Pruning Peace Rose bushes is a simple task, but done wrong, it can produce a weak plant or a plant that will not bloom properly. Most pruning is done in the spring, though pruning for dead and decaying wood and plant matter should be done throughout the growing season.
Pruning Tips for Peace Rose Plants
When pruning, always use a sharp pair of garden shears or pruning shears. Unclean cuts can damage the plants. In the spring, just as the Peace Rose bush sends out buds, cut the stems back to within one-quarter of an inch of the outside buds. Pinching the stem tips in this manner will help the bush to grow outwards, creating a fuller plant.
Think about whether you want a lot of blooms or a few spectacular ones. Severe pruning, removing half of the previous year's growth, will give you larger flowers and make the plant grow larger, but it will also result in fewer flowers and a less bushy plant. For hedging and landscaping, excessive pruning is not ideal.
During the summer, remove spent blooms. You can also prune to retain the shape of the rose bush.
If you live in an area with colder winters, once there has been two or three good frosts, mulch the rose bush to at least an inch above the graft union to protect the graft from the cold. Cut all long canes down to about four feet in height, then tie the canes together. This will protect the rose bush from winter damage. If you live in an area with milder winters, no extra cutting and binding are needed, but you should still mulch over the graft union.
Propagating Peace Rose
The best way to propagate a Peace Rose is through grafting. Grafting should be done in the winter or early spring, while the scion and the rootstock are dormant. Choose the scion from shoots that were grown the previous season. Make sure the scion wood is free of insects and disease, and cut them the same day you plan to graft. At least four scions should be cut, in the event that one or more of the grafting procedures do not take.
Prepare the rootstock by sawing off a clean, smooth cut that is perpendicular to the main axis of the stem that is going to be grafted. Make a cleft through the center of the stock and down about three inches with a clefting wedge. Prepare two scions for each graft. The scions should have three or four good buds. Starting near the base of the lowest bud, make two opposing tapered cuts about two inches long toward the base end of the scion. The side with the bud should be a bit thicker than the other side.
Insert one scion at each end of the cleft. The wider side of the wedge should face outward. Make sure the cambium of each scion makes contact with the cambium of the rootstock. Remove the clefting tool from the rootstock and allow the rootstock to close over the scions. Seal the cut surfaces with grafting wax or grafting paint.
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