Pruning roses is really not that difficult.  All we really want to do is remove dead and diseased canes, shape the bush to promote healthy growth with good air circulation, and help the bush get off to a good start in the coming growing season.  Let’s quickly take a look at some of the basics. 

First, you should carefully pull any winter protection that you may have applied back away from the bud union.  Then evaluate the bush and remove any dead or diseased canes.   Next remove all those spindly canes that are not capable of producing any real significant growth.   

It’s now time to make some decisions about what you want from your roses.  If you want large blooms on strong canes, you will have to prune lower.  However, if you’re after more blooms that perhaps are a little smaller, then you can prune higher.  We like our hybrid teas and grandifloras to produce large blooms on strong stems, therefore we prune them lower, which is generally somewhere between 12 and 18 inches.  With floribundas, we’re looking for the mass bloom effect and therefore we prune them higher, which is generally somewhere between 18 and 28 inches.  If you’re pruning climbers or shrubs, remove only the dead and diseased canes mentioned above, as they bloom best on year old wood.  Any major pruning of climbers and shrubs should not be done until after the initial bloom in mid May.  Miniatures can be treated just like hybrid teas and pruned to about 6 inches. 

Regardless of the type of rose, you should try to remove all crossing canes that can rub each other and provide a breeding ground for insects and disease.  A well pruned rose will somewhat resemble a vase with the middle opened up to promote air circulation.   

Make each cut at about a 45-degree angle about 1/8^th to ¼th of an inch above an outward-facing eye.  The eye should be at the topmost part of the slant.  This slant will enable moisture to run off and away from the eye.  Cuts should now be sealed with Elmer’s Glue, Orange Shellac, or pruning wax.  Sealing your cuts will protect them from insects, such as cane borers.   

After you have completed your pruning, it's time to clean up around your beds.  Make sure you remove any discarded debris.  If you want to give your plants a little boost, sprinkle a handful of Epsom Salts around each plant.  You can also apply your favorite organic fertilizer.  We generally don’t recommend that you apply any chemical fertilizer until April.  Next, it is a very good idea to spray lime-sulfur for the last time.  Lime-sulfur will kill any left over disease spores or insects.  Now carefully pull your winter protection back up around your bushes to help protect them from those late spring frosts.   

The Tri-State Rose Society of Chattanooga will be pruning the roses at the Veterans' Park Rose Garden in Soddy Daisy on Saturday morning, March 13, beginning at 10 AM .  Everyone is invited to come join us and get some instruction and tips on pruning techniques.  Hope to see you there!