Help with roses which have not been cared for...?

I recently moved to a new house with several rose bushes located around the house what have not been cared for. I have had great success in my previous home where I planted my own roses and had a very successful rose garden for several years. I understand pruning and fertilizing starting from the begining, but the roses at my new house have not been cared for for some time. They have some 4-5' high branches with a single rose on the top with sparse leafing, and few other branches. The lowest leafing is around 2' off the ground on sparse branching (with several dead). I've pruned where I can and trimmed the dead wood off, but they are still scraggly. Can I trim these back further and "start over"? I'd like to get healthy branching lower to the ground for a fuller look and more budding, but I'm not sure the best way to go about it and what time of year it should be done.



Please help!



PS - I do plan on extending the garden with more roses of my own, so I'd like these to be as healthy.

Help with roses which have not been cared for...?
It's probably too late for this year,now Spring has suddenly sprung!Suggest pruning the old roses by the "See-saw" method i.e cut the branches alternately to 3-4 in. from soil level,using a saw if needed.Feed well with a granular rose food,apply a thick mulch of compost,manure,spent hops or mushroom compost while the soil is moist.

Worms etc; will drag this in and next Autumn you can plant new roses,note that the soil may suffer from "rose sickness",the existing roses may have depleted the essential elements.

Don't plant too many fresh roses at first,try one or two and see if they're OK.

Good luck,I've rejuvenated 20 yr;old plants this way.

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