Can you prune Rugosa roses and hybrids?
It looks as though most Rugosas are about 5 to 6 feet high and wide. Can they be pruned to keep them a bit smaller?
The ground I planted mine in is quite rough, so the difficult conditions for the roots might keep them smaller anyway. I remember once I planted some annual flowers too tightly packed together, and what happened was the flowers were perfectly formed but a lot smaller because of the lack of space. I am wondering if it is possible to grow Rugosa roses with a slight bonsai dwarfing effect?
Most likely. If there aren’t sufficient resources for the plant to achieve its full potential, it will be stunted. How much will likely be determined by how efficiently the plant utilizes what it has available. Of course you can prune them. I honestly doubt any plant will successfully survive in Nature if it can’t withstand being “pruned”. Nature regularly “prunes” through freezes, fires and grazing animals. If the plant can’t survive those… Will your pruning them maintain them at a sufficiently shorter stature for your desires? Only trying it will answer that question. Good luck!
Yes I will try it and see what happens, as with all roses you never know what they are going to be like until they make their home in a specific micro patch in your garden.