Trimming the Roses throughout the year is easy, there are only three things to remember:
- Prune the flowers that are wilting before they go to hips. This will ensure continuous blooms
- ALWAYS prune to a leaf set with 5 leaves, and try to prune to an outward facing branch to keep your roses growing out (and not crossing branches).
- Stop pruning in late September so that the plant can harden off before Winter
I have done the 5-leaf prunning ever since we moved into a house and inherited a Rose Garden, and I have beautiful flowers all year long. You can also add Accents to your garden for more charm and to make it more interesting.
Hi there !
I saw an article yesterday in the April 06 issue of Better Homes & Gardens re pruning roses. The blurb is as follows:
Deadhead at the Neck
A rose trial conducted at the Royal National Rose Society gardens in England demonstrated how rose deadheading radically effects its rebloom. If it is clipped off at the neck, rather than cut back to the first leaf bearing five leaflets, as rose widsdom once dicted, the bush reblooms sooner, with 50 percent more flowers over the season.
I’ve been pruning a couple of my bushes this way because I have so many blooms on a single stem. It seems to work really well ! FYI.