How to grow roses that make the cut

STEVE KAWARATANI

“Why is it no one ever sent me... one perfect rose?”

--Dorothy Parker

“The essence of romantic love is the never-ending, wonderful

beginning...”

--with apologies to

Anita Brookner

The quest for perfect roses in your garden begins with the major

rose-pruning events that occur during the summer, like

flower-cutting, deadheading, grooming and disbudding.

Although the initial cost may seem a bit extravagant, I absolutely

recommend the Felco line of pruning shears. Not only are they the

finest available, one pair will last a lifetime. Catharine has used

her same pair of Felco #4’s for well over a decade, changing only its

blades after they have worn out.

Cutting flowers is probably the most enjoyable summer pruning job.

After all, many of us grow roses so they may be appreciated indoors.

Those flowers that don’t make it indoors should be deadheaded. Remove

flowers as soon as they have faded and the petals are about to fall.

It prompts the rose toward developing additional flowers, instead of

ripening seeds.

Catharine asks, “Where should you make the cut when you remove

flowers?” I reply that rose leaves are compound, meaning they are

composed of leaflets, and there is always an odd number of leaflets

to one leaf. The general rule is to cut just above an outward facing

leaf with 5 leaflets. Cut higher at a 3-leaf set and the subsequent

growth will be weaker and produce smaller flowers. And if you cut

lower at a 7-leaf set, you’ll be removing a lot of stem.

Cutting at the proper 5-leaflet site will be about halfway down

the flower stem. At this point the rose will have the optimum

strength to develop its best flower and remain attractively bushy.

Take the opportunity to remove unwanted growth from dieback (stems

which die in a downward direction from improper pruning) and blind

growth (stems which continue to develop without producing buds).

Many rosarians recommend grooming on a constant basis during

summer pruning. Grooming consists of removing all yellow leaves and

spindly growth from a rose. Clean up any fallen flower petals and

foliage from the ground to minimize future insect and disease

problems.

Disbudding is the way to develop full-sized flowers, one to a

stem, from roses that usually flower in clusters.

Some of the grandiflora and hybrid teas produce large flowers in

such tight clusters that none can open properly. This can be avoided

by removing side buds from the dominant, central bud.

I recall my first date with Catharine. I wondered, should I buy a

rose from the Black Iris, take gummy bears, or simply show up

empty-handed? With little time remaining, I spotted its perfect form

on my deck: an Angel Face, soft and mauve, possessing a delightful

fragrance, but not too sweet. My hand lovingly guided my Felco

pruners and I made my way to Catharine’s home with a single rose (she

was promptly 45 minutes late).

The rest, as they say, is history. See you next time.

* Steve Kawaratani can be reached at Landscapes by Laguna Nursery,

1278 Glenneyre #49, Laguna Beach, CA 92651; phone (949) 497-2438; fax

(949) 494-9327.