I’d like to train a Golden Opportunity on a 4 foot wall so I can espalier the canes for a wide spread against the wall. This rose is described as having vigorous growth to 10 ft+ tall.
Question: If I let the canes grow to about 6 ft vertically and tie them horizontally, will the canes stop growing in length? Can I “fool” into more length?
If you can, shape the canes like a fan, you will get the most blooms from the laterals that will grow from the arched canes.
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It’ll be couple seasons before there’s enough length to do that. My question now is how to determine which branches are canes that should be left to grow and which are laterals that can or should be trimmed.
Should I just deadhead the blooms and let the branches grow without trimming this first year in the ground?
Yes if this is the first year, it’s important to let the roots get established first so that they can grow nice strong canes. Next year, you can see which are the long canes. Also, some canes get stiffer with age, and hard to bend, so it’s nice to be able to start the training while young and more flexible.
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Thank you for that advice. The rose is doing beautifully, blooming nicely but still a 24" ball-shaped bush.
Should I deadhead normally with the cut down the stem, or cut the flowers right at the bud base?