When I first started planting at our house, I would take anything. If it came with a warning about being invasive, all the better! Now I’m regretting some of those decisions, including the semi-wild roses given to me by friends. Between fire, digging, cutting and maybe chemicals it is truly the war of the roses around here. 

Semi-wild roses are typically very hardy, although even they died back to the ground several years ago when we had erratic weather that killed many perennials and trees. But in the last few years they’ve really taken off and are problematic. It’s no fun when you can’t walk through the gate because the rose bush grabs you. And it seems no matter how drastically I cut it back, it returns with a vengeance.

Fall Rose Pruning Techniques and Advice

War of the Roses Strategies

While pruning them this spring, I decided several needed to come out. They might have pretty flowers in May and June, but they are just nasty. I have to wear two pairs of gloves and long sleeves or it looks like I got in a fight with a raccoon. My quandary is how to eliminate them. 

It’s going to take several measures to do the trick. For the plant by the house I will probably keep cutting it back. Theoretically, if you stay on top of it, the plant will weaken and eventually die. I just don’t know if there are enough hours in the day to keep up with its growth.

My preferred choice is fire. During an unusually calm day this spring I burned the Pioneer rose  in the front garden that is just so overgrown and ugly. The best thing about the fire is it burns off the thorns. So when I cut back the charred stems the other day, it didn’t tear my arms to shreds. After I remove all of the suckers shooting up throughout the beds, my intent is to use the flame weeder as often as possible to singe the growth. Hopefully this will eventually eliminate it.

Hardy Roses for Harsh Climates

Chemicals as a Last Resort

My least preferred option is chemicals. This would have to be done very carefully, probably painting on the poison. Spraying it near any of the other plants is too much of a risk of affecting the perennials that I like. Plus, I think hand applying the herbicide helps reduce the amount used.

My thought is a combination of cutting back the plant, which seems to encourage vigorous growth, is the best situation to utilize an herbicide. This way the plant is actively bringing the poison into the roots, and it will hopefully quickly kill the plant. Of course, I might be wrong on the speed of the process. This very well could take a couple of seasons. It’s a matter of winning won battle, but not necessarily the war. 

The hardest part of the entire process is going to be digging out the roots. These plants have all been established for at least a decade. As anyone who has dealt with these types of roses knows, they hold fast to the ground.

I’m not eliminating all of these semi-wild roses, just the ones that are in troublesome spots. Their blooms are exceptionally pretty early in the season, and are very much appreciated. But there comes a time when unruly behavior just doesn’t fit anymore. As with the historical War of the Roses, it probably won’t be pretty, but hopefully the end result will be worth it.