How to Prune White Meidiland Roses

Pruning roses is important to their overall appearance.

Pruning roses is important, as it gives you control over the shape of the plant, promotes vigorous blooming and benefits the health of the plant. White Meidiland roses are very short shrubs that grow only about a foot tall, so they're often used as groundcover. It is best to prune these roses in the early spring, either while they are still dormant or just as they start exhibiting new growth.

Things You'll Need

• Pruning shears

Instructions

1. Identify and remove any dead or diseased branches. For branches that are partially dead, cut them back to just above a living bud, or about an inch below the dead section, clipping at a 45 degree angle. The inner part of the branch should be very light, so if you clip it and see brown or black, you need to cut further down. In some cases, you will need to remove the entire branch.

2. Remove any branches that are growing sideways through the bush or appear deformed in any way. Prune these off close to ground level. Also remove any shoots that are growing low on the plant's stem and that appear different from the main plant. These are suckers from the rootstock and will not develop like the rest of the rose bush.

3. Cut out about a third of the oldest branches. These will usually be thick and woody looking, and will be less supple than the newer growth. Clip these down low, as close to the base of the plant as possible, removing inner as well as outer branches. Select branches from all over the plant and not just in one area, since this step helps to open the plant to light and air.

4. Shape the plant by pruning back some of the upper branches in order to give the rose bush a pleasing shape. It is important not to cut off more than about a third of the canopy section of the bush, since you can kill the plant if you cut it back too much.

Tips & Warnings

• Use very sharp shears to make all cuts, to minimize chances of crushing the stems and damaging the plant. Deadheading, the term for removing faded or dead flowers, will help to keep your rose bush blooming longer once it begins to flower.

• Do not leave dead or diseased branches anywhere near the rose bushes. Any branches that shows signs of disease should be removed from the premises and should never be placed in the compost pile, as some diseases can survive in the soil for years.

References

• North Carolina State University: White Meidiland Rose