Pruning: How Low Can You Go?
Vložit
- čas přidán 9. 07. 2024
- When I perform a heavy pruning of a shrub in my garden, it can be a little nerve-wracking to cut low into old wood. Will the shrub recover from such a hard pruning? There are some particulars around the right season and the variety of plant, but my general experience has been that a healthy deciduous shrub will recover quite nicely from even a deep pruning. There are dormant buds down low on the stems of most shrubs. In this video, I'll show you three examples of the results of my heavy pruning this year and last.
If you find these videos useful, there are a few little things you can do to help me out:
Have a look at our Amazon shop: www.amazon.com/shop/fraserval...
Follow our farm on Instagram: / fraservalleyrosefarm
Like us on Facebook: / fraservalleyrosefarm
Or better yet, subscribe to this CZcams channel: czcams.com/users/FraserValle...
And for a place to indulge in random garden anarchy: / unrulyrosesociety
Photo credits:
Pruning saw: Clint Budd (CC BY 2.0)
Leyland Cyprus with Bad Pruning: Donald Bryden (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Mock Orange: Lazaregagnidze (Wikimedia commons) (CC BY-SA 4.0) - Jak na to + styl
I just want to share that I truly value you and your videos. Every time I think I’m doing something wrong with my roses, I come back to your videos to relearn skills, be assured I’m doing the right thing, and restore my motivation in growing roses. I really appreciate you and your work so much. ❤
Recently, last year, my husband and a friend pruned a plum tree here in the very cold north. I was shocked to see the skeleton. I was convince they killed my tree who had just started giving a good crop. But now I see new shoots coming, and watching you pick off the shoots of your apple tree, I learned today to do the same to the plum tree to encourage ,as you said, all the energy to go to the top shoots! THANK YOU, you are a very good teacher!
My pleasure Eva-Maria - and here's hoping your plum has a quick return to productivity!
I love your approach here and I really dig seeing what happened NEXT. Thank you once again, Jennie
Hi Jason. So glad that you share these tips. Its so helpful. Despite having the same feeling when pruning my heavy climbing bushes. I guess we mustnt be afraid to just rip off unwanted branches....thank you so much. 👍🌹🏵🌸🌻🌾
We cut down our 6’ tall honeysuckle to the ground in August 2019 thinking that if it doesn’t return we’d put a climbing rose there in its place. This spring, it’s 3’ tall already and even more vigorous.
It helped 👍
Today itself i have pruned my roses quite heavily as they were looking shabby, out of shape and scanty flowering.
Your video is my part of research 😊👍
You are always so clear and concise!
Thanks for sharing, I actually bought my first rose bush, a ground covering one. 👍❤️😊
Your videos are so helpful! I'm glad I found your channel
Thanks for great advice, again! 👍❤️🌹❤️ I feel a lot more confident taking care of my 🌹🌹🌹
Thank you. I have done this successfully with my azaleas. This year I have cut down my rhododendron. I am watching your videos to learn about caring for my new Rose bushes. Thank you for the education. May you have continued success.
I am glad you did this 'follow-up' video. Sometimes those heavy prunes give me a little bit of a scare! Thanks from New York City!
Hi Jason, I have printed my Neighbors Rhododendron. It gets so big and overpowers theirs and mine flower beds. It's very old and established so good root system. I've cut out the really thick old stems two about 18" or two feet in height. And pruned back the 1/2" or small and 1" to slightly larger to about 24" to 30". Starting height was 5' to 6'. It's been four years and it huge and beautiful this year. I would not go that drastic in pruning this year but 12" seems about right to 18". This will help my flower bead receive some light and correct the height. My Rhododendron which was only a few years old didn't recover as well from heavy pruning. I'm going to try this year to cut a 1/3 off the top and hopefully push out new from the base. Thank you very much for the encouragement!
Thanks Nan - I'm glad hear about your success with the more established rhodo. That's what I've heard from experienced growers is that the older & stronger rhodos will recover very well
Great video, Jason. Just what I needed to know. Thank you.
My pleasure. Thanks for watching
So glad I found this! First winter with the roses and I am scared out of my mind
Really encouraging, thank you!
Brilliant video. This gave me a good dose of courage as I prepare to hard prune our John Cabot climbing rose, Therese Bugnet rose, and a couple of hydrangea paniculatas. Cheers from Zone 4b in Minnesota.
Thanks Mike - good luck this season!
I recently subscribed to your channel and glad I did as you seem to talk a lot of sense. Thanks.
I appreciate it Alex!
I did this to a climbing rose 😮☺️😊🏡Excellent videos 😁Thank you
Hi Jasón thanks for answering back .Autumn weather in Chile goes around 2 to 15 degrees Celsius during fall .
Thanks Olga - so with the lack of freezing temperatures, I think you are safe to prune from fall through to spring. You may want to aim closer to spring for the heavier pruning, just so that you will have a quicker rebound.
Awesome! Thank you.
Loved this video 😊
Hi, so happy to watch another one of your rose videos; thank you for sharing your expertise with us. I decided to leave my trailing (rambling?) rose alone. I wanted to transplant that rose bush during the summer but I am afraid the heat of central Texas (Austin) will be too much for the roots if I transplant it now. After watching this video I feel confident the plant will thrive in a better location even if it means the plant will be away from the mother rose bush :-)
Thank you for this!!!
Very good. I was given 8 rose stumps by a relative in May. I cut most of their brunches , yes they are all doing very well, and all flowering.
Nice!
Thank you
Cool. Thanks for giving me bravery.
Best of luck with your pruning!
Thanks!!
Thank you, a workman cut my climbing rose almost to the ground. It’s was big and beautiful and untouched! I hope it bounces back!
Crossing fingers. If it was otherwise healthy I bet it'll bounce back for you
Nice beautiful plants
Thanks! This gave me courage!🙌😂
Very good work for roses. I was given 8 rose stumps from a relative which
Thanks
I have had great success with rejuvenative pruning. Red twig dogwoods get cut all the way to the ground when they are overgrown, as do ninebark. They come back beautifully. Dwarf burning bush get a nice prune into the larger framework of branches, and this year most of our roses were pruned within an inch of their lives due to our nasty freezes in October and again in April. Zone 5.
Thanks! Very encouraging
I took this advice about cutting low when I saw a deer eat an entire rose section at my local nursery and a few months later they were thriving
A. very good video !
Wow at your channel growth!! congrats! been a while
Thanks so much!
Hi Jason. Another great video. Do you know if the Damask rose Ispahan responds well to cutting back into old wood? Mine has grown very tall over the years due to not being pruned low enough.
Thank u from uk I’m trying to hard prune my rambling rose five years old
I was indoor plant person, last year after listening lots of your videos planted roses in small garden. (This year many other plants joined). Question- One of the rose in garden only gave one shoot from base. (Earlier buds on old branches got frost bite and now there is no growth on them.) it's now finger size and almost 2ft. no other growth. May i cut it half to get more buds on this new growth. Thanks from northern Illinois
I cut my rose bush down to about 5 inches. It was time to start over. It is recovering now with more growth than it has ever had.
The rose bush was here when we moved in last year. It was in a shaded/part sun place and grew tall. I moved it to a full sun location last fall, put leaves, and coffee grounds around the base, and cut it back. I cut it again to 5 inches and now it has about 6 inches of new branches and is bushing out from the old wood. I had my doubts, but it seems to be working. I am glad that I kept the rose bush. 😃
My roses are so darn big in front of my house they block the whole porch. So similar to the bush you did at the end. I'm so afraid to do anything - but I may head to the garden shop to ask.
I live in Central Illinois. I am pruning and I am cutting very low. Finding colored pith even though there are leaves there So I have stems only an inch long. We had nasty weather in March
Can those rub offs or pinchings be used to propagate the plant?
I just pruned roses for the first time. I'm hoping everything went well. I'm generally away from home a month at a time so I won't know for a while. I'm a little stressed but I guess that comes with the territory. 😬
Crossing my fingers for you - I bet they'll be fine!
A little off topic, but deer came along last night and ate the new growth off my Rose's 😢. Any advice on how I can prevent this from happening again?
How do I prune prune tree. Now is winter in South Africa
I have several double knockouts around my foundation. They grow well over 6 feet tall every season. They are vigorous growers and I have to take them down to about 18" each spring to get them under control. Every time I do it I always have a guilt trip and question whether I am killing the plant... and every time they bounce back like it's nothing.
I'm almost hoping they develop a dwarf knockout variety just to keep the growth under control.
Love your Channel, my question is when can I prune and train my China Rose ? Thank you
Depends on your climate. In a warmer climate, just about any time. In places with colder winters, early spring is the best for heavy pruning.
I pruned my mums today, August 27, to get bushier bush, more flowers for fall, and lastly so I can get more plants via cuttings. I'm from Texas, did I prune too late for fall display. My mums get indirect sunlight.
You may still get a late display! Good luck with your cuttings
Hey Jason, your videos have really encouraged me to get into the hobby and to take better care of our roses at the property we rent. We pruned them down low (fairly indiscriminately) 2-3 years ago but they've gotten rather out of hand again so I'll definitely be doing some chopping sometime soon. I am wondering though what made the height of that shrub 'inappropriate'? I personally like the idea of big and tall roses and plan to keep ours above our fence line for some extra privacy, but will it negatively impact the plant?
No, it's all just personal preference and how it fits into the space. Sometimes an unpruned rose will flower higher than you want it to is all. Otherwise if you like the size and shape of the plant and it's doing what you want, you can leave it alone except to remove any dead/damaged stems.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Awesome, that was the impression I got from your pruning videos but I wanted to double check. Thanks for the reply!
We inherited a lovely rose that has been trained into a standard but is clearly not as it shoots up so high the flowers can be seen from my bedroom window. I don’t know what rose it is but would love to get it much lower so we can see the blooms. Do you think I am risking too much if I cut the main single stem say half way down? Thank you for your videos your wisdom is so much appreciated. 👍
Hi Lynne. I think you can probably get away with it on a healthy rose. The question is when: if your summer is mild, now may be a decent time. If it's hot enough to further stress the plant after a drastic pruning, I'd maybe do a light prune now and wait until spring for the lower cut.
Much appreciated. What’s your take on pruning waxes?
Overall the research seems to support *not* sealing pruning cuts except if you have a specific insect pest that has caused problems in the past at the site.
Hello from Chile. Can I prune my roses during autumn season ???? I live in Chile and we have opposite seasons , so autumn is happening now in June trough July
Hi Olga - please correct me if I'm wrong about your climate, but I believe your average low temperatures in winter are down to around 7C. If that's the case, it's relatively safe to prune in autumn straight through to spring.
How low can you cut a standard weeping rose if it's lost branches due to scale infestation
I recently bought a home with an abandoned knockout rose bush. I deadheaded it and cut back some of the dead undergrowth and it started blooming like crazy! Now, my question is, when do I cut it back? Late fall? Late winter? early spring? I don't want to kill it. It is an old bush and deserves a good life.
Late winter is usually the safest.
Hi Jason, is it possible to do an episode about different rose breeding companies? The comparison? I’m new to roses and try to find some info online but didn’t get much. Thx.
Okay. Thanks Jade. I'll put it on the list
good afternoon, thank you for these great explanations! If you have time, could you please give some advice about preparing butterfly bushes for winter? my zone is 5, winter temperatures can get down to -20 °C. Do I still prune them in spring, not before winter? And do I need to protect the bottom part of the bush from cold, cover in any way?
My experience is that butterfly bush responds much better to a spring pruning than before winter. Many buddleia varieties are hardy to zone 5, so -20c is doable - and I'm not sure I'd even wrap it, but if you did mound some dry foliage around the base and wrap with burlap it probably wouldn't hurt your chances.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm sincerely thank you for taking the time to answer and for your valuable insights!🙏
I HEAVILY pruned an old climbing rose recently and fortunately it's growing back like crazy. Which raises a question as I'm new to this. I don't have any original length main canes left, so those are sprouting laterals that will serve as mains. But those laterals are simultaneously sprouting other canes! I'm unsure how to train them. Is anything left to grow upward a "lateral" and any cane I train horizontally act as a "main"? How do I know which is going to produce a bloom? Thank a lot, I really enjoy your videos.
Hi Milliardo - sounds like it's coming back nicely! You can select any combination of the new laterals, their side branches (and even sides of sides) to become the new framework of your climber. If you work these towards horizontal, then yes, laterals will form and shoot vertically to bloom. If you find it's a bit "choppy" at first, you might also see some rather long new shoots from down low that you can begin to train to eventually replace these older sections.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm thanks for clearing that up. I've been drooling over all the new growth but now I'm crying over the possibility that it's all a bunch of root suckers! There's nothing coming from the old knotty bud union and all the new growth has seven leaflet leaf sets, oddly there are some with 5 but mostly 7. Is my rose dead?
How long did it take for new buds to develop?
If you have rose with just one parent stem then how far can you cut back to allow the rose to promote multiple branches from the base?
It depends on how vigorous and healthy the rose is - lower if it's growing well and more cautiously if it's struggling.
I am fairly new to the gardening world and need advice on when to prune and how much on english lavender that I just planted this past month. I'm seeing really beautiful flowering on many of them but don't want to cut too soon either since they haven't been planted very long??? Is this a good time to cut back already on the flowering that has begun to bloom?
Also...I live in the Chicago suburbs where we tend to be a zone 5
If you're considering cutting the flowers for your own use, go ahead at any time. If you're doing it for the sake of the plant (like to promote branching and keep it tidy) I'd wait until after flowering.
Interesting, my climbing roses need serious pruning, I’m planning on waiting a few more weeks to maybe early July (it will warm up end of August and we rarely get frost). They are quite old and the wood is pretty much like a tree on the main stumps but i don’t like how they have grown, so I guess I have to grit my teeth and cut them right back!
Good luck Jo. I'm betting they'll come through it just fine!
Many years ago as a total novice beginner gardener we had some annoying buckthorn bushes/trees in our yard. I took them out and then went after what I thought was another weedbush. I cut it to just above the ground with the intent to take it out completely. Little did I know was that it was a lilac bush ! I left it alone and it has recovered magnificently. By trying to kill it I actually did it a favor. Dumb luck.
Lol. Good reason not to be shy with the pruning: some old shrubs love the chance to redirect to fresh growth.
Which video did you cut the large pink roses in?
czcams.com/video/ZZd5c-UI1aU/video.html
I prune a vigorous climbing rose hard every year and by the end of the growing season it is 8’ in all directions. This year I went in harder still, but I expect it to be up to its tricks again; it has already started shooting. Summer jasmine, don’t prune - I ruined it!
Thanks for the tip about summer jasmine!
Hi I think you're from the states but sure where. Here in Oregon we have the Rhododendron Parade yearly in late May. It's most often called the Rhodie Fest, celebrating the Perennial wildflower but have never heard it called a Rhodo as you said in this video. But hey it doesn't really matter, it just reminded me of...... *Tom Ate Toe* or *Tom Aught Tow* ......kind of funny to see it spelled out to accentuate the syllables as in *Road O* or *Road EEE,* yet not quite the wistful pronunciation as tomato but still funny : D : D : D
Maybe it's a Canadian thing (or maybe it's just my own quirk!)
How do I correct bad pruning, one side of my rose tree and rose bush don’t have anything?
I wish I had a better solution, but the rose is going to have to do the work. If you've had a heavy pruning, hopefully it will encourage some strong new growth to help rebuild the structure. Don't go overboard, but you can support this growth with a balanced application of fertilizer and consistent watering through the season.
On topic - great video. I recently cut down my neighbor's Knockout and it's coming back nicely. You're absolutely right about cutting heavily pruning roses. I'd even argue for doing that during the growing season. It's essentially staging, which I know you've covered already. Have you ever staged multiple times per season? How many flushes did you get? Great video!
Not really related, but it's always interesting to see folks with large gardens and how they choose to arrange them. I only have a half acre. It's hilly, and partially wooded. I have no clue how to design around that. I'd love to see your take on that.
Thanks Derek. It depends on the plant. I can get a Salvia to flush 3 times a season if I'm prompt in my pruning. I'll have to give some thought to garden design for larger spaced - it's been an adjustment for me. In my previous (small) garden, I could collect small plants. Now I need to focus on bolder plants and larger plantings, and lots of repeating patterns.
We are having our house painted, and we have some tall roses climbing up the house walls. So that the walls can be painted, we reluctantly need to hard prune them down a lot during the summer, Is hard pruning during the summer OK to do? BTW, I'm in the UK. Thanks for your help!
On a vigorous and well-established rose I bet they'll recover fine. Mine sure did.
Hi Jason, I live in Ireland and my rose bushes are 25 years old. My problem is they have become very leggy and all the buds appear to be near the tops of the canes. In fact I cannot see any buds below about a meter and a half. Some years ago I was advised to cut back all the canes to about two inches above ground level, to encourage lower growth, but lost 6 bushes out of eight. Any advise?
Hi Patrick. Two inches seems a bit extreme. With unpruned roses that old, I'd probably prune in stages. First, down to a meter - don't worry, I'll bet there are plenty of dormant buds below this point. When the roses have recovered, you might consider an even lower prune the following year.
Hi Jason I have a rose called Graham Thomas yellow flowers question how and when do I prune I know it's late but thinking of septer on March 2021any help Please thanks for your time 🌹🌹👍👍👍
I planted 2 knockout roses last summer. One of them was cut to ground level by heavy snow. I thought I might have to replace it. Now it grew back bigger and with more blooms than the one that was not cut down. I was shocked and very happy. You are so right! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and experience :)
I decided to put some weed blocker in my roses to prevent weeds from coming back. Will you say weed blocker fabric is better than rocks or mulch as weeds prevention and to provide root protection?
Hi Marcy - there's no question that the fabric can do a good job of weed control. Myself, I prefer a wood chip or other organic mulch because it improves the soil over time and helps to retain moisture.
Fraser Valley Rose Farm Awesome, Thank you!
Jason how is the apple tree doing now that had a heavy prune because of bad leaning? Please update. Thanks!
Here's a follow-up I did the following year: czcams.com/video/LyqvF506rck/video.html It's continued to thrive since then, and it's now the nicest shaped tree in my little "orchard"
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm that video is 2 years old. Thanks but I've seen that one. How does it look now in 2022
Hi thanks for the video. When is the best time to prune roses I’m from New York
Hi Alma - early spring is probably the best
Thanks 🙏🏼 you’re the best
Just wondering why your cuts are not on an angle but straight?
Thanks BarbaraAnne. It's a matter of preference. I've never been too convinced of the value of sloping my cuts. I've heard advice advocating an angled cut to prevent water from "pooling" too long on the cut (?). It doesn't seem to make a difference on my roses - even in my wet climate. Sloping the cut would create a larger surface area, and is also a little more awkward on thick stems, so I don't bother.
Hi Jason, some of my roses are getting too high for some reason, how do you suggest I should prune it . I live in London/uk
There's still a good season ahead of you - so I'd say go ahead now with a structural prune to improve the shape as needed and bring down the height. Depends a bit on how brave you're willing to be. If the roses are in good health, you can go fairly low (even to around 2' from the ground). Alternately, you can be a little more cautious this year and then go with a deeper prune next spring.
Fraser Valley Rose Farm thank you so much 🌹
Are you planting inside the tires just to keep the grass out? Are there other benefits?
Turns out to have a few other benefits. Yes the main thing is to keep the grass out, and to protect the roses from the mowers. The tires also turn out to be a nice way to apply water/mulch/fertilizer in a targeted way, and the extra layer of protection seems to keep the sun off the base of the plants. They're holding moisture nicely (in our current heat wave)
My sister has some trees that keep coming back lol. Japanese maple and some sort of tree with colorful bark. Had to put stump killer on them. The maple keeps throwing pups(?) I'm not sure what you call it in normal trees
Why are you trying to kill your sisters trees? Japanese maples are not inexpensive and colorful bark is probably not cheap either.
You should replant and sell the maples lol
@@y0nd3r they were planted too close to her foundation and she asked me to. Who tf just goes out killing trees for no reason lol
I'm recovering from my first prune finally. I'm recovering from the stress of pruning in winter and fearing I just killed my first owned roses bushes. Shortly in going to take a discriminating look the the new shoots in hopes of directing the plants energy. Any suggestions or previous videos I could reference?
I'm glad they're pulling through (and you too!). My only suggestion, depending on how many new shoots you see coming, is that you can pinch off excess new shoots that would clog up the center of the shrub as they grow in.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Great! Thanks for all your help. I'm a truck driver. I only get to the house every 3 to 4 weeks. I really look forward to seeing how they've progressed from my last efforts. I'm sort of a time lapse gardener I guess... 🙏♥️
Re your 8 ft Knockout. I moved to new home with two huge roses, thought they were Knockouts but they grew to over 10 feet tall. Had all characteristics of Knockouts except the height. Is this normal? The rose in this video looks very much like mine. From warmish red to cool red and god awful thorns. What kind is it?
I wouldn't hesitate to think they're Knock Outs - quite a vigorous rose, and that height isn't out of the question
Hi what is the best time for pruning in London
Early spring is best - my climate is not too different, and I begin in February
Jason, how do you sanitize your tools?
Lysol will work. I usually use a product called Virkon
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Thanks Jason for your prompt reply, I am in Australia, haven't seen Virkon but I'll look out for Lysol. Really enjoy your videos, keep up the good work.
When can I do a heavy pruning on a climbing rose?
I live in NW Oregon.
Hi Susan. Spring may be best, but you can probably get away with something moderately heavy even up to July with little risk in your climate.
Fraser Valley Rose Farm Thank you. I love your videos.
are sumacs in the type of trees/shrubs that benefit from a hard prune?
Hi Laura - they'll accept a hard prune in early spring, but I don't routinely do that to mine because I like the more mature form.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm thanks! Mine was growing very nicely. But we went away for the week to visit family, and when we got back out sumac tree had the main branch all dried and the leaves were shriveled. It was very strange. So I’m planning on pruning that branch back, not a lot, but just enough to encourage new growth.
Could I please get the name of the nice yellow rose behind you at the beginning of your video :-) ?
Hi inge - from the time of year, I'm pretty sure that was 'Hazeldean'
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Thanks :D !!
How do you get so many flowers on a rose bush??? There's no video about that
Thanks - I'll see if I can whip up a video on the topic, but here's the basic story: most modern hybrids are programmed to bloom strongly as soon as they've established strong roots and have favorable conditions. So my first question is always about history: how long has the rose been in place, and has it flowered well previously? If it's just newly establishing, and you think it's in a good site, I urge patience. If it's long-established then you really have to look at growing conditions. Soil, sun, heat, humidity, disease pressure. Then growing practices: pruning, fertilizing, watering. I do have individual videos on many of these topics, but I'm afraid there's no single thing that's the "trick" to getting more flowers.
Did the roses bloom last year after the heavy pruning?
Sure did!
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm ok, thanks for the excellent tutorial!
Hi, Jason...I was wondering if you or any one here have or ever had plants right under the roof drip lines. I have 2 rose bushes along the side of my house and every time it rains the soil around the rose's trunk is disturbed and the roots get exposed. When the soil is "workable" I have to put the soil back around the bushes where it is meant to be. That issue is not fun anymore :-), I was thinking maybe placing big rocks on top of the soil or on top of the mulch might help keep the soil in its place, what kind of cons should I expect from using rocks on top of mulch?. My other option is to transplant those roses :-/.....your help and suggestions are greatly appreciated :-)
Hi Marcy - I wonder if it might be easier to redirect the water in some way. I once saw someone using a rain "chain" to lessen the impact of the splashing water, but there may be a way to redirect some of that dripline water to you gutters/downspouts.
@@FraserValleyRoseFarm Thank you very much. You're right, I think gutters is the best option. At this point I only have gutters along the garage door, but I think is worth adding gutters to the side of the house where I have the roses to avoid further damage to the plants. Thank you for your help!! :-)
In England quite a lot of research has been done on pruning roses particularly by the Royal horticultural society and by large stately homes which have gardens open to the public and it was shown to be the case that a bed of Roses could be cut with a chainsaw and the result in the summer would be at least as good as roses which were pruned individually and carefully with secateurs. Yew trees of course can be cut right back to the main trunk of the tree, and as long as only one side is done and the other left in leaf then the hedge will regrow beautifully. Some very famous English hedges have been managed in this way in fact for hundreds of years and those hedges still look wonderful and are extremely healthy examples which can be seen if you google Powis Castle (which is actually a Welsh castle)www.flickr.com/photos/ramson/5110411340/
i.pinimg.com/originals/67/c7/3a/67c73aeede2831bdd4945c5d25720387.jpg
Thanks Jane. The regenerative power of a well established and healthy shrub or tree can be astounding. In many countries (not so much in my area) people manage trees with coppicing or stooling cuts. There are times when it can lead to a pretty unattractive habit but for hedges or roses pruned low it can be attractive and a great time saver.
Add figs to that list.
Thanks!
Is it not a rule of thumb an apple tree has 5 branches? There again I guess you can do anything to a tree.
Seems like it - I've seen all kinds of interesting training techniques on fruit trees. This one is coming back nicely now, but it'll still be a year or two I think before I see fruit on this new wood.
My roses get shorter over the years
They're not supposed to grow downward! :-) But seriously. if your roses are happy with their conditions, you should have to prune to keep them from overgrowing. Have a look at you sun exposure, soil, watering, fertilizer and see if there's something that needs improvement