Question:
Many years ago we planted a climbing rose on the south side of the house. It’s been somewhat neglected; so it is two-story high, very woody and doesn’t bloom on the lower half. Can I prune it severely to bush it out and when is the best time to do so?Answer:
- Sure you can prune climbing roses severely just like a bush rose.
- The primary season to prune it would be now through the end of February. However, most gardeners would wait until January to start their pruning as the holidays get in the way.
- Before pruning a climbing rose you should try to determine whether it is a Hybrid Tea, Grandiflora or Floribunda type rose. With Hybrid Teas and Grandiflora, the flowers bloom on the second year wood so heavy pruning will prevent it from blooming next year. This is typical of those varieties introduced and planted in the last century.
- The newer Hybrid Teas and Grandiflora will bloom on the old and new wood so heavy pruning will not cause you to miss a flowering cycle. Floribunda type climbers bloom on the first year wood so heavy pruning shouldn’t affect it as much. Hybrid Teas and Grandiflora type roses have large flowers while the floribunda flowers are much smaller, about the size of a fifty-cent piece.
- Another option is not pruning it and instead plant another climber at the base to fill in the blank area. At one time this was taboo but not today. One other point the new vine doesn’t have to be a rose. It could be a Clematis, Honeysuckle or Trumpet Vine.
Question:
I transplanted a small tree peony into a three-gallon ceramic container this spring. I added plenty of peat moss to the planting mix to keep it acidic, along with Osmocote fertilizer and covered about an inch of the stem. It was kept outside in partial shade and the soil was constantly moist. Other than some leaf edge burn on a few the leaves, there are absolutely no signs of any growth. What’s up?Answer:
- Sorry to be critical. but you have broken one of the cardinal rules of gardening by planting a plant deeper than it was intended.
- Plants growing in a container has an established planting depth. The original root ball should be at the soil surface. You can correct this problem by replanting the peony and remove the excess soil down to the original root ball. Another option is to scope out the excess soil in the existing container. I don’t know if it will survive.
- The growing season is over for this year. If it hasn’t leafed out by May or June. you’ll need to replace it.