Why Rose Bushes?

 It is believed that there are over 150 different varieties of roses. With such a variety of colors, sizes, and shapes to choose from (thanks to over 100 years of modern rose breeding), it’s no wonder they are such a garden favorite across the globe.

Roses, despite the delicate appearance of their flowers, are typically pretty hardy bushes but do require regular maintenance if you want them to look their very best (in terms of shape and health).

There are a variety of different roses so you should be careful to make sure you prune according to what your variety requires. But in the case of most rose bushes, you can follow these guidelines depending on the season.

Spring Pruning

In early spring, you can start pruning at the first signs of growth.

To prune most rose bushes, you want to look for a stem with five leaves on it that is pointing out (you want the roses to grow out and away from the center of the bush to help with air circulation (and to allow more light in) so you don’t get things like leaf spot or powdery mildew).

Then you’ll want to cut at a 45-degree angle about 1/4” above that stem.

You’ll want to pay close attention to this. If you make your cut too close to the bud, you could stunt further growth. If you cut too far, the parts of the remaining cane could die off.

It’s best to prune with a sharp pair of pruning shears so you get a clean cut (frayed cuts will leave rose bushes vulnerable to pests and disease). If you have a cane that’s thicker than about 1/2,” you may need to use sharp loppers or a pruning saw.

You’ll generally want to make sure you take out any suckers (any growth coming directly out of the roots of the roses) at this point too. Suckers will eventually take over your rose bush and the flowers won’t be the same variety of the parent plant that you bought.

This is also the time to prune out any dead canes. You can tell when it’s dead when you don’t see any white or green on the inside of the cane.

Just with any other plant, you’ll want to make sure you don’t prune off anything more than 1/3 of the plant at any one time. Otherwise, you’ll stress the plant out.

Mid-Spring Thinning

Make sure you also take out any thin canes that won’t be strong enough to support blooms. This will help your plant save more of its energy.

Contrary to what you might think, regular pruning actually helps to promote more blooms on your bushes. To get the most blooms, you’ll want to make sure you deadhead spent blooms before they mature into rose hips (this is their way of going to seed and saying they’re done blooming!)

This is especially important for new rose bushes to help strengthen them.

Summer Deadheading

Summer is the perfect time to deadhead (or take off) all of those spent (dead or wilted) flowers.

Of course, if you wanna keep some of those blooms you can cut further down the stem and even cut some of your fresher-looking blooms (like ones that are about to bloom) to use as cuttings for a bouquet!

Early Fall

You don’t want to be doing any heavy pruning in the fall. Cold temperatures are not ideal for pruning and can damage the rose canes.

A great thing to do during fall is to cut off all the dead and diseased stems.

Tips and Tricks

Following these general tips and tricks should help keep your rose bushes looking healthy and well-shaped throughout the year!

What are some of your tips for caring for roses? Any of you enjoying them indoors too?

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