Whats the Right Way to Trim This Big Rose Bush?

Thargor

Well Im not sure it is a rose bush but it gets covered in very rose looking flowers every year anyway.

Basically it had grown to the size of a small tree and was starting to damage the fence in the wind and block the path heading into last Winter so I gave it a heavy strimming back to fence height, probably took off 50% of its mass.

Now though its added huge growth again already but no sign of any flowers except in 1 spot, its just putting out these massive long branches that just keep going with no sign of flowering, it looks tiny in the pic but its a very big bush, its getting back to the point where it will start catching the wind and pulling at the fence and decking again.

Just wondering if I can trim it again now or would that ruin any chance of it flowering this year?

con747

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058355055/whats-the-right-way-to-trim-this-big-rose-bush

It looks like there are 2 different things growing there because the leaves are different. 1 kinda looks like a laurel leaf or something and if it is they can grow rapidly this time of year but I could be totally wrong!

wildwillow

Yes at least two plants if not more. Try to cut everything out except the rose if that’s what you want to keep. Otherwise just cut the whole lot back again and treat it like a mixed hedge.
It will probably take some time for the rose to recover from being crowded if you keep just that plant.
There may be a briar growing there too.

looksee

Bit of a guess, but I'd say there has been a cultivated rose there and it has sent up suckers from below the graft that are very vigorous. I agree that there are several things there, including a briar and something that may be a beech or similar leaf. Even when it does flower I imagine its a very brief flush once in the season, then hips later. Now is exactly the time for dog roses which is what the few flowers look like. I think I would take it out and plant something more suited to the situation.