It wasn’t only a long winter for us, roses had their fill of it, as well. Long periods of cold caused major branch dieback, and rabbits devoured canes as though they were covered in chocolate.
Now that growth has begun on our roses, we can tell what’s living and dead, and can prune damaged rose bushes to benefit their health. Leaving dead and damaged canes in place interferes with the rose’s ability to burst forth with new, healthy shoots.
Roses respond beautifully to heavy pruning. “When in doubt, prune it out,” as the old saying goes. It’s nearly impossible to over-prune a rose bush. The “less is more” concept does not apply to rose pruning.
The ability of a rose bush to sprout from below injury from rabbits or cold, depends on whether the rose is grafted (as indicated by the graft knob), or whether it was grown “own-root,” without grafting. All sprouts popping up on the lower portion of an own-root rose are from the original rose bush, so all growth is “good.”
On a grafted rose, sprouts emerging from below the graft are rootstock material, not the original above-graft rose type. On grafted roses, locate the knob, and don’t allow any sprouts to remain below the graft. If the above-graft canes have totally been eaten or killed, the rose bush is ruined. That’s why own-root roses are the type of rose to search out and purchase.
When pruning damaged roses, prune out canes that have obviously been killed (they are blackened) and canes that have been chewed by rabbits. Prune out canes that are leafing out, but whose growth looks weak and thin, and whose canes are partially damaged. Pruning out partly damaged canes will stimulate strong growth from the base.
Pruning stimulates fresh, vigorous growth that blooms better than weak, old, woody canes. Even if damaged roses require a substantial cutback, they will usually bounce back better than ever.
When pruning roses, if buds are emerging, cut right above a bud that is pointed outward from the rose bush’s center, rather than one that is directed inward, which causes crisscrossing branching.
Happy Pruning!
