Red Rose

Pruning Red Roses this Spring

Roses are a favourite in any garden. They certainly are in mine, especially the red ones! I have always been a fan of red roses – I’m a sucker for romance, which is why my garden bleeds red during the blooming season. However, it is important to look after roses. Although they are very hardy plants, they can still choke each other and spread disease if left un-pruned.

I prune my red roses systematically throughout the year so that they keep the shape, height and size that I prefer. More importantly, the removal of any infected stems, leaves or branches keeps the roses healthy and disease-free. And don’t forget you need to thin out the stems at the heart of the plant to help the air circulate, which helps prevent mildew or fungal diseases forming. The biggest benefit of pruning red roses is that it encourages larger flowers to grow.

A few important tips to remember when pruning your roses: don’t begin too early in the year because if you do and there is a frost, it can kill off any new shoots brought about by the prune. Subsequently, the plant can punish you by not blooming at all that season. So firstly, it is important to wait until the frosts of the winter are gone before you begin. Secondly you must only use clean, sterile and sharp tools to prune (loppers or secateurs), otherwise you may infect or damage the plant.

When you begin to prune, source out the dead, diseased branches thinner than a pencil. Cut them back to a healthy bud or division to encourage the plant to grow healthy new shoots. It is also important to cut at a 45-degree angle about a quarter of an inch above a bud, facing the outside of the plant, ensuring also that the sharp part of the blade is facing the part of the stem that will remain. If these points aren’t followed, the area of the rose that has been pruned is more than likely going to bruise, which is one of the causes of infection. With roses it is very common for suckers to grow around the root area – these need to be torn out, not cut, so that they don’t prevent any healthy rose growth. Finally it is important to tidy up – all of your cuttings should be burnt, not composted, otherwise the risk of disease and infection can spread rapidly.

My top tip is to give the entire rose bush a light prune after it has flowered, as this will increase the possibility of a second bloom in late summer. The flowers may be smaller, but any second flurry is a bonus!

About the Author

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Makem and Clancy – Red is the Rose

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