Q: Can you tell me how to prune roses properly…I have bush roses and climbers.
A. The normal rule of thumb for all bush-form roses is to cut them back by roughly half this time of year. Prune all roses back with a sharp pair of bypass pruners, and prune at a 45-degree angle on each cane just above an outward-facing bud. This bud will become the new direction of the cane, and choosing outward-facing buds will help the plant grow an open form that’s less prone to fungal diseases.
Climbing roses are treated differently. Prune climbers to shape as needed after the heavy bloom they’ll show in the early to mid-spring and try to train them in graceful arcs rather than sharply upright. Heavy pruning of climbing roses is rarely necessary and hard pruning them too early can impact the show the plant will give you in the spring, so wait until their biggest show of color finishes before pruning.
Come to our free Rose Class , Saturday Feb. 24th at 1 pm to get all of your rose questions answered.