Timely Maintenace Tip – Pruning Roses

Prune most roses in early spring, except for those that only bloom once in early summer.  Many antique roses fall into this category and should be pruned immediately after blooming.  For all other roses, watch for green leaf buds to push forth from stems and prune back canes right above outward facing buds.  I prune shrub roses back by one-half their height to maintain more compact plants.  This may seem drastic but it works.  My roses are covered with flowers each summer.  Next, reach inside the shrub and prune out any stems that are pencil-width or thinner as well as any branches that grow toward the center of the bush.   If pruning makes you nervous, wait until you’ve had a bad day at work, with the kids, or in traffic, and then grab pruners and go at it.  Remove dead or broken canes as well as those that rub against each other.  In general, when you see  forsythia in bloom, let the games begin.