Pruning Roses 401

One of my objectives in teaching people about gardening is to keep it simple so that people can easily digest and use the information. A quick Google search and you will  find whole books on rose pruning and care. I'm going to give you the basics- which really is all you need to know. Rose people will shake their collective fists at me for saying this but you can prune any bush type garden rose this way.

The rule of thumb I was taught is to prune your roses in the spring when the forsythia is blooming. If you don't have forsythia or have no idea what forsythia is just prune in the spring when the buds break- they will look like this.

The reason to prune in the spring and not the fall is often roses will have cane die-back in the winter and depending on how bad the winter is the die back can be significant. If you prune in the fall then have a very cold winter with little snow you may end up with a dead rose or one sticking out a few inches above the soil. Winter die-back on canes looks like this.

So,  basically what you are going to go is get rid of all but 4-5 main canes and cut those right above an outward facing bud. That is- see I could write a book! Here is a visual.

Yes it looks like you are hacking the plant and leaving almost nothing but trust me by mid June your roses will look amazing. So here is how I do it. I have two David Austin roses up at the top of my drive way, this is what they look like now before pruning.

The fist thing I do is stand back and pick out 4 to 5 canes that I am going to keep and cut out the rest. Next I will cut the canes I have left to a height of about 3 feet. I look for a healthy bud that is facing outward away from the plant. This is important because you want your roses to be open in the middle to allow air to circulate, this will keep disease at bay.

Removing an old cane

I make the cut at an angle just above the bud

After the cut

Here is what they look like when I am done.

A few weeks later with their new growth

As for rose care I have read all kinds of advise including adding everything from egg shells to coffee grounds to the soil.  I have always just added a little compost in the spring and mulched with old leaves. My roses are fantastically healthy but they are planted in good soil and get plenty of sun which is really the key.

*A note on David Austin roses- these are my absolute favorite roses. they tend to get less diseases then standard hybrid tea roses and they have a fragrance that will knock your socks off. They are a little more expensive that what you will find at home depot but totally worth the extra money.

Happy pruning!