The best time to prune roses in the U.K. is between January and March.
Rose pruning ensures that plants grow vigorously and flower well every year.
Generally I don’t prune my roses in the first year of planting.
In the second year I give them a very light pruning when the plant is still developing its root system and not mature enough to shape.
In the third year I prune my roses to the desired shape. Some of them I leave to grow very tall (my Scepter’d Isle is taller than me). Others are pruned to be compact.
Before pruning, choose from one of the following:
1. For a taller shrub – cut back by less than one third.
2. To maintain its current size – cut your rose back by one third.
3. To reduce its size – cut back by a half or even more. This will reduce the size of the shrub without impacting the amount of flowering.
Step by step pruning guide:
- make sure your secateurs are sharp and clean. Wear protective gloves (see Part 1 in my previous post). - Where the branches are too thick use a pruning saw instead of secateurs. I use https://www.niwaki.com/ Bakuma pruning saw and highly recommend it for climbing and shrub roses.
- Cut all the stems by as much as you need to create a nice round shape. - Remove all diseased, dead or overcrowded branches. - Remove all the foliage from the plant and the ground surrounding it. This is where black spot disease spores can lay dormant ready for the next year.
- Don’t dispose any of the Rose cuttings in your garden compost.
Thank you for reading!
