DIY Winter Pruning for Knockout Roses

Pruning shears and loppers are ideal for winter pruning roses.

Knock Out roses have been bred for easy care, and their pruning requirements are as simple and straightforward as rose pruning can get. Annual pruning is typically recommended for early spring after the last hard frost occurs in your region. In frost free climes, you can prune easily in winter with no threat of damage. You can prune an entire bush in a matter of minutes, leaving the rose shrubs ready for vigorous new growth once spring arrives. Knock Out roses can tolerate severe annual pruning; but you can also prune them more sparingly to preserve a larger shrub size.

Things You'll Need

• Pruning shears
• Loppers

Instructions

1. Prune away any diseased, cracked, dead or otherwise damaged canes down to a point of healthy tissue. Sever the problem canes just 1/4 inch above a leaf node or bud with a cut on the bias, collecting and discarding the problem cuttings.

2. Remove roughly one-third to one-half of the shrub height, leaving as little as 12 to 18 inches of cane length, to rejuvenate the shrub. Severe pruning like this will keep a more dense and compact growth form for the spring and summer that follow. Shear off the canes at a uniform height, as desired, composting or discarding the cuttings.

3. Reduce the cane length selectively as desired to gently reduce the height and spread of the shrub to suit the landscape setting, as desired. Cut the canes on the bias, working all around the shrub so a balanced framework of canes remains. Compost or discard the cuttings.

Tips & Warnings

• Fastidiously clean up any trace of cuttings or other debris that may have collected on the soil that might serve as a breeding ground for pests and disease over the winter, leaving a clean soil surface.

References

• Conrad Pyle Company: How to Care for a Knock Out Rose
• Conrad Pyle Co.: How to Prune A Knock Out Rose