Roses, with their wonderful colors, sizes and shapes, steal the heart of every flower lover, but keeping roses in bloom is what makes a gardener tick.
Decisive for the health and beauty of these flowers is the skill of cutting. Fear not if you’re nervous about making cuts, even the clumsiest of chops often heal in time, as these hardy shrubs are renowned for their durability.
Green-fingered Emma Sandford, feeling unsure about pruning, sought guidance from the Gardening UK Facebook group and asked: “When should I prune my roses? They have gone horribly with the weather and need to be cut immediately.”
The survey quickly gathered more than 80 responses, and a consensus emerged to postpone trimming until late winter.
Joining the virtual chat was Sarah Anne who shared: “I gave mine a really good plum in February and they are the best ever! This year we just had to kill them.”
Richard Weaving offered his own advice: “A light cut anytime. As for pruning, wait until February. Of course, don’t cut in the summer.”
Meanwhile, Rachel Ellis said: “[The] The best tip for my roses was to cut them back to five leaves. I don’t know why, but mine have sprouted a lot of new buds since I’ve been doing this.”
Shannon Fields declared, “The best time to cut them is in February. My roses have been blooming like crazy since I pruned them.”
Jasmine Bartlett shared her own gardening miracle: “My roses were horrible and woody. I wanted to dig them out, but they were too well planted, so I cut them back flush with the ground in February-March.
“To my surprise, they grew back with young strong stems and bloomed beautifully with gorgeous blooms. It only took two minutes.”
Mark Wilson offered his advice, stating: “It’s a bit early here in the UK but I’m still stuck. I’d wait until October, then halve and clean and then again during February.”
Fiona Mitchell provided a step-by-step guide which reveals: “The first pruning period is in late autumn, just after growth has stopped and the second pruning period is in late winter/early spring – just before new growth starts.”
“If you prune your rose bush pretty hard early in the spring, it will force it to send out new shoots (branches).
The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) echoes this sentiment, confirming that roses should be cut back in late winter when the plants come back to life, “usually mid-February in the south, but in northern and colder areas wait until March”.
In the meantime, those interested in pruning can keep themselves busy by deadheading beloved rose bushes in the summer after flowering. Deadheading refers to the tactful removal of wilted flowers so that the rose can concentrate on producing more flowers.
