Pruning Roses

[legal girl]

A question from a novice gardener - I have been reading up about pruning roses so I know that my roses will shortly need pruning. However, they all have shoots on them at the moment - it seems a shame to cut them down when they are just sprouting. Any advice gratefully received!

[Mags22]

I usually wait till theres no more chance of frosts before I prune mine back but I'm a novice too, haven't killed any yet !!!!!

[Old_Geezer]

I know exactly where you are coming from, since I'm no expert either.

I understand there are 2 times in the year for pruning, either after flowering before winter sets in, or as I tend to do, in the spring.

I pruned mine today because I was feeling bad that it was using up resources budding at the tips already, where I wasn't going to allow. They were too tall last year, they are not going to be taller this year.

But was it leaving it late since the buds were sprouting already, or too soon because we had snow not that long ago ?

And yes I felt I had to leave them taller than desired because of the lack of buds lower down. Rightly or wrongly I made some cuts above the bud as instructed, but elsewhere I wasn't going to be dictated to by the plant. It got cut where I decided was the highest I was prepared to leave it, bud or no bud. I figured some folk cut right back and the plant sorts itself out, so I'm hoping it will for me also.

[atalanta]

Your local public library will have books on growing roses. Borrow one and check for advice. Also, try the website of the Royal Horticultural Society . The general idea is - cut out dead stuff. ( Not when a frost is expected the same night) Cut out stuff which crosses or touches other branches - hollow out the centre, ensuring the last shoot you leave on each branch points outwards. However, the folk at Wisley have proved themselves wrong. In a scientific experiment, they tried the time-consuming hand-pruning I have described above, and tested that against just shearing down every bush with electric hedge-trimmers. The ones trimmed with electric hedgetrimmers produced more leaves, and more flowers.