How To Prune Roses For Stunning Results

Good Choices

Pruning and deadheading are essential parts of your rose care routine. So, how do you go about it? There are as many different opinions about how and when to prune as there are roses in need of pruning.

While individual rosarians may have their favorite tried-and-true methods, this article is geared toward new rosarians who have no idea where to start. As time goes by, you may feel the urge to modify these techniques or even develop some new ones of your own. Bully for you. Variety is the spice of life and if it doesn't kill your roses, how bad can it be?

Rose pruning isn't as complicated as some people make it out to be. In fact, there are only 4 basic rules and a few common sense guidelines to follow. If you keep these in mind whenever you pick up your pruning shears, you'll be rewarded with beautiful bushes that reflect the care that you put into them.

Basic Pruning Rules

1. Always remove any dead or decayed growth. This keeps your bushes looking better and denies disease and insects a place to call home.

2. Always keep the center of the bush free of growth. This denies insects a place to live, and allows good air circulation to avoid fungus infection.

3. Remove crossing branches to promote stronger growth,

4. Shape your rose bushes as they grow. This will transform your bushes from wild and wooly to prim and proper, as all good roses should be.

Common Sense Guidelines

Always using sharp pruning shears.

Clean the shears after use to remove any disease or fungus spores.

Seal the cuts you've made on canes to keep out disease. Regular Elmer's glue works fine and is cheap.

Pruning Terms And Techniques

Hard (or "Low") Pruning -- Cut canes back to 3 or 4 buds from the base or the bud unions. The end result will be strong canes about 4 to 5 inches in length. This pruning technique works best with new hybrid tea, grandiflora, and floribunda varieties. You should not do hard pruning with established bushes because they may not recycle. The only exception is as a last-ditch effort to revive sick or neglected bushes.

Moderate (or Medium) Pruning -- Cut strong stems back to approximately half of their length. Weaker stems may be cut back even more, if needed. This technique works well with established gardens of floribundas, hybrid teas, grandifloras, and tree roses.

Light (High or Long) Pruning -- Cut the canes back to around 2/3 of their length. After all the unwanted wood is removed, any remaining stems are "tipped". Light pruning is not generally recommended for most bushes as it tends to produce early blooms and poorly developed flowers. Use this technique only if others are not working and the bush is an eyesore to begin with.