Pruning rose bush shrubs, technique and timing

Here is how to prune rose bush shrubs, proper timing and relevant techniques.

Pruning of a shrubby rose bushes impacts the shrub’s flowering and guides growth as years go by.

Bush roses or shrub roses are a type of rose usually formed of:

• a very short stem
• from 3 to many shoots sprouting from very low, near ground level
• with lots of branching out
• and many flowers.

They’re different from climbing roses and need a different type of pruning. Read on to see how to prune bush roses!

Season for pruning rose bush shrubs

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

• Less important – Fall is for light pruning that only aims to remove wilted flowers, dead wood and weaker branches.
• More important – End of winter or the beginning of spring. This is when a more drastic and final pruning is performed, most often in very early spring (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