→ View All
REI Union Chicago Workers Walk Out on ULP Strike
REI UNION CHICAGO WORKERS WALK OUT ON ULP STRIKE & RALLY WITH LABOR GROUPS & CO-OP MEMBERS OUTSIDE LINCOLN PARK STORE DEMANDING THAT REI REACH A UNION CONTRACT BY END OF 2024 AMID COMPANY’...
Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Stewardship
Listed under: Environment Parks & Recreation
Groundcover roses benefit from annual pruning (but don't need much)
Question: Do you have specific recommendations for pruning back carpet roses? I’m usually pretty indiscriminate and just cutting it down to a cane length of about 12 inches. Again, pretty indiscriminate. Should I get in there and cut away individual canes, even if they’re not dead and brown? Other advice?
--Brian Hudson
Answer: Carpet and landscape roses are very forgiving. They can be pruned with a hedge trimmer because the nodes (where the leaves attach to the canes) are so close together. But they appreciate some TLC and will bloom more with thoughtful pruning.
Carpet roses get their nickname from the brand name, Flower Carpet. Several “groundcover roses” are marketed under that label, all by color: Scarlet, Coral, Pink, Red, White, Yellow, Amber (a glowing yellow-orange) plus the more evocative shades of Appleblossom, Pink Splash and Pink Supreme.
Originally hybridized in Germany, Flower Carpet roses are best sellers worldwide, with an estimated 50 million sold annually. Introduced in 1992, Flower Carpet Pink was the first of this series to be grown in the U.S. and is still the most popular.
Marketed as super easy-care, carpet roses need little maintenance other than annual pruning. They’re “self cleaning,” which means spent flowers drop off by themselves – no need for deadheading. They’re highly resistant to fungal diseases, bloom profusely from spring to fall and take less water than lawn. Another plus: They can tolerate air pollution from car exhaust, making them a good choice for parking lots and street landscaping.
As their name implies, groundcover roses grow low with a trailing habit, staying under 24 inches tall. While staying low, they can spread 6 feet wide. That trailing habit also makes them attractive in pots or hanging containers, or along walls where they can drape over the edge.
I prune my landscape roses to 15-18 inches tall; they don't need much, height-wise. The question is width; sometimes, canes can invade other plants’ space so their spread needs to be tamed.
I take out any dead wood plus crossing canes in the center of the plant to improve air circulation (which cuts down on any fungal growth). They tend to get really dense with canes if you don't take some out. Ideally, leave five to seven canes for these roses. (More is OK, too.)
Strip off any remaining leaves; they can contain fungal spores that will infect the new growth.
After pruning, give these roses new mulch, but hold off on fertilizer until late February.
Comments
An article about gardening.
Sacramento Digs Gardening to your inbox.
Taste Spring! E-cookbook
Find our spring recipes here!
Local News
Thanks to our sponsor!
Sites We Like
Garden Checklist for week of May 19
Temperatures will be a bit higher than normal in the afternoons this week. Take care of chores early in the day – then enjoy the afternoon. It’s time to smell the roses.
* Plant, plant, plant! It’s prime planting season in the Sacramento area. If you haven’t already, it’s time to set out those tomato transplants along with peppers and eggplants. Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.
* Direct-seed melons, cucumbers, summer squash, corn, radishes, pumpkins and annual herbs such as basil.
* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.
* In the flower garden, direct-seed sunflowers, cosmos, salvia, zinnias, marigolds, celosia and asters.
* Plant dahlia tubers. Other perennials to set out include verbena, coreopsis, coneflower and astilbe.
* Transplant petunias, marigolds and perennial flowers such as astilbe, columbine, coneflowers, coreopsis, dahlias, rudbeckia and verbena.
* Keep an eye out for slugs, snails, earwigs and aphids that want to dine on tender new growth.
* Feed summer bloomers with a balanced fertilizer.
* For continued bloom, cut off spent flowers on roses as well as other flowering plants.
* Don’t forget to water. Seedlings need moisture. Deep watering will help build strong roots and healthy plants.
* Add mulch to the garden to help keep that precious water from evaporating. Mulch also cuts down on weeds. But don’t let it mound around the stems or trunks of trees or shrubs. Leave about a 6-inch to 1-foot circle to avoid crown rot or other problems.
Taste Summer! E-cookbook
Find our summer recipes here!
Taste Fall! E-cookbook
Find our fall recipes here!
Taste Winter! E-cookbook
Find our winter recipes here!
You are subscribed!
Look for our confirmation message in your email inbox.
And look for our newsletter every Monday morning. See you then!
You're already subscribed
It looks like you're already subscribed to the newsletter. Not seeing it in the email inbox of the address you submitted? Be sure to check your spam folder or promotions folder (Gmail) in case your email provider diverted it there.
There was a problem with the submitted email address.
We can't subscribe you with the submitted email address. Please try another.