Old rose pruning or support

Question

My Duchesse d’Angouleme is about to bloom. It said not to prune old roses except very little so I didn’t in winter, but her stems are so thin, she is sprawling all over the place, hanging over other flowers . What do I do ?

Answer 1

I would wait until she has bloomed and then do a shaping pruning. If such pruning is not done a beautiful rose can become an out of control monster. Shaping pruning can be as severe as you need it to be to regain control and to thus train her into what growing habit you prefer for her. Letting such roses go for even one season can lead to some serious work needed to control the growth habit and patterns.