How to Prune Roses

I love tough, hardy and easy to grow roses. No hybrid tea’s in my garden! Hardy shrub roses will make it through most winters in zone 3 with no extra care. Like the Morden’s or the Explorers. However, some years – like this one, you will notice quite a bit of tip kill. People are always afraid to prune roses, but it’s not hard. Here are a couple tips:

Wait until early June. You will be able to see what’s dead, and what’s growing.

Cut the dead wood back to just above a live bud or branch that faces away from the centre of the plant. That bud is going to grow into a new branch, so you want it to grow towards the outside of the plant, not cross back over the inside.

Remove any crossing branches. Later in the summer, as the blossoms finish, trim off faded blooms and rose hips. “The more you cut, the more they bloom” is a secret seasoned gardeners come to love about roses. Theresa Bugnet (1950) (pronounced “boo-nay” not bug-net.) (Pink) and Marie Bugnet (1963) (White) Roses are two lovely heritage roses developed in the Legal area (about 10 minutes north of Bon Accord). They are fragrant and are extremely hardy and dependable in our zone 3 Edmonton gardens.