How to prune roses in winter

Story by Jennifer Stackhouse

Pruning is hugely beneficial for the plant that’s getting the chop – and it’s rewarding for the gardener, too! So don’t be afraid to wield those secateurs and tame your plants.

When to prune roses

Roses are hard-pruned in winter and are on most gardeners’ to-do lists. July is the ideal time to prune roses in most areas, but in very cold zones, especially those subject to late frosts, leave your pruning until the end of winter. The aim is to remove about half to two-thirds of last season’s growth to encourage new growth, as this will produce flowers in spring and summer. Pruning is also an opportunity to remove diseased branches and those that cross over each other.

Pruning roses

Tools for the job: Stout gloves, long sleeves, sharp secateurs, a pruning saw and/or loppers, a bin to capture prunings (to avoid double handling thorny branches)

Step 1 Give your rose bushes an all-over cut. Bending tall branches towards you makes it easier to make clean cuts (below, left).

Step 2 Identify a framework of three to five strong, healthy branches, and remove any other stems (especially old, grey wood) at the base of the plant (below, right). Use a pruning saw or loppers for thick wood. Remove any branches growing from ground level (below the graft), as these are sprouting from the root stock. Leave bright red new growth – these are water shoots that renew the rose.

Step 3 Go over the bush, cutting back the framework branches. Make clean cuts just above an outward-facing node (the bump on the stem where new leafy growth is produced) on each branch.

Step 4 Pick up all fallen prunings and diseased leaves and dispose of them.

Step 5 Apply a protective spray of lime sulfur over your pruned rose to target overwintering pests and diseases. This must be done before the new growth appears, as lime burns new growth.