Pruning rose bush shrubs, technique and timing

Here are the tips on how to prune your rose bush shrubs, the right timing and the pruning technique.

The pruning of a rose bush shrub is an important step that impacts the shrub’s flowering and its growth as years go by.

Season for pruning rose bush shrubs

There are 2 pruning seasons throughout the year, and the second one is the more important of the 2.

• Fall is for light pruning that only aims to remove wilted flowers, dead wood and weaker branches.
• The end of winter or the beginning of spring is when a more drastic and final pruning is performed, most often in March. Follow the pruning tips below.

Pruning rose bush shrubs

• Keep in mind that the purpose of the pruning is to cut the shrub short while keeping its main branches.
• It is important to reduce old fibrous branches to make way for young shoots.
• Pruning tries to keep the buds that will grow into flower-bearing branches as close as possible to the graft point.
• Try to cut around the 4^th outward-facing eye.
• Also cut twigs and dead branches, and older stems, too.

Our video advice on rose bush shrub pruning tips

See also:

• Rust: a common rose tree disease
• Pruning climbing rose trees
• Planting roses
• Preparing rose cuttings