How to Prune Roses After Bloom

By pruning, tying and working with the natural growth habit of roses, you can achieve a look of controlled wildness. Planting roses during dormant seasons and pruning them just after bloom, ensures your rose bushes will produce quality roses. If you desire to watch your roses crawl and climb, build trellises and pergolas. Grow larger rose trees under the cascading roses for a shower of color.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Garden pruning shears
• Gloves
• Paint brush
• Glue

1. Wait until all the blooms are off the rose trees before pruning. Enjoy the beautiful flowers before cutting your trees back.

2. Remove all old and woody canes. Cut off all the branches that cross over each other--the ones that seem misplaced.

3. Take off all the dark brown, gray or black shriveled-looking dead wood. Remove all canes as close to the base as possible to prevent leaving stubs.

4. Cut back each young and vital cane by 1/3. Make all the cuts above the buds that face out from the center of the plant. In other words, the bud of new growth is to point away from the center.

5. Hold the garden shears with the blade facing down to ensure the blade makes a clean cut. The hook sits on top while the blade rests underneath. If the hook bruises the wood, the blade cuts it off.

6. Paint the cuts with white glue to protect the rose bush from dehydration and borers.

Tips & Warnings

• Best time to prune rose bushes is after the blooming period before new growth begins. Prune roses annually to promote quality flower production. Prune your rose bushes in mid to late January if you live in the low west. Prune in late February in the coastal northwest. High elevation in the west requires rose pruning in late March.
• Wear gloves to protect your hands from rose thorns. Do not attempt to trim your rose trees with dull shears.