Rose pruning

brightlights60, Jun 28, 9:32pm
Anyone know what is a good rate? Want to offer a service but not sure what to charge. Do you go by bush, hourly rate? Who has had theirs done? I know its unusual but I enjoy doing them! And have all the gear.

racheal77, Jun 28, 9:53pm
Funny I love pruning them also, usually just do some elderly neighbours how have dozens they cant do so sorry cant help with payment but a good idea.

brightlights60, Jun 28, 10:18pm
I thought I was the only one. Hort tutor thought I was bonkers when I said I liked doing it, always have. Have all the gear now (gauntlets etc) as used to get ripped to shreds!

buddytom, Jun 29, 2:48am
I think an hourly rate is the way to to go, then everyone is happy .

antoniab, Jun 29, 5:53pm
I love it too - hanging out to do mine but still too warm here.

I used to prune the roses at the Imperial War Museum in London when I lived there, great job!

grassman, Jun 29, 7:18pm
Charge by the hour is easiest. I have been doing them for 25 years and always by the hour. Never even give a rough price without seeing them first.

brightlights60, Jul 2, 6:09am
Thanks grassman. I will do anyone elses first, but love leaving mine till August. I sometimes do an early prune if I get bad aphids as I hate spraying and only do it once a year if I have to. Would rather give another prune. I have around 19 beautiful roses, mostly classics like Peace, In Loving Memory, Freesia, Double Delight. My In Loving Memory no matter how brutal I cut back, gets to over 8 foot right outside my kitchen window. This year it bloomed till April, from November. Amazing.

paix1, Jul 3, 4:01am
Yeah, Loving Memory almost grows like a tree brightlights! I don't prune here either until August. And for what it's worth, last year I sprayed immediately after spraying and that was it. And I never had black spot, aphids, or anything else the whole summer! The only thing I did differently was every time I had a banana or egg, I threw the skins/shells straight out the window onto the roses. They were spectacular last summer. Gave them a trim recently with the hedge clippers as my Tropical Sunset had one stem touching my roof guttering (yes really) and they are sprouting new growth (which I will prune off in August). I must get Double Delight as it was one of my late Mum's fav roses - I also love Paddy Stephens and Hamilton Gardens - both grow like Loving Memory.

summersunnz, Jul 3, 7:45am
Paix, my 99 year old friend has Double Delight by her front door - she treasures it :-)

brightlights60, Jul 5, 7:30am
Love Double Delight. I agree, with that endless Summer we had, the roses were amazing last Summer. I think the more attention you give them the better they do. I always take the spent blooms of, always giving people a bunch of roses when I go anywhere, and have vases full inside, and yes, I drop banana skins (up to 1 per plant) for potassium for the roses, plus lemon or lime skins to deter the aphids. They also get the compost bin contents once a year, and last year I piled coconut fibre around the roots to maintain the moisture. I also have a jasmine in the middle that grows practically into my kitchen window. I cut it brutally at the end of Summer so its going to fantastic this year.

kellygirl, Jul 12, 6:50am
I do it for a job & charge $35 hour

summersunnz, Jul 12, 10:48pm
Cool job :-)

bluefrog2, Nov 22, 7:02am
I paid to have my fruit trees and rose bushes pruned the first year I had my garden. And have the guy teach me how to do it myself at the same time. I think we agreed a flat rate for the job over the phone, after I told him how many trees and how tall they were.