Hi all, I have a discenta in my front flower bed and this year it has gone crazy. It's overtaking the bed and overshadowing the roses. I like the plant and wouldn't want to hurt it, but what is the best way to go about pruning/downsizing it? cheers
Treat as the herbaceous perennial it is and cut it down after flowering (not a hard cut back, just enough to give the roses a chance)?
I would identify those branches that are causing most blockage to the roses, and see if they have flowers on. If not I would prune enough so that the rose has room to breath. If it has got flowers on, I would wait until they have died, and then prune. It only looks if there are a couple of stems around the back that are causing a problem, and I would remove as little as possible that gives the rose more room In the winter I would consider dividing it into a smaller clump, and this will help with the size of the plant next year. Great specimen, I wish I could have one as good looking as that!
