I recently acquired a community garden plot in New York City. I was excited to start putting plants in the ground and I planted a beautiful Rainbow Sorbet Floribunda on the corner of my plot, closer to the walkway. It is currently occupying about a 2'x2' area. As it grows larger, can I simply prune back the sides that might impede on the walkway or should I wait until the next dormant season to move it entirely? I like the idea of having a rose bush on each side of my garden plot toward the front which is about 6' wide x 15' deep. Is it possible to train a floribunda or hybrid tea bush so they only occupy a certain width?

Welcome!!! It would not harm your Floribunda if you chose to prune off intruding (into the path) shoots. However, here is another possibility: You could get either wooden stakes or metal/plastic/bamboo strips, and drive them into the bed, placing three or more around the rose, and then using innocuous coloured twine, jute rope, chicken wire, etc., you could "fence them in" so they do not intrude, and trussing them up a little as mentioned, makes them more compact, enhancing the bloom display by bunching it, rather than loping off a number of fruiting canes. Just a thought. I have done same numerous times and still do. Just take a second and think it out in your head as to how it would look with the materials you choose. Cheers!

Thank you, fwmosher. I like your suggestion of fencing them in a bit and trussing them up. Do you have a picture of what you've done with your roses? And once they start growing in that shape, do you keep them fenced in or would they still keep their general shape/area after a few years of training?

Two Rainbow Sorbet in my garden are planted about three feet from the nearest path and I find this to be an ideal distance. A third one I had one less than two feet from a corner where two paths met. It was unhappy there because I needed to prune it too severely. My own practice is to prune roses lightly through the summer as they get out of bounds. When other conditions are favorable, this does not cause a problem.

Rainbow Sorbet is a real photographer's rose IMO. It blooms generously and repeatedly through the season. And each bloom is photogenic. The plant itself needs some careful and regular attention if it is to look shrubby and full. Daily deadheading will keep it from looking a scraggly. Of course, one can just let nature take its course and the plant will be fine.

Good Luck!