How should i prune my rose bush?

by Erez

Hi Erez
thank you for sharing, you can find all about it and more at :
http://www.handpruning.com/pruning-rose-bushes.html.

mean while ill provide you with the basics as follow.

Before pruning. I have noticed a change in the last few years in the way people think about pruning roses. The new approach is to avoid hard (winter) pruning every year, unless the condition of the rose bush requires it. Pruning rose bushes younger than 2 years old is not recommended, so be patient, It’ll be worth the wait!

Before pruning your rose bushes, please take a good look to see if there are still flowers blooming. If there are some, cut them gently and make yourself a bouquet.

When? Lopping, which means removing dried flowers, leaves and branches, can be done the whole year round.

How? Before you start pruning, take a good look at the shape of your roses bush. Every rose bush has a general form, it kinda’ looks like a bush ;). I recommend starting with the stems of the outer circle, the stems that sit beneath the center circle – it should give you a round canopy shape. If you look at the picture above, you can see that my rose bush has that kind of general round canopy look.

After you’ve made the first cut, you'll get a better look inside the rose bush and it will be easier to remove every small twig and dead, diseased, or crossing stems. Crossing stems are those shoots that grow from the stem below the bud - prune them where they start growing – you can be heartless with those - prune your way deeper into the bush and remove those suckers – yes, confidently and with zeal!

Shape and prune your roses as they grow. If you keep the height of the stems balanced and the center open, your rose bushes will be the center of attraction of your garden.

i do how ever strongly recomend you to visit http://www.handpruning.com/pruning-rose-bushes.htm. you'll get a better look and feel.

good luck

have fun (watch your hands)

Eyal