To prune, or not to prune, that is the question

The time for yearly rose pruning is quickly approaching, but I am unsure whether I will do it this year. The roses had a pretty tough year, last year and I am thinking that a heavy pruning will only stress them all the more. I am hemming and hawing and looking for more information. Do any of you have an opinion? Drop it in the comments and help me out.

Basically, last year was a very dry year her in LA and none of the roses got the water they needed. I had thought I had lost several plants totally, until the first rains came and they sprang back to life. We are getting decent rain right now, but I need to adjust my watering system and and insure they get enough water throughout the summer. I am also struggling with shade in the back garden.

When we moved in 10 years ago the trees weren't as large, so the back rose beds were still getting a decent amount of sunlight. Now, though, the ash tree has developed a deep canopy that has cut the daily sunlight in half. A good pruning of the tree would help some, but I am also thinking of moving the roses from one bed to the front garden where they would get more light. Then I would replant the current bed with more shade-tolerant plants.

In my last post, I mentioned that the azaleas were not yet blooming. Silly me! Yesterday, while leaving to visit a client I noticed that the large bush right in front the chimney was covered with pink blossoms. I need to get out of the house more. (SMILE)

See also: Previous posts about roses and azaleas
See also: Books about Roses and Books about Azaleas

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