When To Prune Roses: The Best Timing For Every Variety

Prune your roses at the right time for stronger, healthier blooms! Learn when to cut back different varieties for the best results in every season.

Gardener with blue and cream gloves prunes roses
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Pruning roses is an essential aspect of plant care. Though the shrubs' sharp thorns can make the process feel quite daunting, this routine task is key to preserving their health and maintaining a desirable size and shape. When to prune roses depends on the season, but more importantly, there are key signs to look for. Timing pruning correctly will promote increased bloom as well as reduce the likelihood of disease.

When and how to prune roses can vary from one type to another. Before deciding when to cut back roses, growers will first need to research specific details about the types of roses grown in their yards.

Most importantly, gardeners will need to determine whether or not their roses bloom on new or old growth. While roses that bloom on new growth can be much more forgiving of mistakes made during the pruning process, plants that flower on old growth may need special attention. The accidental removal of certain branches of old wood roses may cause growers to miss an entire season’s worth of flowers.

When learning how to grow roses, gardeners should always equip themselves with the appropriate tools. Protective, long-sleeved rose pruning gloves are highly recommended to help prevent cuts and abrasions.

When to Prune Rose Bushes

Pruning rose bushes

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The best time to trim rose bushes is between late winter and very early spring. Ideally, this occurs once buds have already formed, but before they break to reveal tender new leaves.

Since rose bushes bloom dependably on new growth each season, the plants can be pruned more aggressively than other types, as long as plants are established.

To begin this process, remove any stems that have died back, turned brown, or have been severely damaged over the winter. Other stems can be trimmed back to one-third of their height.

Keeping the center of the plant free of crossed branches can also be helpful as a means to increase airflow and prevent rose diseases.

After pruning is an ideal time to fertilize roses and apply mulch. The best mulch for roses is organic material, such as shredded bark.

When to Prune Climbing Roses

Red roses growing against trellis on house exterior

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Climbing roses are popular for use on garden arches and trellises. These roses are known for their repeated bloom period and impressive heights. However, they are commonly referenced interchangeably with another type of rose, called a rambling rose. This can lead to a great deal of confusion in regards to how each plant is best pruned.

While a climbing rose will bloom on new wood each season, a rambler will only produce flowers on last season’s growth. This means that climbing roses can be pruned in late winter, in a similar way to other rose species. However, pruning of rambling roses will need to occur just after the plant has ceased to bloom in summer.

When to Prune Knockout Roses

Rainbow Knock Out Rose

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As repeat bloomers, Knockout roses are a little more flexible about when they are pruned. While they are best pruned between late winter and early spring, they can also be trimmed at other times of year to keep them tidy.

Many gardeners like to give Knockout roses a light prune during a rest period in the growing season. This gives them the boost to put on fresh growth to extend the flowering time.

However, Knockout roses should not be pruned in late summer or early fall. Pruning at this time may encourage the plants to put on tender new growth that won't have time to harden off before winter.

When is it too Late to Prune Roses?

With the arrival of spring, new rose growers may fear that they have already missed the pruning window. But, even if leaves have already appeared, rose bushes can still be gently trimmed back. Pruning at this time can promote rapid plant growth.

As roses respond very well to pruning, most experts agree that any potential damage done by improper pruning is usually only temporary. While pruning old wood roses during spring can cause the loss of seasonal bloom, these flowers will most always return in the following years, provided that the correct pruning routine is established.

Deadheading roses can be done on all species throughout the growing season, as the removal of faded blooms can help to keep the appearance of plants neat and tidy.

More Roses Inspiration

Tonya Barnett
Writer

Tonya Barnett has been gardening for 13 years. Flowers are her passion. She has transformed her backyard into a cut flower garden, which she regularly chronicles on her YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/@tonyawiththeflowers.