When the Forsythia Bloom, Prune Roses for More Blooms

Pruned roses produce almost twice as many flowers as those plants that don’t get pruned.

Start at the bottom and work your way up.  Wear gloves to protect your hands.  Remove any dead, shriveled, black, diseased or broken wood.

Make the cuts on an angle, about 1/4″ above buds.  Tea roses should be 6″ – 8″ long with 3 to 5 strong, healthy canes per plant.  Prune floribundas to 8″ –  12″ in length with 8 to 10 strong canes per plant.  Just remove about 1/3 of the growth on shrub roses and you are done!

Don’t worry about making mistakes, it’s hard to kill a rose with bad pruning. Prune less in the beginning, you can always go back to cut more.