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When to cut rose bushes down


How to Prune Roses

By

Marie Iannotti

Marie Iannotti

Marie Iannotti is a life-long gardener and a veteran Master Gardener with nearly three decades of experience. She's also an author of three gardening books, a plant photographer, public speaker, and a former Cornell Cooperative Extension Horticulture Educator. Marie's garden writing has been featured in newspapers and magazines nationwide and she has been interviewed for Martha Stewart Radio, National Public Radio, and numerous articles.

Learn more about The Spruce's Editorial Process

Updated on 09/13/22

Reviewed by

Julie Thompson-Adolf

Reviewed by Julie Thompson-Adolf

Julie Thompson-Adolf is a master gardener and author. She has 13+ years of experience with year-round organic gardening; seed starting and saving; growing heirloom plants, perennials, and annuals; and sustainable and urban farming.

Learn more about The Spruce's Review Board

The Spruce / Adrienne Legault  

In This Article

Project Overview

Pruning roses can be intimidating to gardeners since cutting back beautiful growth seems counterintuitive and can be downright painful if the plant is unruly. But, the practice actually creates a vital plant, as pruning encourages new growth, removes old, dead wood, helps shape the plant, and reduces the chances of fungal disease by opening the rose plant up to airflow.

While becoming an accomplished rose pruner takes time and practice, don't let that deter you; skilled gardeners agree that it's very hard to kill a rose bush and most mistakes will grow out quickly. Plus, it is better to make mistakes in the learning process than to let your roses grow rampant, creating a big mess in your garden down the road.

Watch Now: Tips and Tricks for Pruning Roses

When to Prune Roses

In most regions, roses should be pruned between late winter and early spring before blooms start to show. Timing your pruning is determined by the class of the rose plant and the hardiness zone in which it grows. Watch the leaf buds on your rose plant. When they begin to swell and take on a pink or reddish hue, it's time to prune. Timing it right is critical, as it's best to prune the plant before the buds break open and right after hard frosts have ended in your region. However, certain roses are finicky about pruning time and prefer to be cut back before breaking dormancy.

Warning

Make sure before completing this project that you have thick gardening gloves that cover your arms, canvas pants or jeans, and a long-sleeved shirt or canvas jacket. Thorn pricks from rose stems can cause a variety of bacterial and fungal infections, one of which (sporotrichosis) carries the common name "rose-picker's disease. " These infections can be surprisingly serious, so it is best to avoid thorn injury by wearing protective clothing.

Where to Prune Roses

The most obvious areas to prune on rose bushes are the dead, woody remains of flowering stalks. These dead canes may have snapped under the weight of snow or simply succumbed to a harsh winter. The less obvious canes to prune include those that are spindly or have shoots that extend well beyond your desired growing region. The ultimate goal is to maintain a "V" formation, or vase shape, between several, evenly spaced major canes that sprout from the ground.

The Spruce / Catherine Song

Before Getting Started

The proper pruning specifications vary depending on the type and classification of your rose bush. Make sure you understand the particularities of your rose's variety before you prune.

Roses that Bloom Once on New Wood

Modern roses like hybrid tea, grandiflora, and floribundas bloom best on the current season's growth. Prune hard in the spring (1/2 to 2/3 of the plant's height) and remove all old woody stems. Create an open vase shape with the remaining canes by removing the center stems and any crossing branches. Leave three to five healthy canes evenly spaced around the plant, cut at various lengths, to encourage continuous blooming.

Roses that Bloom Once on Old Wood

Ramblers like the "Malvern Hills" and "Snow Goose" rose must be pruned to remove winter damage and dead wood and shaped to keep their size in check. Ramblers bloom only once and can be pruned right after flowering, all the way back to 2- to 3-inch canes if you wish. They quickly regrow, so don't worry, as you won't lose any flowers the following season.

Repeat Bloomers

Shrub rose bushes, like the Knock Out varieties and 'The Fairy', are repeat bloomers, flowering on mature—but not old—woody stems. Leave them unpruned to increase vigor in the first two years, and then remove 1/3 of the oldest canes, in addition to any dead, diseased, or dying canes.

Climbers, like the 'William Baffin' rose, may repeat bloom, as well. Prune this bush early to remove winter damage and deadwood. Then, prune again after flowering to shape the bush and keep its size in check. Remove old and weakened long canes, as needed.

Equipment / Tools

Materials

The Spruce / Adrienne Legault 

  1. Begin Pruning From the Ground Up

    In the spring, take inventory of your rose bush, noting its overall health and shape. Then go low, pruning off dead canes at the base and opening up the center of the plant to allow light and air circulation.

    The Spruce / Adrienne Legault  

  2. Remove Broken, Dead, and Diseased Wood

    Follow old wood down the cane to a location that looks healthy (or green). Cut it at a 45-degree angle, taking care to expose the white flesh inside. If the flesh is not white, cut lower until you reach healthy flesh.

    The Spruce / Adrienne Legault  

  3. Remove Twiggy Canes

    Remove canes that are thinner than a pencil. These canes will grow gangly and produce very few blossoms.

    The Spruce / Adrienne Legault 

  4. Remove Sucker Growth Below the Graft

    A sucker is any new vertical growth that extends from the main canes. Suckers can also pop out of the ground. Suckers will contain no flowers at all or flowers that are inferior to those growing from grafted branches (canes that have fused together). Trim these at the ground or below the spot where the main branches fuse.

    The Spruce / Adrienne Legault  

  5. Prune New Growth

    Prune new growth to shape the plant to your desired look. Make clean cuts at a 45-degree angle, about 1/4 inch above a bud that is facing toward the outside of the plant.

    The Spruce / Adrienne Legault  

  6. Seal Cuts With White Glue (Optional)

    If cane borers are a problem in your area, seal any major cuts with white glue.

    James Solomon / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 3.0 US

Rose Pruning Tips

How to Get More Blooms From Your Roses

Watch Now: 7 Tips for Every Gardener

4 Simple Steps To Trim Like A Pro

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Pruning roses is the best way to keep your shrubs and climbers healthy, and blooming their best. In this post, you’ll learn when to do it, and the best tools to use. Then I will show you step-by-step exactly how to prune roses.

Roses are one of the easiest plants to learn how to prune, and you really can’t overdo it. Plus it’s very beneficial to the plant.

Trimming roses triggers healthy new growth, prevents disease, and creates tons of gorgeous blooms. If you’ve never done it before, or your roses are looking sad and overgrown, then this is for you.

 

Don’t worry. When pruning, roses are very forgiving, and will recover even if you make mistakes when you’re cutting them back.

Below I’m going to help you break through the fear, and show you exactly when and how to trim a rose bush, step-by-step.

Gorgeous climbing rose in full bloom

Table of Contents

Do Roses Need To Be Pruned?

It’s easy to neglect roses, because they don’t need to be pruned regularly in order to grow and bloom year after year.

But, if you want to keep them healthy and full of flowers, trimming helps a ton! If you never cut them back, over time they will bloom less, and look more scraggly.

It may sound scary, but it’s actually really easy. And the good news is that you really can’t kill a rose by over pruning it.

Why You Should Prune Roses

As I already mentioned, if you never trim them, rose bushes and climbers won’t bloom as prolifically. But there are other benefits too. Pruning roses on a regular basis…

My climbing rose before being pruned

When To Prune Roses

Late winter or early spring is the best time to trim roses. Pruning triggers fresh, healthy new growth, which is exactly what you want to do in the spring.

But don’t do it too early, or a hard freeze could kill the tender new growth. On the flip side, pruning too late could end up cutting off most of the flowers for the year.

So how can you figure out when to do it? The easiest way to make sure you’re getting the timing right is to wait until you see new buds on the plant.

You can prune rose bushes as soon as you see the buds starting to pop, or you can wait until the leaves are just beginning to grow.

New buds forming on rose bush in spring

Tools For Pruning Rose Bushes

Quality tools really do make a huge difference when pruning and cutting back roses. The canes are woody, and can become very thick. Plus they are thorny, which makes it a bit more difficult (and painful, LOL).

So you’ll need a few sizes of pruners to get the job done safely and efficiently. Here’s what you’ll need for pruning…

Supplies Needed:

My rose pruning tools

Proper Rose Pruning Techniques

When pruning roses, make each cut about 1/4″ above a healthy bud. Anything between the cut and the bud will die back. And you don’t want a bunch of ugly dead canes sticking out everywhere.

To figure out where to cut each branch, find the first bud on the healthy part of a stem. Then make your cut right above that.

If you still feel uncertain when pruning, another way to do it is to start close to the top, and keep cutting back until you see green inside the stem. Then you can find the next bud down from there to make your final cut.

Healthy canes are green around the inside edge, and lighter green or even white in the middle. Unhealthy or dead canes are brown or gray in the middle, so keep cutting until that dead stuff is gone.

Also, try to make each of the cuts at a downward angle to keep water from entering the wound, and causing rot.

Cutting rose cane just above a new bud

How To Trim Rose Bushes Step-By-Step

Pruning roses is easy, I promise. Really, the hardest part in this whole process is keeping yourself from getting pricked by the thorns.

If you’re trimming more than one bush, it’s a good idea to disinfect your tools between each to prevent the spread of disease. Wipe the blades with rubbing alcohol, or wash them with soapy water to clean them.

Here’s a quick overview of the steps, with more detailed instructions below…

  1. Remove all the dead branches
  2. Prune out the damaged stems
  3. Remove any crossing canes
  4. Clean up all debris around the base of the plant
Cutting back my rose bush

Step 1: Remove all the dead canes – Pruning out the dead rose canes and winter damaged branches first will make the rest of the steps much easier, because you’re basically clearing the clutter.

It’s usually pretty simple to spot the dead branches, because most of the time they’re brown or gray in color.

But healthy stems can be brown too, so sometimes you need to make a cut before you can tell if the cane is dead. Dead canes are brown on the inside, so if you don’t see any green, keep on cutting.

Pruning dead rose branches

Step 2: Prune out any damaged canes – Branches that are cracked, broken or otherwise damaged should be removed, even if they’re still alive.

Damaged canes are an invitation for pests and disease, and we don’t want to deal with any of that. So, find the next bud below the damaged portion of the stem, and make your cut just above that.

Damaged cane on my rose bush needs trimming

Step 3: Remove any crossing canes – What I mean by crossing canes are any stems that are overlapping and touching each other.

The reason we want to remove crossing canes is because they can rub together in the wind, and damage each other over time. Keep the stem that’s in the best shape, and remove the other one.

In the photo below, I removed the smaller stem in front because it already had quite a bit of damage on it, and the other cane looked much healthier.

Two crossing canes on climbing rose

Step 4: Clean up all debris around the base – This sounds like a silly step that you could just skip after trimming rose bushes, but it’s actually really important.

It’s essential to clean up all debris around the bottom of the plant after you’re done pruning, in order to remove any diseased material.

It’s also good to remove any mulch or leaves that are covering, or right up against the base of the stem to help prevent rotting.

I use a hand rake for this job rather than my hands because I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten stuck by a thorn doing this.

Be careful though, you don’t want to damage the stem or any new buds that are down there.

Cleaning up debris after pruning & trimming roses

This spring my climber got quite the haircut. I chose to do a heavy pruning because it’s been a few years since the last time I’ve done it.

If this is your first time trimming roses, then you might feel more comfortable stopping much sooner than I did. I don’t want you to panic if you end up cutting off more than you meant to.

So start small, and work your way into it if that makes you feel more comfortable. But remember, you’re not going to kill a healthy rose plant by over-pruning it.

My climbing rose after pruning

FAQs About Pruning & Trimming Roses

In this section, I’ll answer some of the most commonly asked questions about trimming roses. If you can’t find your answer, then ask it in the comments below.

What is the best time of year to prune roses?

The best time of year to prune roses is late winter or early spring, just as the buds are starting to develop, but before the leaves begin to open.

Is it OK to prune roses in autumn?

Yes, you can trim roses in autumn, but it’s very important to wait until after the first hard frost. If you do it too early, it can trigger new growth that will only be killed during the winter, which can damage the plant.

The purpose of pruning roses in fall is to remove any tender new growth, and tall, or overgrown branches. This will help to prevent wind and winter damage to the main canes.

Can I cut my rose bush to the ground?

Yes, but it’s not usually necessary. The only reason for cutting rose bushes to the ground is if all of the canes are either severely damaged or dead.

It’s better to follow the steps above to give them a heavy pruning, rather than just cutting them down to the ground.

How much should I prune roses?

You should trim back roses as much as they need it in order to remove all of the dead and damaged canes. They are very hardy, and can handle a heavy pruning.

Do you trim a rose after it blooms?

You don’t need to trim a rose bush after it blooms, but deadheading can help to encourage more flowers to open. To deadhead roses, simply snip or pull off the faded flowers.

Pruning roses is an important part of their maintenance, and early spring is the perfect time to do it. Not only will you be rewarded with tons of flowers, but your shrubs and climbers will be much healthier.

More Posts About Pruning

Give us your best tips for pruning roses in the comments below.

Pruning of spray roses in spring and autumn

Shrub roses have several inflorescences on one stem, unlike hybrid roses, in which only one flower grows on one stem. In spring and autumn, it's pruning time. Roses need to be pruned strictly before frost (and in the spring after the establishment of warm weather).

General Tips:

Pruning is the key to growing a strong and vigorous plant with good flowering. Pruning provokes the growth of new shoots, and also increases the resistance of the rose to diseases and pests. If regular pruning is not performed, then the rose will weaken, the intensity of flowering will also decrease, the growth of shoots will be reduced and the plant will be "bare".
By the way, you don't have to be a gardening guru to perform pruning, and it's almost impossible to harm a rose by pruning even if you're not skilled, despite some books that may have very complicated instructions for doing this. You can safely cut the shoots at your discretion.
It is especially important to prune more so that the plant repays with vigorous growth of new greenery, unless the rose is already old or grows in nutrient-poor soil.
If you prune very carefully and in small quantities, the rose will age faster, have fewer foliage and shoots, and become more susceptible to diseases and pests.

Please note that pruning roses (and any other plants) is only necessary with a very sharp secateurs, so as not to damage the plant, and so that the cut is the least traumatic.

So let's get started:

Before pruning, you need to remove any elements (in spring - shelter from frost, in autumn mulch or supports). How much to prune each rose depends on the growth potential of each individual plant. Roses with poor growth potential are pruned harder than strong plants. The plant becomes stronger exactly as much as it is pruned. A well-pruned rose produces only a few but strong shoots, while insufficient pruning causes many weak shoots to grow. A good pruning is when, after pruning, the height of the rose does not exceed 10 - 20 cm above ground level.

Always cut off the stem of a rose above the eyes. The eyes are the places from which shoots of new stems grow. The cut should always be made diagonally, never straight. Shoots that grow towards the stem, as well as crossing shoots, must be completely cut off. Dry and dead stems also need to be completely cut off, while the cut should fall on the "living" part of the stem. This is very important because dry wood does not sprout, but only limits the space for new ones to grow. Also, such "old" unnecessary branches include those that have already acquired a dark brown color. Wild shoots below the level of the kidneys also need to be removed.

Finished?

By pruning enough, you will achieve lush flowering, as well as excellent green growth, without exposing the main stem.
Therefore, pruning is the key to beautiful and lush roses in your garden!

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How to prune roses: spring, summer and autumn pruning roses, when to prune and how to prune

Do not neglect rose pruning! After all, it is needed not only for beauty (the shape of a shrub). Pruning allows you to get a large number of flowers in the new season. I'll tell you exactly how to prune roses and properly form the aerial part of the plant.

Editor's note: The recommendations of the author - a landscape designer from Novosibirsk - are based on the experience of growing for their own climatic zone. Adjust for your region: add or subtract a few weeks if you grow roses in the south or in central Russia

Architectural Plants Ltd

Pruning equipment
Pruning should only be done with a good, sharp tool that ensures an even cut without deformation or damage.

I use secateurs and garden shears to prune roses. I cut the stiff shoots with secateurs, and it is convenient to cut faded flowers with garden shears. I also definitely use gloves (either special for rose growers or old leather ones) - rose thorns are very sharp, and injections and scratches from them heal for a long time.

Janet Paik

Important: Learn how to make the right cut: at an angle of 40-45 degrees at a distance of 5-6 mm from the bud growing in the direction we need, more often - outside the bush. The cut should be even, without damage to the bark and without “chewing” the wood - the health of your plants depends on this.

Interested in landscape design?
Let's select a performer according to your criteria

Tatyana Osipova

Spring pruning
I am often asked when it is better to prune roses - in autumn or spring. Of course, after the winter! The main pruning of roses occurs in the spring, after the plants have come out from under the snow. Spring pruning of roses is of two types - sanitary and shaping.

  • Sanitary trim . First of all, we remove all dead, not overwintered, broken and diseased branches. You need to cut the branches to healthy tissue - that is, until the middle of the cut turns white.
  • Shaping cut . Depending on the type of rose, it can be strong (for 1-2 buds), moderate / medium (for 4-6 buds) and weak (for 8-12 buds).

Janet Paik

The basic rule for pruning any shrub: the stronger the shoot, the less it is cut. For a weak shoot, on the contrary, a stronger pruning is needed, that is, it needs to be cut as low as possible - this stimulates the development of lower, stronger buds (they are located closer to the root system and receive more nutrition).

Important: Don't get too carried away with pruning. The rose does not have to "rise from the ashes" every year, like the Phoenix bird. It weakens her. A well-formed bush increases in volume every year, you only need to correct its shape annually and regulate flowering by pruning.

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Pruning tips for different types of roses

  • Short to medium pruning is suitable for hybrid tea roses. If you need cut roses, cut short. If the decorativeness of the bush is more important, medium pruning is necessary. You can cut some of the shoots short, some - moderately, then the bush will be more harmonious, and its flowering time will be extended.
  • I prune floribundas moderately. So they form the most beautiful bush. The same rule can be applied to spray roses (scrubs).

Tatyana Osipova

  • Climbing roses require more careful shaping. Climbing roses need to be pruned quite hard. Young shoots can be slightly shortened. And those that have already bloomed last year, cut into 3-4 buds - new shoots will grow from them, which will bloom this year. It is better to remove all old shoots older than 3–4 years completely, replacing them with younger and more flexible ones.
  • For ground cover roses, sanitary pruning is usually sufficient. If the rose has grown too much and has already gone beyond the dimensions allotted to it, it is enough just to correct its size and shape.

Tatyana Osipova

on the diagram: strong spring pruning of roses - on 1-2 kidneys

Tatyana Osipova

on the scheme: moderate pruning of the kidneys 7

Tatyana Tatyana Osip In the diagram: weak pruning of roses - for 8-12 buds

Tatyana Osipova

By the way : Do not rush to pick up a climbing rose in spring. I usually remove or loosen some of the holding devices, but I do not immediately raise the rose: I wait until it wakes up and leaves open on new shoots located along the entire length of the stem. And only then I raise, placing the shoots at an angle. So the rose will bloom throughout its height. If you pick it up right away, flowering will be on the tops of the shoots, and the bottom will remain bare, not blooming.

The photo clearly shows that new, flowering shoots have grown along the entire length of the stem that was bent over last season. Now they also need to be placed horizontally so that the kidneys on them wake up along the entire length, and not just at the tops. For beginner rose growers, the figures below schematically show examples of such a garter.

Tatyana Osipova

Scheme of a horizontal garter of a climbing rose in spring

Tatyana Osipova

Scheme of a garter of climbing rose shoots at an angle

Tatyana Osipova

In fact, there are no strict rules on how to prune this or that group of roses. Proper pruning is the one that benefits the flowers. Most often, I do a combined pruning: on one bush, I cut some shoots strongly, and some moderately. With such pruning, for example, a hybrid tea rose, you can achieve a more beautiful shape of the bush and longer flowering. The most important thing is to try to form a bush that is beautiful in shape: rounded, symmetrical, without “holes” and distortions.

The photo clearly shows how I cut two spray roses in my garden

Tatyana Osipova

Photo: the same roses, but after pruning. I trimmed the shoots a little and gave the bushes a suitable shape

Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Summer pruning of roses
Pruning roses during the summer is also possible and necessary. Summer pruning of roses is especially important in the first years of the plant's life. Within two to three years after planting, you need to try to properly form a bush - so that it is harmonious, rounded, not one-sided and not crooked. For this, pruning of roses is needed in the summer: shorten too long shoots in a timely manner, remove those that grow inside the bush or cross with others (otherwise the bush will be too thick and all its branches will not have enough light), remove damaged or broken stems in time.

ZELЁNKA STUDIO

It is convenient to combine formative pruning of roses in summer with pruning of faded flowers. When I remove a faded flower or inflorescence, I always look at how the shoot is located relative to the shape and symmetry of the entire bush. If I see that it strongly outgrows the bush or has taken a not very good direction, I cut it off lower - to the bud that seems to me more correct for the formation of the bush.

Don't forget to keep an eye on rootstock growth: remove it immediately as soon as you notice it. It is not worth the wait and delay.

There are varieties of roses that suddenly throw out long thick shoots - "rods". I shorten such shoots just below the total height of the bush. As practice shows, there is nothing to expect from these shoots, and they spoil the general appearance of the bush.

Tatyana Osipova

Autumn pruning of roses
In autumn I try not to cut roses, I remove only faded flowers and buds, as well as unripe and broken shoots.

Learn more