A few people asked for an update to my post on
winter pruning my climbing polyantha, Cécile Brunner. Well, its spring display has come and gone....
.... and I enjoyed a profusion of lovely blush pink blooms.
Still, I can't say I am happy. I remember being surprised in winter by the flexibility of its old, thick woody canes. It should have occurred to me (but didn't) that these long canes, weighed down in spring by lots of blooms and new growth, would bend down even more, and end up exactly where I didn't want them: in the lawn.
I thought I had pruned the rose too much, but as it turned out, I didn't prune it hard enough :(.
Another problem is Cécile's aggressive growth. The rose puts out many long canes even before most of its flower clusters are fully open, and by the time the bloom peaks, the flowers are half covered by new leafy branches. It happens every year, whether the rose is pruned or not. My plant, put in by the previous owners of the house, is grafted on Dr. Huey, which probably contributes somewhat to its rampant growth, although the rose is so vigorous that I am not sure it makes much of a difference.
I am beginning to think that containing Cécile's exuberance is a year-round project and I might have to reduce it in size a little more to make the maintenance easier. I wonder if I can do it and still preserve at least some of its graceful weeping shape. Perhaps, it will be this year's challenge:).
