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How to prune rose bushes

how to prune roses Roses are some of the most colourful and vibrant of all the garden plants, but it is important to care for roses correctly in order to appreciate them to their fullest. Knowing when to prune your roses is one of the most important factors in ensuring that they flower as much as possible. The best time of the year to prune roses is just after the cold frosts of the winter and spring, around the middle of Spring generally. The process of pruning stimulates new growth, but pruning too soon, when the weather is very cold, may mean that the cold damages the roses and inhibits new growth. On the other hand, pruning too late will mean that you are actually cutting off some of the first new flowers of the year. Though roses will still continue to flower year after year without pruning, roses that are not pruned can lose their shape and become untidy.

The first thing to do when pruning roses is to ensure that you have a good, sharp pair of secateures, or similar tool. Make sure that they are clean as dirty tools can lead to the spread of disease. The cutters should be bypass cutters, meaning that the two blades slide past each other (like a pair of scissors), rather than meeting. A good pair of gloves is also advisable to protect against thorns. It is generally advised that you should cut off about 30% of the rose bush, from the top. If there are any dead or very old branches on the roses then it is best to remove these as well. Keeping about 5-6 good strong branches will allow the rose bush to flower fully and not be over burdened. You should make cuts just above an outward facing rose bud and the actual direction of the cut is also important, it should slant away from the bud so that rain does not get into the bud, causing rotting.