When to prune
With the exception of ramblers, most roses can be pruned during late winter when growth is just resuming, usually mid-February in the south, but in northern and colder areas wait until March.
Cutting cleanly. The correct way to make a cut applies to removing dead wood, deadheading and all annual pruning. Cuts must be clean, so keep your secateurs sharp. (Illustrations copyright Dorling Kindersley Ltd)
Method
- Use sharp secateurs and, for larger stems, loppers or a pruning saw.
- Cuts should be no more than 5mm (0.25in) above a bud and should slope away from it.
- Cut to an outward-facing bud to encourage an open centre. With roses of spreading habit prune some stems to inward-facing buds to encourage more upright growth.
- Cut to the appropriate height if a dormant bud is not visible.
- Prune dieback to healthy white pith. Cut out dead and diseased stems and spindly and crossing stems.
- Aim for well spaced stems that allow free air flow.
- On established roses, cut out poorly flowering old wood and saw away old stubs that have failed to produce new shoots.
- With the exception of climbing roses, prune all newly planted roses hard to encourage vigorous shoots.
- Trace suckers back to the roots from which they grow and pull them away.
Floribunda (cluster-flowered): shorten strong shoots only moderately (to leave 25-30cm/10-12in of growth). Prune back less vigorous ones severely.
Further information
Patio: reduce height of stronger shoots by one-third. Thin a little if twiggy.
Further information
Climbers: these form a branch framework from which strong sideshoots are produced. Tie in as they develop. In March reduce their length by one-third, shortening any sideshoots to two to three buds.
Further information
Ramblers: true ramblers flower only once each season. Immediately after flowering cut out flowered stems to ground level, tying in new ones.
Further information