Rose photo courtesy of SteffenAlbrecht

Märchenland defeats me every time. This year I tied the branches up immediately after spring pruning and thought I had her tamed. But again those fresh 3 ft shoots sag in all directions under the weight of all those flowers, and try controlling that monster when she is in full flower! Our garden in Hamburg, Germany (Z8a), 2015-06-27.

Uploaded 27 JUN 15

Rose photo courtesy of SteffenAlbrecht

Our garden in Hamburg, Germany (Z8a), 2016-12-26.

Uploaded 7 JAN 17

Rose photo courtesy of SteffenAlbrecht

This year I did the smart thing and tied up the branches of our huge Märchenland right after pruning. Each of the previous years the branches would dramatically sag outwards under the weight of the mountains of foliage and blossoms this rose regularly develops in summer (see some of my previous pictures). This is a rather old rose (20 or 30 years, maybe more--we inherited it from the previous owners of the house) and for some reason it only wants to grow outwards, leaving the center hollow. For years I've been waiting for the strong new shoot in the center, but in spite of heavy pruning it never happens. Our garden in Hamburg, Germany (Z8a), 2015-03-07.

Uploaded 7 MAR 15

Rose photo courtesy of SteffenAlbrecht

Our garden in Hamburg, Germany (Z8a), 2016-06-07.

Uploaded 12 JUN 16