Care of climbing rose: new dawn

Question

I have a new dawn climbing rose that I procrastinated managing this spring. I still have not done anything with it and it is the 19th of July. There are dead canes and thin, straggly canes. We have also had quite an over abundance of rain since spring. I was thinking of letting it be until late fall and then just cutting it all back. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thank you.

Answer 1

Feed the bush if you haven’t already done so recently. More importantly, you must prune out dead (brown-black) wood. It is a source for disease and pest entry. Cut back as far as you need to in order to have canes where the center (pith) is white. Dead, diseased, damaged and dying canes should be removed asap regardless of the time of year. Make sure the rose is watered all the way through fall if rain is insufficient so that it goes into dormancy well-hydrated. Here is an article on how to prune climbing roses. https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/flowers/roses/pruning-climbing-roses.htm