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Roses blooming now...

wildlife, gardening, environment, Rural living, Pets and Vets
felixcanis
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Roses blooming now...

#274268

Postby felixcanis » December 31st, 2019, 5:24 pm

We have a number of roses - shrub & climbing - that are either in bud or have buds that are beginning to open now.

Is this normal for East Yorkshire? We've only been here a short while, having moved down from Moray, so the growing conditions are a bit different from those we are used to.

I wouldn't usually start to prune until late Feb/March but wonder if I should cut them back a bit now.

Anyone else got roses in bloom?

FelixC

JohnB
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Re: Roses blooming now...

#274276

Postby JohnB » December 31st, 2019, 5:39 pm

A few tiddlers in London. Roses are the kind of thing that appear whenever its mild, like azelas.

bungeejumper
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Re: Roses blooming now...

#274286

Postby bungeejumper » December 31st, 2019, 6:52 pm

Pruning patterns - and timings - vary according to the type of rose in question. Climbers, ramblers**, bush, tea - not to mention the David Austin English roses, which are a bit of everything. They all have their preferences. :| If you happen to know what your roses are, declare it now and we'll take it from there. In case of doubt, though, I'd just leave it till March and enjoy the seasonal blooms.

There are, of course, roses that are designed to flower in December - we have a few in our garden, although all that this under-gardener knows about them is that they're pink!

BJ

**Ramblers don't necessarily need pruning at all, unless you've been bequeathed a Kiftsgate. :lol: (Hyper-thorny, can grow to 60 feet if left to their own devices.) Naah, I thought not......

AsleepInYorkshire
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Re: Roses blooming now...

#274290

Postby AsleepInYorkshire » December 31st, 2019, 6:58 pm

felixcanis wrote:We have a number of roses - shrub & climbing - that are either in bud or have buds that are beginning to open now.

Is this normal for East Yorkshire? We've only been here a short while, having moved down from Moray, so the growing conditions are a bit different from those we are used to.

I wouldn't usually start to prune until late Feb/March but wonder if I should cut them back a bit now.

Anyone else got roses in bloom?

FelixC

Yes. I'm not into roses but in past years the early bulbs have come up "earlier" if it's been this mild.

It's been mild here. There's an irony to EY's climate (especially 'Ull). It's the exact opposite of that in Leeds & Doncaster :roll:

Compared to Moray I'd imagine EY is veritably tropical :lol:

I can't recall when though - about 2012/2013 we had a really bad winter. Worst I've seen in a long time. So, global warming aside, we should be due a bad winter sooner or later :(

AiYn'U (Asleep in Yorkshire near 'Ull :) )

felixcanis
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Re: Roses blooming now...

#274387

Postby felixcanis » January 1st, 2020, 10:54 am

Thanks all - I guess it has been very mild here - a few frosts and a very brief dusting of snow. All the roses are repeat bloomers, I'll leave them to it & give them a prune later in Feb/Mar.

Still getting the garden under control - it had been a bit neglected before we arrived and most of the shrubs and trees have benefited from a good prune, though OH still has to do something about 4 pear trees that are over 30ft tall - he's going to 'trim' them with the chainsaw before Spring.

Re bad winters - we had one in 2010 where the hill was cutoff for a couple of weeks - the snowplough got stuck and had to be rescued by a large digger. Our cattle shed water supply froze and we had to carry water in buckets to the beasts in their shed from the farmhouse. Quite chilly and very hard work.
Although we live at the top of the Wolds now, hopefully it won't get any worse than that.

As AiY says, East Yorkshire is fairly balmy in comparison - though one February we sat outside a pub at Findhorn Bay watching the heat haze rise from the roads.
Happy New Year to all.

FelixC

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Re: Roses blooming now...

#274459

Postby bungeejumper » January 1st, 2020, 3:34 pm

felixcanis wrote:Still getting the garden under control - it had been a bit neglected before we arrived and most of the shrubs and trees have benefited from a good prune, though OH still has to do something about 4 pear trees that are over 30ft tall - he's going to 'trim' them with the chainsaw before Spring.

Remember, lop trees in winter to make them grow back more vigorously, or in summer to stop them from shooting quite so strongly next year. And don't take off more than about 30% of a tree (by "volume") in any one year, or you might overstretch it.

We had 30 foot pear trees in our garden (and apple trees that weren't far short), and it took us three years to get them down to a comfortable 12-15 feet. But even the first year's chop encouraged lower and denser growth, which created the shady arbours we wanted. I find that a really good pruning saw is as quick as any chainsaw - it'll go through an eight inch trunk in 15 minutes or so.

Best advice with any new garden is to try and live with it for a year before you make really major structural changes. What's the prevailing wind direction? Where are the hot spots along the walls? (The cats will find those. :D ) Which bits of ground become waterlogged and are suitable for bog plants? Your first year's observations will tell you.

Have fun!

BJ (40 fruit trees, and counting)

felixcanis
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Re: Roses blooming now...

#274478

Postby felixcanis » January 1st, 2020, 5:42 pm

I find that a really good pruning saw is as quick as any chainsaw - it'll go through an eight inch trunk in 15 minutes or so.


OH has a petrol Husqvarna chainsaw & all the safety kit-(a hangover from previously being farmers)- he can get through trunks of that size in about a minute - provided he has kept the chain sharp...

Take your points about not going too hard on the trees and will do the pruning in stages. And about living with the garden for a year as you never know what's going to spring up. Done some drastic conifer renovation already, but not taken anything out yet as we like the range of plants - just not their size.

FelixC


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