Queen Elizabeth roses

I had one of these Mel , but it was far too big to bring here! They are lovely though !

I like this one too. One of my neighbours at our previous house had hedges lining both sides of the path to their front door. He used to prune it at different heights so that it was always covered in flowers from head to foot. I have not quite mastered the technique yet on my two plants.

Glad they've recovered for you.

Thanks everyone.

I haven't mastered pruning these, either, Scotsgran. Perhaps I'm a bit timid with them. I see pictures in catalogues that make them seem almost like a hedging rose, but mine have always shot up to the sky! Lovely, though.

I think you must just be ruthless and start by pruning one branch to less than two feet, the next branch at a height of 2'9", then subsequent branches at 9" higher intervals until you reach the height you want the plant to grow to. That way you should get flowers all the way up. I sometimes wonder about those photos in catalogues but my neighbour did achieve the perfect hedge.

I too am very suspicious, Scotsgran. I remember my granny telling me about a neighbour who just took the shears to them every spring, and produced a beautiful double border in her front garden.

She probably talked to them as well Mel. My mother was a wizard when it came to pruning. She was so quick that I never could work out how she did it.

Pruning seems to be one of those skills - people who are good at it do it instinctively.

I shouldn't worry Mel, as I used to give mine a good pruning with it being so big and it still grew and grew ! Hahaa!

Yes, Rose. I think some Queen Elizabeths are very tall by nature. I saw some in an open garden a few years ago that were just the same.

It is a very tall shrub. I had it in the last place but I removed it before I moved as it was in the wrong place. I think you'll have to get really tough with them to keep them low, but it can be done. I was asking about that at Chelsea because they had a 'Rhapsody in Blue' on the Harkness stand that was only about 3' high and I said that mine all head for the sky...the lady said that they always do that and that you just need to cut them hard back if you want them lower.

I though it useful because the books say only to 'trim' shrub roses. They don't tell you that if you cut them hard back it does no harm whatsoever and keeps the shrubs smaller!

No, they don't. I shall bear that in mind - thanks for passing on the info. I've always been rather sorry they are so tall. The thing is, though, that they put on a huge amount of length in one season. I wonder if I cut them back, I would lose the flowers... maybe not, though. What do you think?

I don't think so Melchi, as long as you do the hard cut back in the winter.

I'll try that this winter. If they can survive the battering they got earlier this year, I should think they can survive anything! I got them about 16 years ago as bare-rooted plants from Parker's. They've always done well.