Inherited some Neglected Shrubs, advice needed please

Please help me oh wise Gardening people, you're my only hope.

I want to return some vigour and symmetry to a bunch of neglected plants in my front garden. The pics are below of each one.

This rose is suffering blackspot. I intend to carefully collect all the infected leaves and cut the stems that seem worse affected with such leaves:


I don't know the name of this shrub but it blooms very nicely. I think just routine pruning to keep the shape is required?:


This shrub is very spindly and leggy with dry wood near the roots:




The one next to it has a cross-cross of branches in the centre and rather "leggy" trunk:




Theres also a bunch of un-attractive roses below these shrubs. What can I do about these?:



Lastly theres another one that seems to look "ok" but maybe could benefit from the tired looking branches to be cut away?:



If anyone can supply the correct names of these shrubs then I would be grateful. I have supplied some photos of leaf shapes or flowers to help identify them.

I want to get into this Gardenning vibe a bit more but I worried about doing more harm than good.

I bought a book called 'The Graden Revival Expert' by Dr D G Hessayon to help me. It is well illustrated buy it warns that one can easily do more harm than good by over-active pruning.

Any advice on what I should be doing, when and/or a shopping list of stuff would be appreciated.

Thank you

 

The last one looks like an azalea, and the white flower looks like a viburnum. The straggly rose might be a climber or a rose which has reverted to a wild form- I'd say wait and see.
The spindly leggy one could be forsythia, in which case it will flower soon, or maybe weigela.
Pete's the expert!

 

You've certainly inherited a lot there! And welcome, btw! :D

You're doing the right thing about your rose, re blackspot. If you don't want to be green, there are chemicals you can use - but I don't.

Re pruning, the advised time is Feb/March, just before the buds start. With the first pic, which looks in a very sorry state, I'd prune then down to about a third of the current height, pruning to an outward-facing bud - I'm sure the expert books shows the correct way to cut - but if not, here's a link
http://ars.org/About_Roses/pruning-basics.htm

If you cut the two stems down so that they're a similar length, they'll grow fairly evenly. Plants react to hard cutting back by growing vigorously, so by doing this, you should be stimulating good new growth.

The second photo looks like a dog-wood. If it is, you can prune it back quite low. What do others think? Is it a dog-wood?

The third photo (and fourth - it is the same plant, isn't it?), I can't be sure of what it is..... maybe a philadelphus? Really not sure - as when I look at the 5th one, I feel that maybe that's a philadelphus - my brain has gone numb, sorry!

To go on to the last ones, the rose - yes, cut out the dead wood any time you like, and reduce it by a third now, to avoid wind-rock, and in Feb/March you can prune it further if you want to. (The first one shouldn't have a wind-rock prob, as it appears to be a climber against a wall. If so, it could do with some support being provided for new growth next year.

The last photo is a rhododendron or azalea - not sure which. Its problem, and reason for being so spindly is that it's an acid lover, and you've probably got alkaline or neutral soil. If you prune it back to a nice natural looking shape (always remembering, cut to an outward facing bud), reducing it by about a third again, give it some ericaceous compost and feed it with ericaceous food, it could perk up. Again - leave the pruning until the spring.

Well - that's my opinion - wonder if anyone else has posted while I was writing this screed? :rolleyes:

 

I agree with Dendy that the third looks like a philadelphus - you can prune that for shape - but I have a feeling it flowers on last years growth, so be careful if so - otherwise you'll lose the flowers for this year.

The last I would guess to be a rather unhappy rhodie. Looks like one I have thats struggling a bit. It may be a bit late for spring flowers - but give a good feed with miracid, and keep it up during the rest of the year, watering with rain water. It may recover and show you its worth in 2008 - if not, get rid of it.

I agree with Dendy on the roses -your doing the right thing with the climber - and the other one looks like it too needs some good feeding. Roses are hungry feeders, and that one looks starved. Cut out the dead wood, and prune to shape at the end of February.

 

The 'pink' flower looks like Viburnum (can't remember the name but the flowers are sweet scented. The 3/4th plan/s could also be Weigelia? although Philadelphus looks a good bet. The last one I agree probably Rhododendron which could be very slow to try a recovery job - wait until they have flowered and then buy one in the sales would be my suggestion.

 

Hi all,

The 3/4th pictures look like my weigelias at this time of year. I had some dry rot at the bottom of one of them last year, pruned it right back and dug it out and it seems fine now. In fact it grew so big over the summer, I've cut it back again!

The last one does look like an unhappy rhodie. Not sure what kind of soil you have, but as has been mentioned, it needs a good acidic feed. Another way, depending on size, is to move it to a container where the erecacious compost can be used to the full. I got some slow release rhodie food pellets last year which may also help..