Question
We have a number of the above mentioned rose buses which are about 5 yrs of and have become quite long and straggly. Although they all bloomed last year the blooms were not as brilliant and did not last as long as in previous years.  Do you recommend pruning them and if so how should we go about it?  Thanks for your help.

Answer
Lady Banks blooms on second and third year wood, and I suspect your bushes need some  help them produce better blooms and healthy new wood. if the flowers were faded looking and they didn't last as long as they should, then the problem is either lack of enough fertilizer or not enough water. Because this rose is so vigorous, it does need a more generous amount of food. I would sprinkle one cup of any rose fertilizer all around the base when they are starting to leaf out and then another cup after the flowers are over. That should be enough to give the climbers what they need. Also in regards to watering, if you live in an area that gets really warm, give each plant a bucket of water every three days and a bucket daily if it starts to heat up. Putting a mulch of any kind all around the base would save on the daily watering.
Just prune these climbers back by about a third always keeping in mind because they flower on last years wood or canes, you will be cutting off some of the flowers. Try to keep the cuts where the side canes are growing out of as this makes a more attractive long rose. Personally I would try the fertilizer and water before pruning, unless they are getting too large for your garden.