How would you like to increase blooming rose stems on one cane by ten? With long pliable canes, and a little planning at pruning time it's easy as can be.

Look carefully at this image of two Gertrude Jekyll canes. The one on the right has thirteen times more flowers than the one on the left. How you ask?

Well, I took the tip of an exuberant long cane and carefully bent and tied it to a lower cane. The stress on the forced curve of the cane encouraged bud eyes to develop bloom-bearing stems. The method is called pegging or tying.

I first saw this treatment in England at Sissinghurst –– this shrub of Zephirine Drouhin, in Vita’s rose garden, is tied to 4 arcs made from branches inserted around the shrub. One of the arcs is somewhat visible in this picture –– it looks like part of the shrub. I wouldn’t have been the wiser if there hadn’t been several other specimens that weren’t fully leafed out yet. The living armatures that the gardeners created looked like globes. I couldn’t wait to get home and try it myself

GOOD PEGGING CANDIDATES

Certain David Austin roses are great contenders for pegging –– many of you know the ones –– they shoot up eight and ten-foot bloomless canes in late summer. I used to cut the gangly things down, but not any more.

It’s a challenge to photograph tying in action, because luxuriant growth usually hides the handiwork. And you want it hidden, but I happened to catch this cane on David Austin's Othello displaying its prowess. In this case, I simply tied the cane to a nearby branch. Sometimes the branch might be on another shrub altogether –– whatever works.

The fresh new growth many Heritage roses produce after blooming is fun to use for pegging. I wait until the canes have matured a little before bending. For several years, I pegged my Madame Hardy into big loops, tying the tips to the bottom of the shrub. Here (pardon the brightness of fresh mulch) you can see the first appearance of leaves. By bloom time the canes disappeared into a mound of leaves and flowers.

Ramblers, with their pliable canes, peg really well. This is a Chevy Chase that I previously would chop at the knees, because of its tight location. In a more spacious spot it became quite a showpiece with pegging. These two photos show two years of  pegging and how they differed.

SELF-PEGGING

As you might have figured by now, I don’t use actual pegs and I try to avoid ties. I like to spiral a thorny cane around itself or another cane. The grip of thorns is often very helpful for keeping the connection in place. 

Here's an example of two canes entwined around each other into a nice curving arch.

Take a look at your rose canes and observe the possibilities. Experiment. One year I'll peg a shrub and the next year I might not. Realize that cane length can mean increased bloom production if pegged, tied, looped, or entwined.