How do I prune my shrub, climbing & rambler roses & when should I do it?
Pruning roses is essential for healthy growth, increased flowering, and maintaining a good shape.
If you don’t prune them you can end up with ‘leggy’ roses - all roses want to go up so you can end up with flowers and leaves at the top but none at the bottom and tall spindly plants. Apart from keeping disease at bay the best reason to prune roses is to get more beautiful flowers.
In this blog
We’re a garden design studio in the North West of England crafting modern country gardens that seamlessly blend classic elegance with contemporary flair in Cheshire, North Wales, and the Wirral. In this blog we cover how you should prune three different rose varieties as well as when you should tackle this garden job:
- What to prune on roses
- How to prune shrub roses
- How to prune climbing roses
- How to prune rambling roses
- General tips for pruning roses
What to prune
Easy way to remember is the 3 Ds:
You want to remove -
- Dead
- Damaged
- Diseased wood
Cut right back to healthy wood to prevent disease spreading and anything that looks too weak to hold a flower head. (see ‘How much to take off’ below). Also anything that may be rubbing against another stem and invite disease.
How to prune shrub roses
These include bushy roses like English roses or hybrid shrubs and for example the David Austin English Roses
When to prune shrub roses:
Late winter to early spring (anytime from December to early March in the UK) when the threat of hard frost has passed but before the plant starts active growth. A good indicator that it’s time is you will start to see tiny little red buds forming which indicates sap is rising and the rose is coming out of its dormancy.
How to prune:
You are aiming for a balanced, open vase shape, so thin out overcrowded stems which will improve air circulation and prevent fungal issues. If you take off all the remaining leaves the week before the little red buds will swell as they try to make new ones and so are easier to see.
How much to take off:
Depending on how mature your rose is, take off at least one third and up to one half. Generally, if it’s thicker than a pencil take off about 30cms/12”/10 buds, if it’s thinner than a pencil go down quite a bit further leaving about 10cms/3”. If it is very congested in the middle and has not been pruned for a while take out 2 or 3 strong stems to open it up a bit.
How and where to make the cuts:
Ideally make the cuts just above an outward-facing little red bud at a 45° angle, so cutting away from the bud - it is not a disaster if you cut the other way, always better to prune than not, it’s just better for water run off. You will get new shoots/swelling buds within days of pruning your roses as nature sends her signal to ‘grow now’!
How to prune climbing roses
Climbing roses are those trained specifically along walls, fences, arches, obelisks, pergolas etc. Pruning is very similar to the above.
When to prune:
However, you can start pruning these a little earlier in November or can leave it til about February as long as it is before new growth starts (if you prune after the new growth there is a risk of a late frost killing the new growth that sprouts after the prune and disease getting into the freshly cut stems).
How to prune:
Prune lateral (side) shoots: Cut them back to 2-4 buds (about 15 cm/6 inches) from the main stems. You can further encourage new shoots by as with shrubs, removing weak, spindly growth and tie in new strong shoots to replace old ones over time.
How to train the stems:
With climbers you want to encourage as many stems as possible to therefore create as many flowers as possible. As mentioned at the beginning, all roses want to grow up so by tying the stems horizontally you encourage it to create more vertical stems.
Train the stems from the bottom, out into a fan shape and then gently bend the stems as horizontally as possible. Climber stems are at their most pliable early in the season and therefore are harder to snap.
How to prune rambler roses
Rambler roses produce long, flexible stems and usually flower just the once, in early summer. They don’t require as much pruning as Shrubs and Climbers, but regular light pruning will stop it becoming a tangled mess.
When to prune:
Immediately after flowering (late summer to early autumn, typically July to September). Rambler roses bloom on old wood, so pruning later would cut off next year’s flowers.
How to prune:
Cut back older flowered stems: Remove the stems that have bloomed down to their base or to a strong new shoot. Retain new, vigorous growth: Tie these in as the new flowering framework for next year. As before, remove any dead or weak growth and thin out overcrowded stems to keep the plant manageable.
General Tips for pruning roses
Rule no.1
Don’t panic! Roses are tougher than you think and it is always better to prune than not.
Rule no.2
Use sharp, clean secateurs or for older ramblers, pruning saws, to make clean cuts. Invest in some good rose pruning gloves - worth it!
Rule no.3
After pruning, apply a balanced rose feed and mulch around the roots to promote healthy growth - roses are hungry and love well rotted manure lightly forked in, in and around the base. Hopefully your roses will thrive and reward you with beautiful blooms all summer long! Don’t forget to deadhead regularly to encourage even more flowers.
Let us know if you would like help with your roses or want to incorporate roses into your garden this year.
For more tips on how to prune your roses, read this blog here: Why should I plant bare root roses?
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