It was a wonderful combination, a sunny day after a long string of rainy ones and a day free of family obligations. It felt so good to get out in the yard. The main thing I wanted to accomplish was to get the rose cut back.  I knew it was going to be a major chore.  It had been a year or two since I pruned it.  It has really thrived in this west facing location against the fence.  In fact it had done so well that I was having trouble reaching the flowers to pick them for bouquets,  I definitely did not want to have to get a ladder out to pick flowers this spring. It was also growing into my blueberry bushes that I have in containers.

It's ironic that this rose has gotten so big.  It was a gift labeled spray rose, that looked like it came from the floral department of a grocery store many years ago. It was very small in a 6-8 inch pot. Once into the ground though it really took off. In fact I had to move it from the first flowerbed I put it in as it overwhelmed the other plants. Moved over against the fence it has done well for years. I think it is either a grandiflora or floribunda rose as the blossoms occur in clusters and are a lovely peach color.

I really didn't know where to start and then I heard an inner voice reminding me from my MG training days," First start with removing dead or diseased branches."  Once I started, the panic lessened, and I was next onto removing crossing branches. Next prune to improve form or function. Here's where my overall goal of lowering the height came in.
I worked and worked and before I knew it 2 hours had gone by and my green waste bin was full.

Hopefully, I accomplished my goals without hurting the plant too much. I guess I will find out this spring. Given how resilient this rose has been, I am not really too worried. One thing I have learned over the years, is to protect myself when pruning roses. I wear a long sleeved thick fleece jacket and rose leather gauntlet gloves that come up almost to the elbow.  I got tired of being covered in scratches or bleeding from thorn sticks.