How to Prune Shrub Roses

How to Prune a Newly Planted Shrub Rose
How to Prune an Established Shrub Rose

The instructions in this article cover the pruning of English Shrub Roses, as well as other repeat flowering shrub roses.

Why Pruning Matters

Pruning is essential if you really want your rose to thrive.

The main purpose of pruning is to create a shapely, attractive plant, with good coverage and structure, you can do this by simply removing parts of the plant during the non-flowering season. Pruning encourages fresh new growth and plentiful blooms for the following season.

When a rose reaches its third year; after three flowering seasons, pruning can be used to influence its size and shape.

You May Need

Secateurs

Gloves

Kneeling pad

Knowing When to Prune

It’s time to prepare your roses for the year ahead and give them a prune. Ideally, this should be done while the plants are still dormant - typically in January or February. If your roses have already started to leaf, it’s still worth pruning; just be aware that flowering may be slightly delayed. And if March arrives and you haven’t yet begun, don’t worry - your roses will still respond well to a careful, well-timed prune.

Keep These Points in Mind:

Shaping is essential. Try to create a rounded shrub.
Don’t worry about where you cut a stem. Accepted wisdom suggests cutting just above a leaf joint with a sloping cut away from the bud. However, there is no evidence to prove this is necessary.
If pruned properly, your rose bush will look significantly smaller and bare. Do not be alarmed, the growth will strengthen and re-establish quickly in the spring.
Carefully dispose of foliage. Foliage should never be composted and should be removed from your garden. This ensures spores that can initiate disease are removed from your garden.
Look out for loose roses. Look out for any roses that are loose in the ground due to the wind rocking them to the point where they are no longer standing upright. Firm around the base of each loose rose and cut them back a little more to reduce wind resistance.

How to Prune a Newly Planted Rose

We define a newly planted rose as one that has completed its first flowering season. At this stage your rose will still be establishing its roots to support growth in the future, thus only very light pruning is required.

Step 1
Lightly Prune

Cut back the flowering shoots leaving around 12-18 inches of growth from the base of the rose.
Step 2
Remove Unhealthy Stems

Look out for the ‘four Ds’ – remove any dead, dying, damaged and diseased stems.
Step 3
Remove Foliage and Clear Ground

Remove any foliage that remains. This is where disease spores can lay dormant ready to challenge your plant next year. Clear up the ground. Remove any fallen leaves and pruned stems and dispose.

Pruning an Established Rose: Year Two

An established rose that has completed two flowering seasons is still considered to be developing its root system and will not be at its mature size or shape.

Step 1
Lightly Prune

Cut back all stems by one half. Cut back any particularly long stems to the same length as the rest of your shrub.
Step 2
Remove Unhealthy Stems

Look out for the ‘four Ds’ – remove any dead, dying, damaged and diseased stems.
Step 3
Remove Foliage and Clear Ground

Remove any foliage that remains. This is where disease spores can lay dormant ready to challenge your plant next year. Clear up the ground. Remove any fallen leaves and pruned stems and dispose.

Pruning an Established Rose: Year Three and Beyond

By the third year your rose will be a fully formed plant. Your choice of how much you cut back is a little more flexible. You now have the opportunity to influence the size and shape of your shrub.

Before pruning, choose from one of the following:

For a taller shrub - cut back by one third.
To maintain its current size - cut your rose back by half.
To reduce its size - cut back by two thirds. This will reduce the size of the shrub without impacting the amount of flowering.

Step 1
Prune Back

Cut back all stems depending on your choice from above. Cut back any particularly long stems to the same length as the rest of your shrub.
Step 2
Remove Unhealthy Stems

Look out for the ‘four Ds’ – remove any dead, dying, damaged and diseased stems.
Step 3
Remove Foliage and Clear Ground

Remove any foliage that remains. This is where disease spores can lay dormant ready to challenge your plant next year. Clear up the ground. Remove any fallen leaves and pruned stems and dispose.

Not sure which rose to choose? We’re here to help.

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