Pruning Roses

Keep your pruners sharp!

In principal, you prune roses to remove dead, redundant, and diseased wood, open up air circulation, encourage healthy growth, and shape the plant. However, the closer you get to species roses, like old garden roses, shrub roses, English roses, or hybrid teas, the more severe the pruning required for healthy plant growth and blooming. If you climate is mild, prune roses in the fall, during November. If your area gets frosty, then prune your roses in the spring, around March or April, when it's a bit warmer. Use the following guidelines:

In principal, you prune roses to remove dead, redundant, and diseased wood, open up air circulation, encourage healthy growth, and shape the plant. However, the closer you get to species roses, like old garden roses, shrub roses, English roses, or hybrid teas, the more severe the pruning required for healthy plant growth and blooming. If you climate is mild, prune roses in the fall, during November. If your area gets frosty, then prune your roses in the spring, around March or April, when it's a bit warmer. Use the following guidelines:

  • Use clean, sharp pruning shears. Felcos are widely accepted as the best.
  • Cut at a 45 degree angle, about 1/4 inch above an outward-facing bud.
  • Prune each cane 4-6" (10-15 cm) above the crown.
  • Remove all dead, crisscrossed, diseased, or dying canes.
  • Remove all thin, weak canes that are smaller than a pencil in diameter.
  • If you see suckers coming out of the ground and your roses are on grafted rootstock, dig down and tear off (do not cut) all suckers at the root. Cutting suckers encourages re-growth.

These pruning guidelines can be used for yearly pruning of dormant, planted rose bushes. These are guidelines and things to look for as you prepare to prune your roses. For a detailed picture of the Anatomy of a Rose, click here For more information specific to your locale, contact your local American Rose Society.