pruning-roses

Growing roses has many facets, which include that of pruning-roses. Pruning roses is a natural thing to do because simply by cutting roses to put them in a vase you are pruning them. And we all love to cut that long stemmed beauty and bring it inside to enjoy it's smell and beauty in the house. It's not quite that simple however.

Each spring you do a more thorough pruning, cutting off dead wood, and shaping the bush. Usually, you prune back to 18 to 24 inch branches. 1/3 - 2/3 is often the rule.

You can make or break the growth of your rose bush by the way you prune it so by learning these simple tips you should have no trouble.

The correct way to prune roses is to open up the center of the bush, and create a vase-like appearance with the outer branches of the rose bush.

This allows the sun to get to the center of the bush, and makes for a healthier bush.

Pruning rose bushes in the north is slightly different than in the south. Where cold weather is an issue, you should not prune rose bushes after October in the USA. Whatever your locality, wherever you live in the world, you can adjust accordingly.

Why October? The rose bush branches have to have time to heal and harden before winter sets in. Check out

care of roses

growing roses

types of roses

and learn how to winter over and protect your roses in winter.