Pruning Roses

Determine the correct time to prune roses. Most modern roses are pruned while dormant (before new growth begins) and blossoms will appear on new wood. Roses that bloom on established wood should be pruned AFTER they bloom. Regardless of the type of rose you have, the first steps of pruning roses are the same: Remove all dead and diseased wood at the point of its origin. Make the cut clean, and don't leave a stumpy point

If your rose is grafted onto a rootstock, remove any suckers that originate from beneath the bud union. They are from the rootstock, are different than the grafted rose, and may be so prolific that they overtake the space.

 Remove branches that grow toward the center of the plant. This step is important for helping air circulation The remaining pruning cuts should be made 1/4 inch above an outward facing growth bud or "eye". Cut at an angle so that water will run off easily.

 Hybrid teas and grandifloras: Cut back 1/3 for a moderate pruning, harder for larger (fewer) flowers. Leave at least 3 eyes above the base of the stem. Remove canes skinnier than a pencil. Prune standards harder, and shape for roundness.  

Climbing roses: Wait 2-3 years after planting for first pruning. Remove shoots smaller than the diameter of a pencil. Cut lateral growth (coming from main canes) back to 4 eyes.

Ramblers: True ramblers have long, flexible canes, and don't flower until the second year. After flowers have faded, remove the flowering canes at the point of origin and remove the weakest of the new canes.

Miniatures and polyanthas require less pruning than most other roses. Remove weakest stems, cut back tips to outward facing buds. Shrub roses (species and hybrids): Lightly prune lateral stems from older wood; long, droopy stems, unproductive canes, and all laterals to 2 eyes. Floribundas: Prune much like a hybrid tea, but less severely. Allow thinner shoots to stay.

Engish roses: Prune smaller ones like floribundas, and larger ones like hybrid teas. If pruning while dormant, remove all leaves. Clean up and replace mulch Tips: Use sharpened tools for best results. Loppers work well for larger canes, bypass pruners are suggested for smaller ones. A pruning saw may be used for the largest canes. For pruning large, thorny canes, consider gloves that are longer than wrist length for protection of your arms. Always cut into healthy tissue. If the cut shows unhealthy growth, take it further down until you cut into healthy wood. A drop of Elmer's glue on the pruning cut will keep borers out.

If a grafted rose has little new growth, consider carefully scraping away any woody growth on the bud union to encourage new basal breaks. Dead-heading is the removal of faded flowers before they can develop seed. Dead-heading is a form of summer or day-to-day pruning. The standard recommendation is to cut the flower stem back to an outward-facing bud above a five-leaflet or seven-leaflet leaf.

Dead headed in summer pruning technique This "rule" applies best to plants that are vigorous. If the plant is weak or small, you may not want to cut off as much material. Dead-heading is the removal of faded flowers before they can develop seed. Dead-heading is a form of summer or day-to-day pruning. The standard recommendation is to cut the flower stem back to an outward-facing bud above a five-leaflet or seven-leaflet leaf.

Each time you remove this much you are removing a lot of the food-making ability of the plant. This method works well for most recurrent-blooming types of roses. With rugosa and other shrub roses where hips are a part of the display, you may not want to prune off the old flowers. In this case, simply clean the spent blooms away with your hand leaving the hips.

Flowers should not be cut after October 1 to allow the plant to begin hardening off for the winter. Dead-heading is also a good way to lessen the likelihood of diseases such as botrytis from becoming a problem.

(For more detailed information on Pruning Roses see my new ebook
"How to Grow Roses Successfully")