<p class="Body" style="line-height: 150%;"><strong style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">How to prune roses</span></strong></p> <p class="Body" style="line-height: 150%;"><em><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Friends of the Rose Garden Chairperson Del Matthews, provides us with tips and hints on how to prune roses.</span></em></p> <p class="Body" style="line-height: 150%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Modern hybrid tea and floribunda roses flower continually for six months of the year. To get the maximum flowering you should dead-head regularly, as the flowers finish. Cut the dead flower down the stem as if picking it to put in a vase and cut 5mm above a five-leaf junction.</span></p> <p class="Body" style="line-height: 150%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> </span></p> <p class="Body" style="line-height: 150%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">The rose bush goes dormant in winter and this is the ideal time to prune. Don’t be afraid of pruning! Any pruning is better than none. </span></p> <p class="Body" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><!-- [if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Use sharp, clean secateurs</span></p> <p class="Body" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><!-- [if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Clear away mulch from around the rose base and remove diseased leaves from the ground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p> <p class="Body" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><!-- [if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Prune by the five Ds: remove all dead, dying, diseased, damaged and diddly wood.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p> <p class="Body" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><!-- [if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Cut back hybrid teas and floribunda bushes by about one-third to one-half.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p> <p class="Body" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><!-- [if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Don’t squash the stems or leave stubs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p> <p class="Body" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><!-- [if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Make a clean cut 5mm above an eye (find an outward facing eye if you can).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p> <p class="Body" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><!-- [if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Remove any inward growing, cross-over or rubbing branches. </span></p> <p class="Body" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><!-- [if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Protect the fresh green and red stems. </span></p> <p class="Body" style="margin-left: 36.0pt; text-indent: -18.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1;"><!-- [if !supportLists]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: Symbol; mso-fareast-font-family: Symbol; mso-bidi-font-family: Symbol;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;">·<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';"> </span></span></span><!--[endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Remove the old grey wood. </span></p> <p class="Body" style="line-height: 150%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> </span></p> <p class="Body" style="line-height: 150%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Often you are left with five or six strong young stems. This enables next season’s new growth to burst forth and in a short time the cycle of flowering starts again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></p> <p class="Body" style="line-height: 150%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> </span></p> <p class="Body" style="line-height: 150%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Pruning of old fashioned and climbing roses is a different world. For more information on this, visit the Morwell Centenary Rose Garden any Tuesday morning for a demonstration. </span></p> <p class="Body" style="line-height: 150%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';"> </span></p> <p class="Body" style="line-height: 150%;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%; font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif';">Happy pruning!</span></p>