When is it safe to drastically prune back overgrown rose bushes?

Neeta
by Neeta
Bought a new house and the roses in the front flower bed are very overgrown and strangling out the hydrangeas planted between them. Is mid May in Georgia a safe time to cut them back to a more manageable size? They are blooming riotously at the moment and I hate to lose those blooms but want to save the hydrangeas and give them a chance to bloom.
  7 answers
  • Kathy Kathy on May 18, 2017

    1. Things to Know Before Pruning

    Before you start following the steps, there are a couple of things youā€™ll need to know. First, learn to identify the eye of the bud, where stems grow out. Youā€™ll make your cuts right above this point, which is just above where a mature group of leaves has grown. Also, make sure you have a sharp and clean set of pruning shears, so you can avoid crushing stems and spreading disease.

    2. Making Your Cuts

    Youā€™ll want to make every cut on a 45-degree angle, about 1/4ā€³ above a bud eye. This helps water to run off from the cut edge. When a cut is made, the rose bush will direct growth to the closest bud, resulting in a new shoot where the cut is made. Select bud eyes for pruning that face outward, so new shoots will not grow toward the center of the rose bush. (Shoots that grow toward the center canā€™t grow as effectively and will compromise air circulation.)

    3. How Much to Prune

    For most gardeners, moderate pruning is best. If youā€™re looking for a larger bush with smaller flowers, you can prune less. On the other hand, cutting back more than half of the plant can result in larger, show-worthy blooms. But if you simply want to keep your rose bushes healthy and enjoy plenty of gorgeous flowers, youā€™ll want to meet in the middle.

    Focus on pruning out any dead or diseased canes (or branches), cutting away any damage. Cut canes that cross the interior of the plant, or that seem weak. Also, any ā€œsuckersā€ or shoots can come from under the swollen base of the plant should be removed. On healthy remaining branches, a good rule of thumb is to cut about 1/3 of last yearā€™s growth.

    4. After Pruning

    If you like, you can use a sealant on each cuts as a protective measure. This is an option, but not usually necessary if youā€™ve pruned correctly. Dispose of any diseased cuttings in your green waste container, as composting them could spread disease.

    To maintain a healthy growing season, lightly cut back any dead or dying flowers to promote more blooms. Get rid of any canes that look unhealthy or seem to prevent air circulation. A well-pruned rose bush will look similar to the one below: no congestion in the center, moderate height, and plenty of room for air to move about. Now go forth and prune!


  • Gma Kirk Gma Kirk on May 18, 2017

    I prune my roses in early spring, and then trim lightly as needed through the summer to remove spent blooms, leafless canes, etc. i would recommend you trim judiciously where needed to give your hydrangeas room, but leaving enough of leafed canes that the roses can still remain healthy. Do the more severe pruning early next spring.

  • Neeta Neeta on May 18, 2017

    thank you! They are massively over grown and completely cover the hydrangeas.

  • I would say that you need to be careful and know your blooms. Most roses in your area should be pruned in late winter or early spring. However, some roses won't bloom if you cut them back in spring, for example, climbing roses should be pruned after they bloom. Also roses that only bloom once a season bloom on older parts of the plant, so cutting them back severely in spring will prevent them from blooming that year.

  • Michelle Leslie Michelle Leslie on May 14, 2021

    Hi Neeta, I would wait until they've finished blooming before pruning them down hard. Like most flowering plants, roses spend a lot of their energy to make blooms and you run the risk of putting the plant under too much stress if you prune while they're putting on their beautiful display.