How to Prune Roses
The rose plant might seem like one of nature’s tough beauties, just look at the thick gloves we have to wear whenever we tend them, protecting us from the thorny defences this plant has evolved to ward off potential danger. Yet while it may be true that roses can indeed be hardy, gardeners have developed the utmost skill and care to cultivate these iconic plants to their fullest beauty.
Introduction
The rose plant might seem like one of nature’s tough beauties, just look at the thick gloves we have to wear whenever we tend them, protecting us from the thorny defences this plant has evolved to ward off potential danger. Yet while it may be true that roses can indeed be hardy, gardeners have developed the utmost skill and care to cultivate these iconic plants to their fullest beauty.
Pruning, as you’ve probably heard, is a major part of that process and has the potential to encourage the fullest growth and richest blooms from your roses. There are many good reasons to prune, but chief amongst them is certainly the new lease of life it is gives roses. Pruning can not only help to extend the general lifespan of a rose plant, but it can also equip it with the health and preparation to survive harsh winters, promising rich blooms in the coming year.
Of course, roses are a diverse range of species and not all should be pruned in the same way or at the same time. That said, if you keep in mind what type of rose, you’re dealing with, be it climbing or rambling, shrub or bush, pruning is a pretty straightforward task that can reap big rewards in keeping your plant healthy.

General Guide to Pruning
Keeping in mind that there are slight differences depending on your type of rose you intend to prune, there are thankfully several general guidelines that hold good in all cases. For best results, read these general points in conjunction with the more specific information below.

Tools
When it comes to tools, rose pruning does not demand you break the bank. A few simple tools that are widely available is all that’s required to begin caring for your roses. These are:

Secateurs
Naturally, you’re going to need something to do the pruning with! Luckily, a good pair of secateurs will do the trick for most types of pruning you can expect to do. With pruning, a good clean cut is important, so perhaps pick up a sharpening tool as well – you might need it down the line.

Garden Gloves
A good thick pair of garden gloves are pretty much essential when it comes to rose care and it’s pretty obvious why! Avoid prickly thorns with a good hard wearing material.

Bucket
When removing the large spindly branches of a rambling rose, for example, you’ll probably have to dispose of the debris yourself, but a good-sized bucket can be very useful for catching smaller debris. Depending on the time of year you prune, unwanted seeding may be an issue when cuttings fall to the soil. The humble bucket is all you need to prevent this.

Loppers (or a small saw)
For those rose plants with larger stems to cut (usually rambling roses) you may need something a bit more heavy-duty to do the cutting. Luckily, it’s pretty easy to tell if you’re going to need them as it should be quite obvious where secateurs will be insufficient to make a clean cut through a branch. For cutting away stumps or larger stems to the ground.

Pruning
When coming to pruning roses, of any type, you’ll want to keep in mind that cuts should be no more than ¼in (5mm) above the bud, regardless of what you are removing. This rule also applies to deadheading roses, which you can read about here. It’s a good idea also to cut sloping away from the bud as this prevents water from collecting upon it, which can lead to rotting. For aiding precision here, you’ll thank yourself for keeping your secateurs nice and sharp.
If you encounter any stems which are crossing over one another (as is likely to be the case with climbing or rambling roses), remove them entirely. Naturally enough, the same goes for any stems which are visibly dead or diseased. You should aim for well-spaced stems through which the air can circulate. When a rose plant is multi-stemmed (which means it will probably be a climber or a rambler) always remove the oldest stems first. You can usually tell which these are by the presence of a grey and flaky bark.
With the less expansive shrub and bush types of roses, it’s a good idea to take one or two of the stems right down to ground level (again, the older stems are the ones to cut) and you can also shorten the remaining stems by between a third a half.

Pruning Techniques
The great thing about pruning techniques is you can control the eventual shape of your rose plant by strategic cutting with respect to the buds. For example, prune stems towards the outward facing buds to encourage more spreading or, if you should wish a more upright habit, prune towards the inward facing stems.
When your rose plant is well established and has returned blooms year on year, you can afford to be less delicate in your pruning. For example, any flowerless woody stems can be cut right back when dealing with a well-established plant. You can also remove any stubs which have failed to produce new shoots. As a final point, keep in mind that rose plant cuttings shouldn’t be composted, simply bin or burn them.

When to Prune Roses
When you prune your roses can be dependent on several things, but by far the most important is just what type of rose you’re dealing with. You don’t need to be too specific, but it’s a good idea to try and work out whether you’re dealing with a climber, a rambler, a shrub or a bush before you settle on a time of year to do your pruning. Generally speaking, it isn’t terribly difficult to narrow things down and work out what you’re dealing with.
Climbers and ramblers, as you might expect, are typified by their long stems which have a tendency to intertwine. They will also almost always require some sort of support to grow. To distinguish between these two types, look for what happens during the pruning season after you have cut back the older stems. If vigorous, long and poorly flowering shoots appear, you’re dealing with a rambler; if you get a less vigorous but better flowering response, then it’s a climber you have on your hands.

It's Easy!
Similarly, with the smaller and freestanding shrub and bush types, response to pruning is also the way to distinguish. Vigorous and flowering regrowth indicates a bushy rose; otherwise, it’s a shrub.
Don’t worry too much if you are having difficulty identifying the type of rose on your hands. The method of pruning doesn’t differ too much between climbers and ramblers, and shrubs and bushes. Besides, if you’re still lost, opting for pruning in late February/March is a pretty safe bet, being the best time to prune for the majority of roses.

Winter/Early Spring Pruning
In England, late February is usually the time when the frosts begin to die back and, through no coincidence this is also the best time to prune for most roses. At this time, you’ll want to prune your shrub and bush roses. Roses grow fast, and you might find some very early growth already quite well developed. You should cut this back, to prevent damage upon the possible return of frost and also to prevent the kind of stem density which can lead to entanglement.
Climbing roses should also be pruned at this time, just as soon as the blooms have faded. You can take misshapen or diseased branches hard down, a task for which you will probably require loppers.

Summer Pruning
Summer is of course the flowering season and, with all but the very specific “Old English Rose”, you’ll find that regular flowering will lead, in pretty much all cases, to regular deadheading. You can read our guide on deadheading roses here.
In late summer, it’s time to prune rambling roses. You can do this just as soon as the flowers and hips have shown. When pruning rambling roses, be sure to cut back the oldest stems and remove any that threaten entanglement.

Autumn Pruning
The autumn is a good time to undertake what is known as renovation work, specifically on rambling roses. With these expansive plants, it’s easier to see what you’re doing when they are not in leaf. At this time, you can cut back several of the older woody stems to the ground, just be sure to leave around six young and healthy stems to lead you into another year of blooms.

Now You’re Ready to Prune
Rose pruning is all about getting rid of the diseased and old and making way for new stems and blooms to grow fully and in harmony with their neighbours. The rose is at heart an unruly plant that will criss-cross when it can and put up a dense lattice of thorns for its protection. But taking some time to prune, and coaxing out the beauty of what is probably most iconic flower of all time, happens to be one of the most rewarding tasks in all of gardening.
