LEARN HOW TO PRUNE ROSES

According to a recent poll roses are most peoples favorite flower and no garden is complete without its selection of rose bushes. But roses require pruning every year to keep them in good shape and to promote strong growth. For a beginner the technique for pruning a rose bush seems daunting, but it is relatively simple when you learn what to do. In fact tests have shown that if you prune the bush by cutting straight across the top with a pair of shears this is just as effective as the traditional method. But to be on the safe side follow the advice given in this article by Kathy Woodard which comes from The Garden Glove website.

If you have roses in your garden, chances are, you need to learn how to prune them. Why prune? Here?s the thing? most roses are a lot tougher than we give them credit for? In fact, it can be pretty hard to kill a rose! But just because they can survive through a lot of neglect, doesn?t mean they will be healthy, or beautiful. Pruning helps the rose plant in three ways?

It shapes the plant, preventing it from becoming gangly and awkward.

It allows the plant to concentrate on growing flowers instead of cane, producing more, and larger, blooms.

It allows circulation of air within the plant, and removal of old and dead canes keeps disease from setting in and ruining your blooms.

All in all, if you have roses, prune them. And it?s pretty easy! Here is a quick how-to on pruning roses.

When?
Prune roses about a month before your last frost, before many new leaves emerge. ?In mild climates this is likely January, the colder your climate the later you prune, all the way up to March.?If your rose is breaking dormancy and starting to put out lots of new leaves, you?ve waited too long, but it?s not too late to do a light pruning of dead canes, and to lightly shape the plant. (It?s always ok to prune out dead, dying or diseased wood, no matter where you are in the season.)