Roses need a professional pruning for a magnificent bloom. Without this, the flowering stops completely or completely. Even if the requirements of noble, climbing and shrub roses are different, the perfect pruning of roses is not a high science. When is the best time of year? We explain the basics and show you what to look out for.
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The best season
Spring, between March and April, is the best season for pruning roses. For generations, the forsythia blossom has been the starting point for pruning roses. The forsythia bloom is a phenological feature because that’s when spring begins. A phenological sign has a decisive advantage over a fixed date in the calendar. It is adapted to the climatic conditions of the region. The onset of forsythia flowering depends on how severe the winter has been. When the yellow flowers show up, you can start pruning the roses without fear of frost.
Due to the concern that the cuts might not close in time before the onset of winter, pruning roses in spring is preferred to that in autumn.
In late summer after flowering, depending on the variety, only a light pruning is done and the withered flowers are removed.
cutting tool
You only need sharp, clean scissors to cut the rose. Blunt scissors cause the shoots to be crushed and make it difficult for the wound to heal. In the worst case, blunt pruning tools can cause branches to die off.
Professionals disinfect their rose scissors before cutting to prevent the spread of fungal diseases.
rose eyes
In all descriptions of the perfect rose cut, reference is made to the rose’s eyes. But what are the eyes?
The eyes of a rose are the leaf axils. These are recognizable by small thickenings. In spring, the eyes get bigger and thicker. Later, new leaves and shoots will sprout from these.
incision
The sharp, clean scissors are set about 5 millimeters above an eye and cut diagonally. The eye should point outwards away from the inside of the bush if possible.
Spring pruning instructions
- remove all dry and weak shoots, cut back to healthy wood
- Shorten lateral shoots that bore flowers in summer, except for two eyes
- cut off an old shoot above the ground every three years
- Thin out the plant annually
- Derive bifurcations on a shoot
- Prevent shoots from crossing
- cut slightly at an angle to help the wound heal and rainwater drain off
- note the natural growth of the rose species
The Laws of the Rose Pruning
- A strong cut leads to a strong budding.
- A few eyes on the bush after pruning result in a few strong shoots with large flowers.
- Timid pruning leads to a multitude of shoots with many small flowers.
- With arching branches, the eyes on the top of the shoot sprout the most.
Note: The biggest mistake you can make is not to cut the rose.
Wildrosen
Wild roses are robust plants. Boldly cut back wild roses. Every three years an old shoot is trimmed close to the ground. Hedge-forming dog roses and pike roses do not have to be cut, they only receive a shape cut if necessary.
shrub roses
With shrub roses , make sure that they form a stable framework of four to five strong shoots. In order for shrub roses to grow shapely, the shoots should be of a similar length. Weak shoots are removed and shoots that are too long are shortened.
climbing roses
Climbing roses only grow taller in the first year. Lateral shoots only appear in the second year. Cut the side shoots to two to three eyes. Climbing roses may be shortened to a maximum of one third of their total height. Cutting off a long shoot close to the ground every three years stimulates growth.
Stammrosen
Standard roses have a special feature. Their grafting point is not above the root, but above the trunk. When cutting, care must be taken not to cut too close to this grafting point. The goal is a nice crown shape. Shorten shoots to three to four eyes.
Beetrosen
Bed roses are pruned very heavily. You can shorten them to 15 to 20 centimeters in the spring. Prune the weaker-growing shoots to two to three buds, while the strong-growing ones to four to five.
