Pruning roses is a must-do job for spring. Your plants will reward you with beautiful blooms and vigorous health that helps ward off disease. This article provides the basics of rose pruning. Check with your county OSU Extension office if you have additional questions.

Why prune roses?

Roses should be pruned annually in spring to encourage new growth and a succession of flowers throughout the growing season.

Underpruning is the most common cause of an unproductive rose. If pruned improperly, plants will have weak canes, poor form and little air circulation. However, neglected roses can easily be rejuvenated by pruning.

When to prune during the year?

Spring pruning of established plants

In the Willamette Valley, prune from mid-February to early March, when the weather is conducive for the plants to start growing. Earlier pruning (before the last hard frost or forecasted cold weather) may cause die-back that necessitates repruning. Note: the later you prune, the later your first bloom flush will occur.

Bare root roses (at spring planting)

Prune the canes to ~6 inches at planting. This will encourage good root growth and establishment during the first growing season.

Deadheading during the growing season

Repeat blooming roses, including climbers, will bloom more profusely if faded blossoms are removed. Cut the stem back to an outward facing bud, cutting at a 45-degree angle to increase air circulation and encourage the plant to put nutrients and energy into the bud to produce more flowers.

Fall pruning

Take several inches off Hybrid Tea, Floribunda, and Grandiflora roses to reduce wind damage to canes during the winter.

Pruning supplies

Purchase the best garden tools that you can afford. This is particularly true for cutting tools. When you shop for them, be sure that they feel comfortable. They should fit your hand and not be too heavy.

Bypass blade pruners

The most useful cutting tool for roses, bypass pruners will cut a woody stem up to three-quarters of an inch thick. Do not try to exceed their capability as you may damage both the tool and the plant. Keep your pruner sharp so it makes a clean cut.

Loppers

Loppers are pruners with long handles that make it easier to cut thick canes. Those with a bypass blade are particularly effective. Loppers come in several sizes, so try a variety before you purchase one.

Pruning saws

Allowing you to cut almost anything with ease, pruning saws come with wooden handles, and several models have a handle that the blade folds into for storage.

Tool sanitizer

Tool sanitizer helps prevent the spread of plant disease. Sanitize your pruners by dipping the blades into rubbing alcohol (70% isopropyl alcohol) or using a disinfectant spray before working on each plant.

Long gloves

Made from thick material, long gloves are useful for protecting your hands and forearms from thorns.

Pruning different types of roses

Know the type of rose you have. Roses perform best when pruned properly for their type.

Hybrid Tea-Grandiflora

The natural plant shape is like a large vase and it has large flowers. Deadhead during the growing season to promote rebloom. Moderately prune to 12–18 inches tall in the spring.

Floribunda

Generally a larger plant than hybrid tea roses and has flowers in clusters. Remove interior lateral canes to promote good air circulation. Moderately prune to 24-36 inches tall in the spring.

Climbers

Deadhead during the growing season to promote rebloom. Major canes are maintained horizontally to promote maximum bloom and only the lateral branches are pruned in the spring.

Other rose types

These include shrub roses, standard roses, miniature roses, ramblers, etc. have specialized pruning techniques.

The proper pruning cut

Make a clean 45-degree cut on a downward slant, away from the bud, about a quarter inch above an outward facing bud (see illustration in sidebar). Cutting on an angle helps water run off. Leaving 1/4” of cane above the bud ensures the wound can heal properly. Cutting to bud that is facing the outside of the plant increases air circulation by keeping the plant open in the middle. This can help reduce disease issues.

Spring pruning techniques

Pruning hybrid tea-grandiflora and floribunda type roses

1. Start by removing dead, dying or diseased canes. Cut canes to white or pale green live pith. Brown coloration indicates a dead or dying cane and may require pruning to a bud lower on the crown to find live pith.
2. Remove any crossing or rubbing canes. These tend to promote damage to the canes, and that encourages disease.
3. Select three to six strong canes from the previous year’s growth to keep. Remove all other growth by pruning off at an inch or so above the ground.
4. Prune back the selected canes (12-18 inches for hybrid tea-grandiflora and 24-26 inches for floribunda types.). Cut above an outward facing bud using the recommended pruning cut described above.

If the buds are difficult to see, try this technique: cut the foliage from the bush two weeks before pruning. This causes the new buds to swell and become easier to see. Cut rather than tear the leaves to prevent damage to the dormant buds.

Pruning climbing roses

Climbing roses are pruned differently than other roses. Cutting off the leaves may be helpful to allow you to see the rose’s structure.

1. Remove all twiggy, dead, diseased, or nonproductive growth.
2. Trim back the main canes that have outgrown the trellis or support system (if needed).
3. Start by picking one cane and trimming the lateral (side) branches. Leave three to five buds on each lateral. You may need to untie the cane from the support.
4. Rearrange the cane on the support so that it is as horizontal as possible (to encourage flower formation on the laterals) and loosely retie the cane to the support

Repeat this process with the other main canes.

Dormant spray after pruning

Follow up with a dormant oil spray after pruning. Dormant oil coats canes, buds, and leaves, suffocating pests (like aphid eggs) and the spores of overwintering fungi. The oil needs to be applied before the rose sends out new shoots.