How to Prune Ground Cover Roses

Ground cover roses need only minimal pruning.

Pruning roses helps to keep the plant healthy and encourages new rose shoots to grow and flower. When pruning ground roses, look specifically for shoots that are dead, weak and old. Rose shoots that are growing inward, toward the center of the plant, also need to be pruned to allow the plant to gather enough air and sunlight. March or April is ideal for pruning ground cover roses. Prune the plants when they are dormant, but not when there is frost or snow on the ground.

Things You'll Need

• Gloves
• Pruning shears
• Pruning saw

Instructions

1. Locate a rosebud on this season's growth. The buds are the line where the leaf joins the stem. Select buds that are facing outward, as these buds are more likely to grow into shoots and cause the plant to grow out, not in on itself.

2. Grasp the shoot with a gloved hand, holding it slightly below the bud.

3. Trim the shoot just above the bud, cutting at a 45-degree angle. This angle helps keep rainwater away from the bud, preventing it from drowning.

4. Remove any weak, damaged or dead rose shoots by cutting them down to the ground with pruning shears.

5. Trim 25 percent of the last season's rose shoots down to 6 inches above the ground.

References

• Rosebuddies: The Basic Rules of Pruning Roses
• Rosebuddies: Pruning Ground Cover Roses