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Hybrid Tea Rose - pruning

Lucy117Lucy117 Posts: 21
in Plants
Hello fellow gardeners 👋

I had a go at pruning my Josephine Bruce rose yesterday but I’m not sure if I’ve cut it back enough. As you can see from the pics there are a few branches which have five leaflets on them - my husband seems to think these are a sign that the Rose has started rambling that they are suckers and need to be removed but I’m not sure. Also do I need to cut some more of the main (thick stem) - again my husband thinks we should cut it hard back but I’m not sure. Please help! Any and all advice gratefully received. 

Posts

  • MarlorenaMarlorena Posts: 7,868
    You don't have a huge amount of rose there but you could prune that much harder, down to about 6 inches, or even 4 inches above soil level if you are bold enough...

    There are no suckers on your rose.. 

    It looks as though you are using a multi purpose compost in your pot.. this is not ideal for roses, but it's done now, so for future reference, some topping up with soil [loam] based compost would help... 
    Feed with inorganic fertilizer of your choice.. best of luck... 
    East Anglia, England
  • Lucy117Lucy117 Posts: 21
    Marlorena said:
    You don't have a huge amount of rose there but you could prune that much harder, down to about 6 inches, or even 4 inches above soil level if you are bold enough...

    There are no suckers on your rose.. 

    It looks as though you are using a multi purpose compost in your pot.. this is not ideal for roses, but it's done now, so for future reference, some topping up with soil [loam] based compost would help... 
    Feed with inorganic fertilizer of your choice.. best of luck... 
    Thank you so much for the advice. I am actually planning to repot into a bigger pot so I will make sure I use a loam based compost - any recommendations on which to use?
  • MarlorenaMarlorena Posts: 7,868
    @Lucy117
    ..yes... if you can manage it, and it does mean faffing about a bit, the best mix is to use a 50/50 concoction of John Innes. no. 3 bagged potting compost, and a quality multi purpose of your choice - one meant for Trees, Shrubs and Roses is good ... the 50/50 mix gives best results suitable for potted roses....  neither are good to use solely on their own, but go well together... David Austin Roses also recommend this method..
    ...  you can also mix in a shovel full of your own garden soil... I have found it to be very beneficial...  
    East Anglia, England
  • Lucy117Lucy117 Posts: 21
    Brilliant! Thank you so much for all your help. I’ll do that - looks like I need to go compost shopping!
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