Rose species that bloom several times require a caring cut in the summer, immediately after the first flowering. In the article we will tell you what advantages this summer pruning brings to roses, what exactly should be taken into account and how to care for your ground cover, standard and shrub roses. We also explain which types of roses do not require pruning in summer.
Summer pruning for roses: The right time is after the first flowering
Summer pruning of roses is usually done in June, after the first bloom. All types of roses that bloom more frequently are cutunique blooming climbing roses. This care measure is intended to promote renewed sprouting and flower formation. In addition, the plants have enough time until October to recover from this summer cut. The new shoots will also have matured sufficiently by then and can then easily withstand frost, wind and snow in winter. In addition, dead flowers are an entry point for various diseases and must therefore be removed as quickly as possible.
For shrub roses and standard roses, summer pruning can also be used to regulate the height and shape of the tree.
Cut roses radically in summer: recommended in cases of prolonged heat and fungal diseases
Radical pruning in summer is recommended in two cases: if the summer is extremely hot and dry and if the rose is infected with fungi.
In high temperatures and drought, rose plants often suffer from heat stress. After a severe pruning, the plant can recover better and allow more time to sprout again. The roses that are cut back in June sprout more slowly and only begin to produce flowers after the heat wave has passed. However, the flowers remain until the permanent frost in late autumn.
Heat stress makes the rose more susceptible to fungal diseases. If it is infected, pruning can prevent the disease from spreading and the rose can recover well. First, ailing shoots and yellow leaves with brown spots are the first to be removed, collected and disposed of with household waste. This is an important preventive measure because roses often fall victim to fungal diseases in summer. If the affected plant parts are left on the ground or end up in the compost heap, the disease can spread in the garden and attack other roses or plants.
How to properly cut the different types of roses in summer
The different classes of roses are cared for differently in summer. Some come without ita care cutThat's right, with others only the dead flowers are removed and others need a strong topiary. However, they all have one thing in common: they form wild shoots that should definitely be cut off after the first flowering. These wild shoots can be quickly identified by removing the top layer of soil in the root area. Then you can quickly notice that most of the shoots sprout above the grafting point and only a few sprout below the grafting point. The second are the wild shoots in which the rose tree puts an unnecessary amount of energy. They need to be cut as close to the trunk as possible.
Cut off faded roses
Once flowering, noble roses and wild rose varieties do not need summer pruning. The noble roses are cut back in spring. They bloom on this year's wood, so heavy pruning in spring promotes flower formation. At the same time, frozen plant parts and diseased leaves are removed. In the summer you can regularly cut off the dead flowers - this prevents energy-sapping seed formation and allows the plant to prepare better for the coming winter.
Wild roses and rambler roses do not need summer pruning
For wild roses and rambler roses (not to be confused with climbing roses), pruning can be completely omitted in summer. Even if you remove the dead flowers, a second flowering is not encouraged, because most wild and rambler roses bloom once in June and July. Many varieties of both rose classes also produce rose hips in autumn, which provide food for local garden animals and birds. Therefore, their flowers are not removed - they fall off and this stimulates fruit production in autumn.
Prune the rose tree correctly
Standard roses are an exciting mix of wild roses and another class of roses, which results in the so-called rose tree. Which cutting measures are required depends primarily on which type of rose was placed on the wild rose trunk. Basically, weak shoots are cut back and only the withered shoots are removed from strong shoots. In summer, after the first bloom, you can cut the rose tree into the desired shape.
Summer pruning of ground cover roses
Ground cover roses are among the easiest types of roses to care for. They can get along even without a summer cut. To keep the growth more compact, you can cut it back every three or four years in the summer.
Cut shrub roses in summer
Shrub roses is a collective term for several classes of roses, which primarily refers to their bushy growth. The particular type of rose determines the pruning measures in summer. Basically:
- For roses that bloom once, the flowering period ends in June. Remove the dead and sickly parts of the plant and, if necessary, thin out the shrub rose.
- Roses that bloom more often are shortened by a third after the first flowering has ended. Thin side shoots are removed, healthy side shoots are shortened by 2/3.
- Other,woody main shootsare removed. But there should be at least 3, and preferably 4, main shoots left.
