roses

Question

I have a lovely pink rose which flowered so well last year, sadly I left the pruning to a so called expert who pruned it down to 12 inches of stem although, the rose has survived but has long slightly red weedy looking stems above stronger growth, due I prune these.
thank you

Answer 1

I am not sure what type of roses you have, however, in my area the harsh winters make it necessary to prune the rosebushes canes down to about 2 inches above the ground on many of the rosebushes. The red or deep maroon growth you are seeing is most likely the new growth the bush is putting forth that will then turn into strong future canes with buds and blooms upon them. Hopefully the growth you describe is not the Rose Rosette Virus, as that is pretty much a death sentence for the rosebushes effected. We will stay on the positive side though and say that it is just the new growth coming forth. As the new growth ages the canes should become more sturdy looking to the eye and then form buds. For now, I would leave them alone and just water and feed the bushes well.