More on Roses

My rose pruning boy has grown up and learned some more tricks along the way. Last summer he told me that you can plan the direction of the next shoot by where you make your cut. I thought this information could prove to be useful.
Now, I really must be desperate for something to write about, when I begin to talk about dead-heading roses, but here it is. I find this an interesting concept, this pruning, not only to get more, but to direct.

So here are my two bits:
1) You will notice that the leaves right under the rose are three-leafed sets. You want to go down to a five-leafed set and make a clean angled cut right above one of those.

2) You can chose the direction of the new growth by where you make that cut. For a regular bush you probably want the new shoots to go outward, so you chose a five-leafed set that goes outward and make your cut just a bit above that. On my bush where I want to keep the new shoots going toward the trellis, I will choose to make my cuts just above the five-leafed set pointing toward the trellis.

That's about all I know. Oh, fertilizing helps and every once in a while we dump soap water on the bushes. Now, if someone can let me know how to avoid growing those extra long shoots, I'm open to more advice.

And might I add, the scent of the first roses of the season just never ceases to amaze me. If possible, stop and smell a rose today.