Any idea what the problem is?

I'm involved in a school gardening project and we have 2 of what I think are rambling roses, whilst giving them a prune (I don't have much experience with roses so cut off dead wood and damaged bits)I noticed these problems......Pics attached I hope

They are in flower and look and smell rather nice so I hope it's something we can save.

Thanks

 

It looks like actual physical damage-maybe two stems rubbing cross each other. In which case nothing needed-now that you have pruned them.

 

I only gave them a gentle prune as they were already in flower and they're about 12ft tall so didn't want to kill them as I don't know what I'm doing with roses. so with it being just physical damage how and when do I prune them in the future?

 

Sweetpeas, with rambler roses wait until they have finished flowering then cut out the flowered stems right back to the ground. By that time the rose will have made long new shoots for next year. Tie those shoots in. They're quite a lot of work but they are lovely.

 

From that I think they're climbing, here is a pic of a bud and a rose and from the same plant, The other one is a deep purple with an amazing scent.

A leaf too as I thought I'd better check this out too.

 

That is a gorgeous rose, and from the looks of it, you are lucky enough to have a frame ready made in that fencing.

Actually roses are brilliant flowers because their pruning is pure commonsense. I had a picture once of pruning techniques but I have lost it on one of my many revamps of my pc. I will have a scan around for another one and post it up-although I think there are some here that Woo posted somewhere too.

Like Woo, I too would rmove the damaged cane-if there is a flower at the top of it, it will be haeartbreaking, but it is better for the rose to remove any possible sources of infection.


That one is gorgeous.

 

Thanks claire

It's on school property so big fencing althought will have to butcher the elderberry bush to be able to tie it back.

So should I cut it all back now or leave them to flower? althought they would look rather nice in a vase in my front room.

 

Other than getting rid of the damaged canes, I would let them flower, there is no advantage to pruning them hard back at this stage of the year, you'd lose flowers for no real benefit.