Don't Become Trigger Happy

Everyone has a love hate relationship when it comes to roses. We love the breathtaking blooms and intoxicating fragrance, but we hate the thorns. Mom always said "Their bark is worse than their bite", but if you have ever been pricked by a rose, you know that is not true! If the garden world could come up with one great invention for us it would be that all roses are thorn-less. At this time of year one of the most asked questions about roses is when can I prune them?

Well, my trigger happy friends (or should we say pruner happy), in Ohio it is best to wait until we have experienced a few hard freezes. 

In October, remove any tall canes that can be whipped around in the wind, but leave all the other canes alone.

After Thanksgiving or in December, for grafted roses put 10-12 inches of soil/ mulch on the crown of your plant or add a rose cone/ collar. Otherwise, if you own a Knock Out, shrub, own-root or ground cover rose, leave them alone until March/April.

In March, gradually remove covering (mulch) or vent the top of the rose cones to allow warm air to escape.   

In April, after all danger of hard frost has past, you will want to trim down to where new growth starts and you have nice green canes. Remove all dead wood. An easy way to tell dead wood is that it is black. Also, remove any weak or damaged canes, or any that may cross or touch in any way.

Over time we have come to respect these thorny beauties and have learned some of the tricks of the trade to pruning and over wintering them. If you have your own thorny issue, feel free to give us a call or email.