Roses must be pruned every year to maintain vigorous growth and to keep them flowering well. The best time to prune is while they are dormant.
Steps in pruning your roses:
- Think about each cut before you make it. All cuts should be at an angle and just above a bud that is facing away from the center of the bush.
- Remove dead branches and canes.
- Remove old canes that produce only twiggy growth. If your bush is old and has only these old canes, save three or four and cut those back to 3 feet.
- The height to cut your canes back depends on the type of flowers you want. If you want the long stems for cutting, cut your canes back to 3 feet. If you want profuse flowers, but you’re not concerned about stem length, cut the canes back one third.
- Remove all branches that are thinner than a pencil.
- Pull off all remaining leaves, rake up all debris, and put it in the trash. Do not use this for your compost pile, as there may be overwintering insects and/or diseases.
- Spray the pruned bush with dormant oil spray.