Pruning Roses

Yes, to keep your roses in tip- top shape and healthy year-round, pruning in spring is essential.

Typically, Ocean Shores’ last frost is in early April, so start your rose pruning then just as they start to bud or leaf out.

Here are some tips to make the job easy and rewarding:

LET’S START WITH THE RIGHT TOOLS:

1. 1. Gloves: Use leather, gauntlet style or rose gloves to protect hands and forearms.
   2. Clothing: Wear long sleeves and heavy jeans to protect you from thorns.
   3. Shears and Loppers: Bypass blades are recommended because they make a clean cut and will not damage or crush your canes.
   4. Disinfectant: Prepare bucket with 10% bleach solution to clean tools before pruning and to clean tools after each rose bush is pruned.
   5. Cleanup Equipment: Use waste buckets or whatever you wish for cleanup.

START SPRING PRUNING:

1. 1. First remove all the dead & diseased leaves, old & dead wood, and all stems smaller than a pencil. This helps you see if your rose has any problems.
   2. Now prune out the center of your rose so that it looks sort of like the inside of a vase. This gives your rose lots of air circulation and helps keep your rose disease free.
   3. Finally, prune the healthy canes, I will give you two ways to do this and both are correct.

First method: cut your canes at a 45-degree angle (this lets the water run off) just above a outward bud about half way down the cane. The reason for the outward bud is we want the new canes and flowers to grow away from the center of the plant.  Continue until all canes are done. Using Elmer’s Glue (or garden pruning paste), cover each cut with a small amount of glue. This protects the plant from borers and rot.

Second method:  Prune the whole plant back by half its height and use Elmer’s Glue on each cut to protect the plant from borers and rot.

CLEAN UP:

Pick up and remove all trimmings and anything around the base of the rose to protect it from disease and pests.

DONE PRUNING!!!

Feed your roses with a long-lasting organic fertilizer.  Before you know it, you will be enjoy your beautiful blooms!

Happy gardening!

Bridget Timme

For further information on care and pruning of roses check out WSU:  https://pubs.extension.wsu.edu/search?q=roses

And if you have any questions about your roses, please feel free to contact us at info@gardenbytheseaoceanshores.org