloom. Most remontant roses (have one major bloom period followed by sporadic spurts of flowering) can also be pruned after the first major bloom since flowers are produced on old and new growth. Although I have never seen recommendations for summer pruning hybrid teas they could also be pruned in the summer, but a drastic (as in “way back”) pruning will obviously curtail the plants growth. Part of the problem your roses may be having is reduced air circulation since you didn’t prune them this season. Another alternative is to selectively prune the shrubs heading them back to a few feet rather than “way back” and thinning to improve air circulation. Then cut out the diseased leaflets. The main branches will then send out new growth, which you can protect by following the guidelines I set out for Evelyn Moore in last week’s column. If you are interested in more info on more specific rose culture you may want to contact The Olympia Rose Society http://www.olyrose.org/ which is probably closer to you than the Puyallup http://www.puyalluproses.org/ or Tacoma http://www.tacomarosesociety.org/ Rose Societies.
A great product for insect and disease control on roses is Rose Rx 3-in-1