Sharp Beauty: The Rose Isn't Afraid of Pruning Shears!

The warmer sunny days at the turn of March and April are simply inviting for garden work. Among other things, it's the right time to give some care to your beloved roses. The foundation of abundant healthy blooms is proper pruning. Since beauty supposedly requires suffering, your roses won't fear the sharp intervention of scissors either, so don't be afraid yourself! Enjoy your role as both gardener and hairdresser for once!

Why bother at all?

Proper pruning (spring cutting!) is perfect prevention against the diminishing size of flowers and their unwanted decline. If you want to have a rich abundance of charming roses, you can't avoid spring pruning!

Where to start?

First of all, start with the spring "cleansing". You'll only benefit your rose bushes by removing dry, broken (or just cracked), or otherwise damaged (perhaps nibbled) shoots. They'll be like new and full of vitality, you'll see!

What next?

Generally speaking, it's better to undertake major pruning interventions before the first buds sprout. However, you won't avoid your hairdressing and gardening art even afterwards. The so-called "late" pruning needs to be performed primarily on young shoots. Don't take too many liberties with the older ones, as they are typically stronger branches and moreover, your bold shortening could cause unnecessary loss of sap and subsequently also weakening of the entire plant!

Not all roses are alike, or different types mean different pruning

Roses, given their royal nature, also deserve corresponding care. They simply won't settle for ordinary services, and each type requires individual pruning!

1. Bush roses

If roses are the queens of flowers, this is doubly true for this type. Bush roses actually represent first place among all other cultivated ones. This includes large-flowered roses, cluster-flowered roses, and so-called miniature (rock garden) roses.

With large-flowered roses, you can be quite bold and perform a radical cut, where from the original height of about 1 m, only 15-20 cm will remain after your intervention!

With cluster-flowered roses, proceed a bit more sensitively and shorten to about 30 cm.

In the last case, proceed in accordance with the name. Miniature, dwarf roses simply can only tolerate minimal pruning, so just remove faded inflorescences, that will be enough for them!

2. Climbing roses

The second large group consists of climbing roses, characterized by taller growth. These include garden roses, standard roses, and rambling ("trailing" roses).

When it comes to these beauties, focus your spring pruning especially on dried old shoots. Otherwise, adapt the pruning to the desired shape so that the bush has as many young shoots as possible as a result of your work, which will then bloom beautifully for you.

Tip: If you're doing spring pruning, do it in style! Prune roses at a slight angle. Ideally about 5 mm above the bud.

How About a New Rose Generation?

If your old roses are no longer enough and you're thinking about new additions, spring is the ideal time for planting. If you miss this season, you'll have to wait until autumn!

Don't forget that in the first year of planting you can do quite well without fertiliser, but otherwise roses require plenty of nutrients. Chlorine or compost will definitely do them good!

Image source: http://www.aroundyou.com.au/place/attractions/lakemba-community-garden