When is the proper time to prune roses?

[guest]

Hi, I have a friend who lives in Charlotte county, Florida and she asked me when the proper time to prune roses are. Well, I live up north and am not familiar with pruning schedules in Florida. When can she prune roses?

[The Helpful Gardener]

The usual rules apply; although they can get away with pruning a little later than we can, you still need to make sure you're not starting new growth late in the season where it won't get a chance to harden off. But in year round growing areas you can prune all the time, really. I still like the idea of a big fall/ little spring prune with deadheading and a little shaping the rest of the season...

How to Care for Roses

Scott

[petunialover]

I live in zone 5, I usually leave my roses unpruned in the fall but bank them with bags of leaves,(next year's compost) then prune off the winter kill, I do this because the rose will have winterkill and if drastically pruned in the fall it will have less good branches that if one waited to prune. I was wondering if anyone else had some good ideas?


pl

[The Helpful Gardener]

Longer canes in winter can get whipped by wind and actually weaken lower crotches; the generally recognized method (for the North anyway) is fall prune to about a foot, then another spring pruning to get rid of winter kill.

I don't much like the leave piles as it encourages rodent hibernation; use soil as it protects better, both from cold and mice. Less of an issue down south, but better safe...

Scott

[pruning roses]

no, not leaf piles, bags of leaves, and I'm aware of the rodent thing, but so are the feral cats we have in abundance here. Last year I wrapped my one rose in furniture packing blanket it survived intact, but later mole damage caused me to lose a few small brances. I know moles don;t eat roots but the damage them in their relentless quest for hole digging.

PL

[The Helpful Gardener]

That's true, moles can cause a lot of collateral damage in the quest for food, but remember, their favorite food is grubs (followed by worms), so their presence may be a warning of sorts for grubs (It may also mean you've developed a great worm population, but it can't hurt to check). The blanket is a great idea...

Scott