Here is a short discussion on how to prune roses! We give some gardening advice for taking care of weeds and lastly, there are useful garden design ideas.
How to prune roses!
Towards the beginning of spring, everybody wants to get their hands dirty and do something in their garden.
Most gardens have at least one or two roses in them and often the question asked is how do I go about pruning my roses? The good thing is that you can’t actually kill a rose by incorrect pruning. First, start by establishing what kind of rose you have. Is it a Ground Cover, Climber, Bush Rose or Standard Rose (normally on a single stem about a meter above the ground)?
- The ground cover and climber are pruned on the same principles. Prune very lightly by removing only about 20% of the plant. Establish the main branches and clean them off by cutting away the smaller side shoots.
- With bush roses, you actually need to remove up to 80% of the plant mass. Here you need to cut the plant down to about 40cm above ground level, establish three or four main branches and remove the rest completely. Remember that your main branches should have ample space between them to allow the plant to branch and develop and they should be more or less equal in size. On each branch, the next node should be facing outwards to ensure more light to the centre of the plant.
- With standard roses, you will be removing about 40% of the plant. Here you need to look at about 8 well-spaced new main branches and remove the rest. All the smaller side branches must be removed.
Remember, when pruning your roses you must always remove all dead wood, remove all the leaves and prevent crossing and rubbing branches. Give a quick clean cut close to the stem and don’t leave small twigs. Spray the pruned roses with Lime Sulphur(Which smells Disgusting but get rid of all fungi and insects) and feed your roses with 3:2:1. At the end of September, you can feed them again with an 8:1:5 or an organic 3:1:5.
Weeds in the garden?
Now is also the time of ensuring a weed-free garden. The first seed that germinates after winter is normally quick growing and quick seeding weeds. If you are able to control them early in the season, you will have half the amount of headaches during the rest of the season.
Garden design!
It is a good time to re-design sections in your garden which is dull and unattractive. Make use of pots on patios, pots in the garden, water features and very important, focal points. Your focal points must be placed strategically close to your entrance and/or entertainment areas. Don’t use a water feature that is very noisy too close to your entertainment area to prevent noise irritation. Remember, one impressive focal point means more than 10 smaller ones.
JJ van Rensburg,
Landscape Designer
Garden World
