Pruning Roses......Rose bushes, climbing roses etc

General
Before Pruning roses, bushes,climbers etc and if you are planting bare rooted roses, you will have already soaked the roots as suggested earlier.

The next stage is to take out any weak or dead wood and then trim back the top to 3 - 4 buds.

Newly planted Climbing and Rambling roses should be cut back to 30 - 45 cm reducing the weaker growths to 10 cm of the base. This is particularly important to produce a good framework which starts low down the plant.

Now take a look at the roots, if these are long and fibrous then just trim the ends. If the plant does not have many fibrous roots but a long tap root then cut off the end this will help the root to branch out just the same as pruning the tops.

Pruning established Rose Bushes
Lightly Pruning Roses after flowering, say early november,prepares the plants before the weather gets too windy and the winter sets in, trim back any tall stems, this helps to stop the rose bush from rocking about which can loosen the plant and cause damage to the roots.

Start Pruning Roses in Spring after the frosts, and just as the roses are starting to grow take out any weak or dead growths remove any crossing stems, leaving an open centred bush.

Pruning Roses means cutting back good strong shoots to 4 - 6 buds, for Hybrid Tea roses making a sloping cut on an outward facing bud so that any sap or water falls away from the bud. If the bush has become loose over the winter then secure the plant by treading in the soil around the roots.

With Floribunda roses the pruning is not as severe. These plants tend to have more branches and are generally more vigorous so, cut out any weak, dead or crossing stems and trim back the remaining wood to 5 - 7 buds. Firm in, feed and mulch.

Pruning Rambler Roses
Ramblers, unlike climbers generally have one flowering period, usually starting in June and finishing by mid-august.

Best flowers are produced on previous season's growth from ground level, these growths are tied in annually.

As soon as flowering is over cut back the flowering stems and tie in the new growths to replace them. Always cut out ant weak or straggly growth and keep an eye open for die back or any fungal disease.

If not enough young growths are available, old wood can be grown on for a second year, cutting the lateral growths back to 2 - 3 buds from their base.

Pruning Climbing Roses
Most Climbers flower on the current season's growth and should be pruned in the spring. Tree types of growth will be found on an established climbing rose i.e.

1) The main framework, this was done in the plants early years to cover the allotted space, and should be left intact as long as the branches retain their vigour.

2) The short latereral shoots which will bear flowers during the coming year and should be cut back to 2 - 3 buds in the spring.

3) New growth usually coming from higher up the plant, this can be used to extend the canopy or tied in to replace any of the tired framework of the climber.

Pruning Shrub Roses
Newly planted shrub roses should have all weak and damaged wood removed and any laterals that have borne flowers the previous year, remove soft tips back to firm wood on main growths.

Established plants need little pruning, just enough to keep them tidy removing any straggly or weak growth back to ground level.

Standard Roses are treated the same as hybrid tea or floribunda roses.

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