The Zimbabwean Gardener Issue 1 Winter 2012 | Page 21

In the rose garden

How to prune

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Prune your roses by following these 3 easy steps:
First of all, identify and remove old non-productive
framework branches, cutting them right back to
the crown. They may be distinguished by the
texture and colour of the bark and they usually
carry thin spindly side shoots.
Secondly, remove any dead, diseased and
damaged branches, making sure to cut back into
healthy wood even if this means cutting right back
to the crown.
Next, cut back the remaining stems and sideshoots. The severity of this cutback depends on
the type of rose, its past performance, and general
well being i.e. is it strong and healthy or weak
with many thin, spindly side-shoots? Hard (severe)
pruning generally produces a more vigorous
response than soft (light) pruning. Therefore, hard
pruning is appropriate for weak plants and a soft
pruning for vigorous healthy, well-grown bushes.

1. Soft prune

2. Hard prune

In the case of Hybrid Tea, Floribunda, English and
Patio rose bushes, soft prune the strong, healthy
bushes by cutting them down to about half their
height. Hard prune weak bushes by cutting them
down to about one third of their height.
Treat standard roses in the same way as bush
roses, paying particular attention to shape and
symmetry. If the head is lopsided, prune the
weaker side harder to encourage more vigorous
growth on that side.
Miniature roses respond well to hard pruning - cut
back to about one third of their height.
Climbing roses need to be treated differently.
After planting, limit pruning to a minimum for the
first 2 years to concentrate on training them to
fill their allotted space. Thereafter, most climbers
will perform well with soft pruning and regular
removal of dead, diseased and weak wood.
Finally and most importantly, stand back, survey
and evaluate your handy-work! Consider shape
and