Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. It was so nice to see the joy in my son Jasper’s eyes, this being his first Christmas. The lights, sounds, and constant visits with new faces delighted him. Big brother Skyler has developed the same love that I have for the holidays. This is the first year he is aware of the holiday and the traditions of our family. Sharing this with him reminded me of being a kid, when nothing made me happier than a new box of crayons, perfect and unused. And of course there was food. It looks like I will be wearing elastic waist pants for the next couple of weeks.

But as much as I love the holidays, it’s that time of year again. Time to pick up the pruners and get to work on the deciduous trees and shrubs, especially those roses. I thought I would give everyone a bit of a refresher course on rose pruning. Now, there are different ways to prune roses. Each one has its own purpose. Choose the proper pruning technique based on the type or class of the rose. All cuts made on the plant should be done with sharp, clean shears and at a forty-five degree angle towards the center of the plant. Clean cuts heal more quickly and the angle allows water to run off the cut rather than encourage infection.

The Light Prune
This technique is best used on miniature and ground cover roses. There is not a lot of growth removed from the top of the plant unless branches are broken or growing awkwardly (as in snagging your pant leg as you walk by). Mostly a light prune is for shaping. With miniature roses you want to thin the plant by removing branches from the center of the plant leaving 15 to 20 canes that create a wide bowl shape. Groundcover roses are generally only pruned when they overstep their bounds. I do recommend defoliating your roses at the time of pruning, especially if the plant had fungal problems in the season before. Fungal spores such as powdery mildew and rust can overwinter on the leaves and if left on or below the plant, can spring to life when the weather warms up.

The Moderate Prune
This is the most commonly practiced technique, used on many modern bush roses. A moderate prune is done when the plant has become of desirable size and the gardener is looking for a more floriferous plant. Generally moderate pruning produces average-sized plants with many average-sized flowers. Here you remove one third to one half of the plant in height. Removing all broken, rubbing and awkward branches. Leave 8 to 12 canes of approximately 18 to 24 inches long. Once again you need to form the bowl or basket shape with the remaining canes. As with the light prune I suggest defoliating the plant. Now for the final technique, which happens to be the one I practice each year on my hybrid teas.

The Heavy Prune
When you purchase bare root roses most often they have been pruned this way for shipping. Be warned, a heavily pruned rose is startling for some people and an eyesore in the garden. I do not suggest this for every garden. The heavy prune is all about removing two thirds of the plant’s total height to promote more vigorous new growth in spring. For many roses this also will produce larger but fewer blooms. If you grow hybrid tea roses for cutting or exhibition, this is the technique you would most likely choose. The plant is whittled down to 12 inches tall and only 4 to 8 canes are left. It is important to leave the best canes possible since these will become the skeleton of the plant. Large flowers need sturdy stems and canes to support them. I also use this method of pruning for my floribunda if they have become too twiggy and cluttered in the centers. If you have planted roses that stand alone in the garden I suggest you plant some small evergreen perennials (under two feet tall) in front of them so that the drastic change is less noticeable. As always, defoliate the plant at the time of pruning.

This has been just a brief overview of what I will discuss in the rose pruning classes given here in the nursery. The three degrees of pruning listed above are for repeat blooming bush roses. If you have climbing, old garden or one-time blooming roses I would not follow the above guidelines. If you have questions pertaining to these types of roses give us a call or drop us an email. I will be discussing old garden rose pruning in my classes. Try to drop in.

When you have completed the pruning process I suggest you water thoroughly and mulch around the base. I like to use chicken manure; I find it gives the roses an extra boost when they leaf out. Once you knock the mud from your shoes and pull the leaves from your hair, stand back and imagine that bare spindly plant covered with fresh new growth. It’s almost as satisfying as a new box of crayons. Almost.

–Cheri