Step 1: When do I prune my rose bush?

• Prune your rose bush in early spring, never in the fall and never in the winter.  Check your rose bush from time to time as spring moves along and when you start to see new shoots growing from the canes on your rose bush, that’s a good sign that it is time to prune.

Step 2: Use proper tools

• You will need a few basic tools when the time comes to prune your roses: gloves, because of the thorns on your rose bush. Lopping sheers, for some of the heavier canes that are going to be difficult to cut with some of the smaller sheers. Small hand sheers, for some of the finer work, and a pair of hedge trimmers to get the job done quickly.

Step 3: Determine how high you want to prune

• Determining how high you want to prune depends on how high you want your rose bush to finish.  Your rose bush will usually triple in size after pruning so cutting it back to about a foot will leave it at 3 feet when it finished growing.

Click here to watch a helpful video on how to prune!