Roses gone wild

[mesmerred]

I noticed last season that most of the roses in my garden are sending up long shoots and only producing little flowers and not the blooms they should be. I've been told that they have reverted, but that I can bring them back to what they should be by pruning. If that is possible, how and when would I do it?

[Thunderbird+]

What you've been told is true, roses are grafted onto a vigorous root-stock and these whippy shoots that are sent up from below ground should be pruned off when you do your annual pruning or soon as they are noticed.
If you dont do this you will more than likely end up with something like the common dog rose. Good luck. Tbird+

[Clanad]

Probably one of the few times I've ever disagreed with the venerable Thunderbird+... but then we've all had different experiences, I expect. Your example is obviously a hybrid of some sort. Grafted, as T-bird says, with a "knot" at the graft point. The expected results grows from above this point. My experience is that once, for whatever reason, such a rose begins to send up shoots from below this point, it will never perfom as intended. My action has to be dig it up and start over with a fresh one. It seems as though all the energy of the plant goes into growing the wild root stock and it will no longer bloom... at least as it should. The reason you get only small blooms is that the original root stock is probably a variety ofrosa the original rose stock from which almost all of our modern roses started and produces flowers of only 5 petals. Best of luck, though!

[mesmerred]

Thank you Clanad and Thunderbird. That all sound right as the shoots are coming up from low down, and some are coming up from a distance away from the actual rose. I suppose I could try pruning them for this season and see how successful it turns out. It will be quite a job, but then so will digging them all out. About replacing them though, I thought there was a problem about putting new roses straight in where roses have been taken out. Is that true?

[Clanad]

I've not had that problem, mesmerred... I live in the intermountain area of the western U.S. and our winters can get pretty severe. I usually lose a few tea roses over the winter and I just replace them in the spring. I do use a product called Dormant Oil around the drip line of each rose just as soon as spring thaw comes. This is a sulphur based product that kills spores and other bacteria, especially Black Spot, which affects a lot of hybrid roses. It's foul smelling so don't get any on your shoes!
I also take care to work in quite a bit of peat moss and well rotted cow manure before replanting. Lots of water is required... at least a full gallon a week to begin with. Other than that, I've not had a problem with the area...

[mesmerred]

Thanks Clanad. They are all pruned now so I can see what I've got. I live in England and our winters aren't severe, but it looks like it might be better to replace a few where they have become so wild it's hard to identify where the original rose is. Think I will then see what happens with the others this season.