Related: The 12 Best Pruning Shears of 2024 to Keep Your Garden in Check Rose Preparation for Winter Roses, like other woody landscape plants, naturally prepare themselves for winter dormancy.

Tips for pruning roses Prune roses in the spring instead of fall. Autumn pruning leaves open wounds exposed to winter’s frigid temperatures and drying winds, causing greater branch dieback.

Fall pruning can increase the risk of winter injury, because the cut stem does not have time to properly seal. Knockout roses, however, can grow bigger than expected.

Gardening experts recommend an annual winter pruning for roses, with January being the ideal time. Roses are robust and fare well in colder weather. They enter a dormant state during winter ...

I have it growing successfully in other parts of my yard, but it grows for a while here, then is dead after the first winter. I water it 5 to 7 minutes several times per week, but I keep losing it.

8. Water roses before winter sets in, if the autumn has been dry. Be sure surface mulch is intact around the rose bush, or add more if it’s compacted and thin. 9. Avoid fall pruning, if at all ...

Pruning targets: create interior airflow, eliminate crossing stems and remove anything smaller than a pencil. For most roses leave five to seven canes and cut back 18 inches above ground ...

A general recommendation for the late-winter pruning is to reduce the height of the bushes by about one-half. Also, remove weak, spindly canes and any dead material. SUMMER PRUNING: The second ...

This may be winter to early spring, or it may be late summer or in the fall. A moderate pruning in the fall is usually safe in warmer climates and can help roses bloom vigorously come spring.

For tea roses and compact shrub roses, reduce the thicket of spindly shoots to a few sturdy branches (5-7 for tea roses, 8-10 for shrubs).

Bottom line: don’t prune roses after September 1. Instead of using your pruners for trimming your roses for winter, just clean and sharpen the blades so they're ready to go next spring.