How To Prune Roses The Easy Way
My no-nonsense guide to dispel the myths and clear the clutter.
Have you pruned your roses yet? Nope, neither have I, darn it! But, it’s not too late. Relax. Here’s my simple guide so you have lots of lovely healthy blooms this Summer.
Roses are amongst my favourite flowers and I miss them so much. One of the problems with all the home renovations and garden makeovers I’ve done over the years is that I’ve always ended up having to leave gardens that I adored. The one in the photo above in Surrey was harder to let go than any other, and that’s because there was an abundance of roses. They add a timeless elegance that’s hard to beat, the more fragrant and blousy the better.
If we had stayed at the Victorian house we renovated from 2021 through to last year, then the next stage of the garden design was to fill it with highly scented roses surrounded by cottage garden perennials. Alas, that was not meant to be and so here we are in the barn garden and I am determined to make sure of two things: we stay here and that I plant a hell of a lot of roses.
There are a few inherited specimens in our garden, one of them an absolute stunner, which I think could be Rosa Winchester Cathedral, but I will happily be corrected. I also have two ramblers, one of which I think might be Rosa Blue for you, a David Austin rose, which has an incredible violet scent with mauve blooms that fade to silver-blue. Stupidly, I forgot to take a photo last summer of the latter, so the photo below is from their website.
The ramblers were pruned after flowering last summer, but I must get to the couple of shrub roses that we have asap. I must point out that I am not an expert. I have no formal horticultural training whatsoever. But, I do have over 27 years experience in the garden, many gardens. I’ve simply learned things through trial and error and a hell of a lot of reading. So, this guide is how I do things to suit me. A lot of people say to prune shrub roses in late autumn, but I always forget and inevitably I end up being late. No matter though, roses are tough little things. Plus the RHS recommends late winter in February or early March, so I’m going with that.
The main reason for rose pruning in the winter months is because the plant is dormant. Potentially, pruning once buds start to form can cause issues with frost and supposedly it can deplete the plant of energy.
However, in my opinion it’s still better to do it now rather than not at all. For all you beginners out there, or for people scared of doing the wrong thing, please don’t worry! My mother always used to say that the best thing you can do for a rose is give a pair of secateurs to a complete novice and let them hack away! Now, I don’t entirely agree with that, but there is some truth in it.
Rose care is so much easier than you think. Just plant your roses in a sunny place with well-drained soil. Water them regularly in the growing season and feed them with a good fertiliser. Prune them in late winter, unless they are a rambler and clear all diseased leaves from the plant and the ground. That’s about it!
So, here’s what I do from start to finish:
In my guide I’ll be telling you about the tools I use, the four Ds, the various types of roses and pruning techniques, but more than anything else I’m going to tell you how easy it is and demystify the whole thing. There’s also a video for people who like the visuals. Plus, I’ll be telling you about a very exciting live event coming up soon. Become a paid supporter to continue reading and watching.