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How to prune roses to maximise blooms: an expert guide to pruning every type of rose

The gardening experts reveal their top tips and methods for pruning your roses

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Keen to learn how to prune roses like a pro? Now is the perfect time to get to work, as these beautiful flowering plants can be pruned during late winter when growth is just resuming, which is anywhere between February and March, depending on where you're based in the UK.

It sounds counterintuitive, but pruning is actually one of the easiest ways to maximise blooming and new growth, not to mention improve your plants’ health. In fact, taking the time to (carefully) remove all of those dead, diseased and dying stems will ensure that your roses are at their optimum best for the new growing season ahead.

How to prune roses: an expert guide top all types

One of our most beloved classic cottage garden plants, the rose is one of the most popular flowers across the globe, with over 100 species and counting.

As a rule, though, almost all roses will benefit from good pruning in the late winter, which is why it's so important to master the basics of this must-do gardening task.

"Learning how to prune roses is an essential task for any gardener, because, when done correctly, it promotes healthier and more productive growth," says Steve Swanborough, a gardening expert at Henchman.

"This annual task is not just about keeping the plant looking tidy, but it also ensures your roses produce an abundance of high-quality, beautiful blooms to fill your garden with colour and fragrance," he adds.

pruning thorny rose bush stems in winter

Roses should be pruned at the end of their dormancy period

(Image credit: AntaresNS / iStock / Getty Images Plus / Getty Images)

As with any other gardening job, it's important to have the right tools to hand before you begin pruning your roses in earnest.

To that end, then, make sure you have:

When to start the job

It makes sense that, when learning how to prune roses, you should also spend some time brushing up on when to prune them.

"The best time to prune them is in late winter, before it starts active growth again come spring," says Steve, meaning roses are a plant to prune from January onwards. "This is because when it is dormant, it allows you to easily assess the plant to remove dead, diseased or damaged branches that may be harming the bush's overall health."

Not only does this help shape the plant, but Steve adds that it will "also encourage proper air circulation and sunlight penetration, which can help prevent fungal diseases and the spread of unwanted pests."

It's also important to "choose a day without frost or rain", says award-winning garden designer Zoe Claymore. "This will ensure that the cuts will have a better chance of healing without infection," she explains.

Zoe Claymore - headshot
Zoe Claymore

Zoe Claymore is a multi-award-winning garden designer based in London. She focuses on creating outdoor places with emotional connection and ecological integrity for her private and commercial clients.

pink garden rose

(Image credit: Jacky Parker Photography / Moment / Getty Images)

Step-by-step guide to pruning roses

If you want to get your roses ready for all of your favourite summer garden trends, it's a good idea to learn how to prune roses before you even think about touching a thorny stem with a pair of secateurs.

1. Prep your secateurs

While we're on the subject of garden tools, you'll also want to prep that same pair of secateurs before you begin pruning, too, to ensure you're doing the job properly.

"Use some good secateurs and sterilise them beforehand to reduce the chance of bringing in infection," says Zoe. "Take care to sterilise between roses as well, especially if you've had disease in your garden."

Zoe recommends cleaning with citric acid, as she adds. "Diluted citric acid can work well."

2. Remove any dead wood

To effectively prune your roses, Steve says that you should "start by removing any brown, dead wood using your secateurs".

As with all cuts on a rose, these should be placed no more than 5mm (¼ in) above a bud and should slope downwards away from it.

This will stop any water from collecting on the bud, and reduce your plant's chances of infection.

3. Take out any crowded branches

The next step in How To Prune Roses 101 is simple enough: you want to "take out any crossing or crowded branches, and thin or weak growth," says Steve.

Again, he says that you "should aim to make cuts half an inch above a bud at a 45-degree angle, sloping away from it".

With shrub and hybrid tea roses, Zoe says that you can "encourage an open-centred shape" by cutting to an outward-facing bud.

4. Don't be afraid to cut things back

Ideally, you'll want to cut your rose down by around a third. Whether you're generally sorting your garden out or pruning your roses, don't be scared to chop more than you think.

"If it is a new rose, you can cut an awful lot more off in the first years, so go for it," says Zoe. "And don't forget to cut off any spindly stems that couldn't hold a flower up!"

Steve agrees, adding that your rose bush will likely be significantly smaller and appear bare after pruning, but that you shouldn’t be alarmed. "It will grow back stronger and quicker come spring!” he promises.

5. Tailor the job for climbing roses

If you're trying to figure out how to prune a climbing rose, Zoe says to remember that "you are usually pruning them over something (called training) to a desired shape, so when you are pruning you need to consider the balance of the skeleton you are making alongside removing dead, diseased or dying shoots".

"If you've inherited a climber with only one thick old stem at ground level, shorten it by up to half but no more; it may not grow back, and see how it grows."

While climbing roses are one of the best plants for a pergola, they need to be pruned correctly for the desired effect.

6. Don't skimp on the mulching

When learning how to prune roses, the final step is simple: give your roses a dose of general or rose fertiliser in the spring, and be sure to mulch them generously with a thick layer of well-rotted manure or bark chippings.

Read our guide to mulching to get the best results from your efforts.

FAQs

What month do you prune roses?

All of our experts are in firm agreement: the best time to prune roses is during the late winter, when they are just resuming their growth.

"This will likely be sometime between February and March," says Zoe.

Rambling roses, however, are usually pruned in late summer, after their show of flowers and hips.

Should you cut off roses after they bloom?

Remember not to confuse pruning with deadheading (aka the removal of fading or dead flowers from plants), as the latter is best carried out in the summer after your roses have finished flowering. Just be sure not to deadhead any hip-producing roses if you want hips in the autumn/winter.

When it comes to deadheading plants properly, knowing the right time and what part of your plant to deadhead is incredibly important. If not, you can easily stunt growth or cause the plant distress.

What happens if you don't prune roses?

"There are three reasons to prune roses," explains Zoe. "Firstly, for their health, which will be improved by removing dead diseased or dying parts of the plant."

"Secondly, for their looks: by hard pruning your rose into a balanced structure, you will improve its appearance and encourage a strong branch framework that will enable flowers to be supported. Thirdly, by pruning them, you will likely encourage lots of new growth with many more flowers on," she continues.

pink rose with several rose buds around it

(Image credit: Getty Images)

What are the common mistakes when pruning?

It's all too easy to fall for the easy winter gardening mistakes, especially when it comes to pruning. But what exactly are the common pitfalls when it comes to roses?

"Pruning at the wrong time or making cuts that compromise plant health and future bloom. Winter-pruning once-blooming roses and ramblers removes the wood that carries next season’s flowers, and cutting during hard frost risks dieback," starts Dr Russell Sharp, Plant scientist and Founder of Eutrema.

"Leaving stubs, making ragged cuts, or cutting to inward-facing buds reduces airflow and invites disease, as does skipping dead, diseased and crossing wood. Using blunt or unsanitised tools spreads problems between plants, and over-pruning young roses or failing to tie in and fan out climbers leads to fewer flowering laterals and a weak framework," he adds.

Dr Russell also warns against using dirty secateurs; you need to be dipping them in vinegar or another plant-safe sterilant. You'll need to do this even if you're moving from one rose bush to another.

Dr Russell Sharp
Dr Russell Sharp

Dr Russell Sharp is a plant scientist and innovator, best known for developing the range of plant care products offered by his company, Eutrema. He previously served as Senior Lecturer in Horticulture at Moulton College and Northampton University, where he shared his expertise with the next generation of plant enthusiasts.

When should you not cut roses?

While roses should be on your list of plants to prune in February, you might be tempted to do it during other months of the year. There is some leeway; however, there are times when you should definitely not pick up the secateurs.

"I advise holding off whenever weather or bloom timing makes cutting risky or counterproductive. Avoid heavy pruning during hard frosts or immediately before a forecast freeze, do not winter-prune once-blooming types or most ramblers, and do not hard-prune newly planted roses in their first season," says Dr Russell.

He also advises against deadheading in late summer, should you want hips for autumn colour and wildlife. "It's also best to skip pruning when plants are drought-stressed, or the soil is waterlogged until hydration and drainage are corrected," he adds.

"In periods of active disease spread, focus on hygiene and tool cleaning, and if pests are the issue, favour targeted biologicals such as biological pesticides over removing otherwise healthy wood," finishes Dr Russell.

Now that you know how to prune roses, you can set to work making sure your garden is filled with beautiful blooms come the summertime. Good luck.

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Kayleigh Dray
Kayleigh Dray
Contributor

Kayleigh Dray is an experienced writer and editor within the world of digital journalism. She kicked off her career in magazines with Cosmopolitan as a news writer. Kayleigh then went on to become part of the digital editorial team at Closer, before a successful seven-year stint at Stylist, where she took command as the site’s editor and editor-at-large.


Nowadays, Kayleigh can be found freelancing for a myriad of titles including Woman & Home, along with a role at Ideal Home where she waxes lyrical about her true love: gardening. She is currently giving her own backyard a woodland-inspired makeover – and there have been whispers of a vegetable plot, too.

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