d’Orleans this is the rose growing on the Arches over some of the paths. They are always a show stopper and one of the most photographed roses in the garden. Here is a beautiful photo of her in full bloom.
Here at Mottisfont we don't prune these roses every year, in fact they only get pruned once every 4 or 5 years, this is because they like to grow into what you would describe as a big tangled mess. As a result of this they flower profusely and look absolutely stunning. However letting them grow like this means that pruning them turns into quite a difficult task and honestly there isn't an easy way to do it, you have to just get stuck in and go for it. I can tell you from lots of personal experience that it is one of the most painful jobs there is. As well as having lovely flowers this rose also has a great deal of big and seriously sharp prickles that just love to hook into your skin, get caught in your hair, scratch, tear and generally cause a lot of pain. ( I should mention here that the term 'prickles' is the botanically correct word for thorns.)
Pictured above is the rose before pruning starts. The main aim behind this task is to remove as much of the old, flowered wood as possible and to tie in the new growth in its place. The important thing to remember when growing this rose like this is to leave in some wood that is a couple of seasons old as this will have produced some really strong new shoots which will be beneficial for covering the top of the arch.
Here you can see Kat and Matt painstakingly taking the rose off of the arch and pruning out the oldest wood. I realise that it's probably quite hard to see in the photo, but the eagle eyed among you will notice that both of them are wearing gauntlet gloves designed for handling rolls of barbed wire!
The finished article is something that looks a bit too drastic when compared with how it started, but don't worry it will soon grow on and cover the entire arch once again. The first years flowers wont be particularly impressive but within no time at all it will be back to its former glory. I'm just thankful that it doesn't have to be done for another 5 years!
Look after yourselves, love your garden and check next week for a new post.
That's astonishing! I'll stop complaining about having to prune my tiny, windowsill rose now :)
ReplyDeleteGauntlet gloves, yes, but aren't they in shorts and short sleeves? Writing from experience, should be hard hats too!,
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Such a pretty rose, have been wondering about getting one. But I understand it's once-flowering - which means Spring only here in Adelaide, Australia; not so good with only a tiny garden. Does it set hips for you at all?
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Is there a way I can sontact you Johnny to ask some questions about the roses in the garden? I met you in 2014 at the HRF conference. Please advise, Thanks, pam Greenewald
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