The first thing to do before pruning your roses is be sure to have the right equipment. Some good quality bypass secateurs and strong, thorn proof gardening gloves are essential, especially for the roses with very thorny stems. We would recommend the gauntlet type gloves with a long cuff that protects the lower part of your arms.
If you have a wide range of roses at all stages of maturity, you may also want to invest in loppers or a pruning saw for the thicker stems.
When pruning, make sure you cut the stem correctly, just above a leaf joint, with the cut sloping downwards behind the node. If you cut too far up, you'll leave a piece of stem that will die back and this can be a point where infection can enter the plant.
When to prune
If you live in a warmer part of the country you can prune out the dead, disease and dying stems in late winter to early spring - further north you may need to wait until a little later but in all cases avoid bouts of frosty weather. If you have an established rose, also prune the remaining stems back by around a third, ensuring you remove any crossed stems and opening up the plant to ensure good air circulation.
In summer, once your roses have flowered, dead head the faded flowers. For repeat flowering roses, check for a shoot behind the first flush of flowers and cut back to just above this shoot, to encourage the next flush to develop. For those that just flower once, use the deadheading to maintain the shape, cutting the stem back to an outward facing bud. That way they will only need a light prune later in the year. Avoid deadheading roses that produce attractive hips as these are the fruiting body of the flower, produced after the flower has faded and dropped it's petals.
In autumn, you may want to prune your roses to prevent wind rock, For those plants that grow tall and are not supported by a wall or fence, or are in exposed locations, consider pruning back your rose to avoid the roots loosening with the wind. You can cut the stems back by around a third to a quarter, or stake the roses to prevent damage.
A good rule of thumb when pruning is that hard pruning encourages strong, upright growth and light pruning promotes branched growth, so before you cut, decide what you want to achieve.
Suckers
Grafted roses can produce suckers as the rootstock rose attempts to reassert itself over the scion or grafted on rose. To remove these, trace them back to the root as far as you can, removing the soil where necessary, and pull them away from the parent rootstock. Avoid cutting them as you're likely to leave an unseen bud and they will grow again.
If you have a wide range of roses at all stages of maturity, you may also want to invest in loppers or a pruning saw for the thicker stems.
When pruning, make sure you cut the stem correctly, just above a leaf joint, with the cut sloping downwards behind the node. If you cut too far up, you'll leave a piece of stem that will die back and this can be a point where infection can enter the plant.
When to prune
If you live in a warmer part of the country you can prune out the dead, disease and dying stems in late winter to early spring - further north you may need to wait until a little later but in all cases avoid bouts of frosty weather. If you have an established rose, also prune the remaining stems back by around a third, ensuring you remove any crossed stems and opening up the plant to ensure good air circulation.
In summer, once your roses have flowered, dead head the faded flowers. For repeat flowering roses, check for a shoot behind the first flush of flowers and cut back to just above this shoot, to encourage the next flush to develop. For those that just flower once, use the deadheading to maintain the shape, cutting the stem back to an outward facing bud. That way they will only need a light prune later in the year. Avoid deadheading roses that produce attractive hips as these are the fruiting body of the flower, produced after the flower has faded and dropped it's petals.
In autumn, you may want to prune your roses to prevent wind rock, For those plants that grow tall and are not supported by a wall or fence, or are in exposed locations, consider pruning back your rose to avoid the roots loosening with the wind. You can cut the stems back by around a third to a quarter, or stake the roses to prevent damage.
A good rule of thumb when pruning is that hard pruning encourages strong, upright growth and light pruning promotes branched growth, so before you cut, decide what you want to achieve.
Suckers
Grafted roses can produce suckers as the rootstock rose attempts to reassert itself over the scion or grafted on rose. To remove these, trace them back to the root as far as you can, removing the soil where necessary, and pull them away from the parent rootstock. Avoid cutting them as you're likely to leave an unseen bud and they will grow again.
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