Hello Fellow Gardeners,

Pruning for those of us in zones 2-5 is pretty simple! It all comes down to this:

Marie Suzanne’s Six Steps to a Happy and Healthy Rose!

What you need to get started: A good pair of leather gloves (mine are getting worn out!), a bottle of Elmer’s school glue or a rose sealer (more expensive), a good pair of pruners, and a spray bottle filled with the Clorox mixture talked about below…

Pruning is simple in cold climates because we are dependent on how much snow coverage we get every year. The height rule that applies in warmer climates does not apply here since winter kill is different for us every year. Winter kill causes the cane to turn black and die back, all you really have to do is cut down to the healthy tissue! See below
However, all other rules as you can see in the following diagram do apply!

You must wait after all danger of frost is past before pruning your roses. The reason for this is that as soon as you prune, the rose awakens and starts to produce. If it is too soon and you have an unexpected frost then it will kill the new growth and perhaps the whole rose as well. So it is very important to wait!

What Must Be Done…

First, remove all broken, diseased, old branches, and any branches that rub against one another.

If your rose is more than 3 years of age then look for a dark gray cane to remove. It will keep your rose young and producing for a long time if you do this every couple of years or so.

Second, cut back all the black discolored stems down to the green healthy area.

Third, look for an outward facing bud! The reason for choosing an outward facing bud is that it keeps the center of your rose plant clear for air circulation therefore preventing diseases.

Buds face upward and resemble the shape of a human eye, thorns face downward! See below
Forth, make a 45 degree cut a ¼ inch just above the previously chosen outward facing bud and cut back to a creamy white center! The end result of your pruning is your rose should be in the shape of a urn or a vase!

Fifth, apply white Elmer’s glue or a rose sealant to each cut. This will prevent cane borer’s who like to enter the stem and eventually kill your rose!

Spray your pruners with a Clorox solution in between plants so you do not carry fungus to other roses. Clorox solution is made with 1 tablespoon of Clorox per gallon of water!

Finally, after pruning, you must clean up your rose bed! This helps to prevent diseases. All stems left from the pruning must be removed and taken away– and do not take them to the compost pile for they may carry some fungal diseases!

I like to fluff the old mulch a bit to allow the rose to get some water. Otherwise the mulch forms an impenetrable blanket which may be great for winter protection but when Spring comes and the danger of frost is passed you want to fluff it to allow some air circulation and water penetration.

I also use this time to add a circle of manure around the rose, with some alfalfa meal, and another organic slow release fertilizer (example: 10-10-10) This will help to keep weeds down and give some much needed nutrients to help the rose along after a long hard winter! Make sure to check out my article on fertilizer’s entitled “Fertilizer 101!”

Alright, I don’t want to throw too much at you all at once, so make sure to check out Part 2 of this article coming very soon! It will help you figure out just what rose varieties need pruning and when!

Happy Gardening,

Marie Suzanne

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