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Mu Mutabilis is actually doing very well for being so young, really blooming well, despite only about 4 hours of sun per day & only 18 months in the ground. However, I am wondering whether to prune it this winter, heavily or lightly, or just leave it as is to continue on its merry way?
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#1 of 2 posted
24 JUL 08 by
 Cass
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Hi, Beth, if it were my plant, I'd use a light hand. I prune nothing but dead wood from mine. Once it is more mature, in four or five years, you can prune to shape as necessary. It's a twiggy thing by nature here in the desert West, where our summers are dry. If we had summer rain, I'd be more comfortable with more pruning. I've seen very mature plants grown as a traffic median strip hedge in Milano. It rains there through the spring and into early summer, so Mutabilis has lots of soil moisture to grow all summer.
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we're lucky here in Johannesburg, South Africa, that winter itself is very dry, needing irrigation, but lots & lots of rain in the summer so I am looking forward to Mutabilis showing her stuff. I love the architecture she shows, with the scattering of delicate flowers even now in midwinter.
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So what am I doing wrong with this rose? It's been in the ground over a year & has sat there doing nothing. All the other roses in the area are doing very well, except this one. Is it a slow starter or just a dud?
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#1 of 2 posted
4 JUN 08 by
jedmar
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No fault of yours. Some of my roses do the same, as if they are blocked in their growth. What helps mostly is to prune them back drastically. It seems they take this as a signal that "it is now or never" and start growing new canes. I gather we are not talking about a large bush.
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Thanks, no, it's not large as yet, being still young, & seems to want to put out some branches & leaves but then just sits there & sulks. Winter pruning is approaching here so I shall indeed go at it in July. I did try pinching it during the summer but nothing, so time for more drastic treatment!
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This is a stunningly joyful rose of many colours...a really great performer, always covered in blooms. So far it's stood up to both a horribly wet summer, causing so many blooms to be just plecchh, & the beating heat of the driveway paving beside which it's planted when it has been hot & sunny at this altitude. It would certainly be suitable for either B.C. or much hotter areas. Nothing seems to faze it...not even the big borehole drilling rig which just ran over half of it this week....up it popped, buds & all, with only a few bruised leaves to show.
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Well, I am not sure where the "28 inches" in height has been defined because mine is pushing almost 5 feet in height & spread, even after cutting back severely after its first flush of blooms! Make sure you give this one room to spread & it will reward you amazingly.
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Thanks for sharing your experience Beth. It would be helpful for our site guests to know a little bit more about you and/or your garden so they can put your posts in perspective - climate, level of experience, etc.
If you click on the green MY HMF navigation menu link you'll find you can now update you registration information to tell us more about yourself. This is optional of course and is purely for letting other site guests know more about you and your garden. Thanks again.
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