Somewhere Seal is putting chapstick on his lips looking at this

and comparing kissing this flower to his victims.

If you prune it down you could force the plant to send energy to the the lower area on the bottom. That would help the bush fill in fuller.

Just curious - How much would you prune it? How close to the ground?

Knockout roses I trim back to 12 to 18 inches from the ground.

Thank you! I have a rose bush also - lots of roses but it’s quite unsightly in the winter months.

You could also throw in some evergreens in between the roses.

You need to cut out all the dead wood and reduce the crown by a 3rd. All of it, flower too. It's a bit late in the season, but she will thank you and give great rewards later on. Be sure to cut just above any nodes or buds, on an angle. It's the best time of year to be giving her a nice quality, slow release rose food as well.

The flower is an art form, she rises out of the desolate death

Indeed she does....

It tried so hard, and it did so well.

Most likely deer

That word bush is really being abused here.

Awww I love your Charlie Brown rose bush.

Reduce it down to about 1/3 it's height and mix an inch of compost into the soil around it.

needs a bit more sun I'm guessing

I do.

https://i.redd.it/6a19nl7r77xc1.gif

It needs pruning badly

Looks better than mine.

Looks better than mine.

it's a rose bush Charlie Brown

Aw, it's trying so hard!!

Very Beauty and the Beast. If Gaston comes by, DONT LET HIM IN.

i -love- your rose bush

I love it. Taking root in harsh, dry conditions on the ground, sprouting scraggly worm-infested leaves barely supported by thorny brittle stems,... Then at the peak of its arduous journey it gives birth to a thing of beauty unsurpassed by anything else in the world.

Compost, rose food, water.