Spring Fling: Spring Rose Gardening

One of Spring's rose gardening basics is one that intimidates many new rose gardeners: pruning. Pruning should be done in the very early spring to make sure the plant has sufficient time to bloom. Gardeners new at pruning can be scared. How much is too much? What if it isn't enough? But have no fear, roses are much stronger than you think. In fact, roses are hard to damage with pruning. And near impossible when you've got these tips handy. Of course you don't want to cut too close to the bud. About a quarter of an inch on an outward facing bud should be perfect. If you get too much closer, there will not be enough length to support the weight of the flower once it grows. If you do not cut enough, it will leave your bud vulnerable to diseases which can prevent flowering and even injure the entire rose plant. Angle your shears down and away from the bud at forty five degrees when cutting. This should make all of your pruning fail safe. You'll also want to invest in a nice pair of gardening shears. For pruning rose plants, select shears on which both blades are curved. The quality of pruning shears used has a definite effect on the quality of roses produced, so buy the nicest pair that you can afford. You may want to ask an employee at your local greenery for a recommendation on a brand that is trusted.

The first thing that should be pruned is any growth towards the bottom of plant near the soil. Most of the growth at the bottom of the rose plant is the result of grafting and will not develop into a suitable flower. Next, remove any dead wood that might compromise the plant. Remember that the process of pruning a rose plant is like getting a hairstyle. You're grooming your rose plant into the shape that you want it to be. If you'd like less branches with larger blooms, you'll want to prune down to five to six primary branches. If you'd like a fuller bush with small flowers, leave five to twelve main branches. If you leave more than twelve, your rose plant will produce lots of short stemmed flowers with a very thick coverage area.

Select branches that are spaced apart, but yet close enough to provide the kind of flower coverage that you desire. On a new rose plant, these branches should be pruned to about six inches. This will be the proper length to encourage healthy and full growth. If your plant is older, then you can cut anywhere from six inches to one foot. After these branches have been selected and pruned, remove all other branches. Additional branches can weigh down the plant, rob budding branches of vital nutrients and hydration, and over crowd the bush.

With these spring rose gardening basics, you don't need to be intimidated by pruning. In fact, you can feel confident that you've got the know-how to spring your roses into action.

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