How to Prune Roses—and Why You Should Right Now Before It’s Too Late

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These flowers are a gorgeous addition to any yard, but they do require the right care—at the right time.

“To maintain strong, great-looking roses, proper pruning is essential,” says Jeff McManus, director of landscape services at the University of Mississippi and author of “Growing Weeders Into Leaders.”

“It is the key that keeps your roses healthy and vigorous while producing beautiful flowers,” McManus explains. Pruning also helps control the dead, diseased, and damaged canes (the technical term for rose stems) on the rosebush.

So if you want your roses to flourish, it’s time to learn how to prune them, and when these classic flowers will most appreciate a little TLC.

The best time to prune roses

According to McManus, the best time to prune is generally at winter’s end. However, since that varies from climate to climate, a good rule of thumb is to prune after the last frost and when flower buds begin to swell.

Generally speaking, one of the big causes of roses not doing well is a disease called “black spot.” This disease needs a moist environment to thrive. “Good pruning will open up the plant and allow for airflow, which helps prevent black spot disease,” says McManus.

The best way to prune roses

Before doing any pruning, however, it’s important that you learn the correct angle at which to cut.

“Don’t cut the cane straight across, a flat cut so to speak, because water may collect on top of the flat cut and begin to cause disease issues for the plant,” instructs McManus. “Instead, prune the stems at a 45-degree angle because it keeps water from collecting on the stem at the cut.”

Make sure your pruning cuts are at 45-degree angles.

Growing Weeders into Leaders/Allie Bush

Now that you know the best angle, get ready to make the cut!

How to prune roses

You’ll need the following tools:

Gardening gloves (preferably made of thick leather to prevent cuts from thorns) Pruning sheers Lopping sheers (optional, but good for larger canes and also minimizing thorn contact)

 

Step 1: Ditch the dead weight

Remove all the old leaves from the roses.

“This will not hurt the rose and will allow you to see the canes and where to prune much better,” says McManus.

In fact, don’t ever leave anything dying on the vine, so to speak. Deadheading—regularly removing the old, spent flowers—also helps the rose bloom throughout the peak season.

Regularly removing dead blooms and stems will help keep your rose flourishing.

Growing Weeders Into Leaders/Allie Bush

Step 2: Play favorites and level the rest

Pick four to seven strong, healthy canes—the main branches of the rose bush—and remove the remaining ones to ground level.

“If any cane is brown and shriveled up, remove it, but keep green, healthy ones,” says McManus. Ideally you’ll want to end up with those healthy canes in a vase shape (so select accordingly).

Choose canes to keep that will form a vase shape, opening outward once pruned.

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Step 3: Trim the excess

Have the four to seven canes you want to keep? Prune these to about 18 inches in height. Look for outward-facing buds on the cane. (A bud refers to the bulging place on a cane where a plant will launch its new growth—a stem or shoot.) You want to choose buds on the outside of the cane, because making the cut there will encourage a rose to grow outward so that it will remain open, allowing air to pass through the plant more readily. This is a natural way to prevent black spot disease.

Make the cut about a half-inch above the outward-facing bud, at a 45-degree angle on each remaining cane.

Cut at a 45-degree angle about a half-inch above an outward-facing bud.

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Step 4: Seal the deal

To accelerate the healing process after the cut is made, some people may apply a drop of wood glue (or nail polish or black pruning sealer) to ensure a quicker recovery as well as provide an instant protective barrier against insect attack on the freshly exposed cane. However, McManus says this step is more of an extra and isn’t required for effective pruning at a basic level.

Step 5: Keep an eye on your lovely future bouquet

As your rose begins the growth process, keep an eye on your work. If any of the canes start to cross one another (you want the bush to stay open in the center for maximum air circulation) or look diseased, feel free to trim them as well. The goal is to promote the best blooms you can, and roses will respond favorably when given a little tender, loving care.

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