Gardeners are reminded that pruning is crucial to ensure their roses thrive after winter. Without an annual pruning during the dormant period, a rose bush may survive, but likely it’ll grow into a weak, poorly-shaped plant with smaller flowers, appearing neglected and becoming more susceptible to pests and diseases.
Pruning is necessary to remove dead and unhealthy canes as well as stimulate new growth at the base, enabling robust new canes to develop.
While mastering the pruning of roses may initially seem daunting, the process isn’t overly complex, and fortunately, roses are quite forgiving and not easily permanently damaged while you’re learning, reports the Express.
Gardening guru Lucie has taken to her TikTok account @lucie. ponsford to share her top three reasons why January is the prime month for pruning roses.
Lucie’s first reason centres around the plant’s dormancy. She advises that since the rose is “asleep” during this period, pruning becomes “less stressful” for both the plant and the gardener.
This downtime minimises sap loss and accelerates healing in the plant.
Her second tip highlights visibility advantages; without leaves, the rose’s structure is fully visible, allowing for easier shaping, according to Lucie.
She highlights, “Roses are deciduous so you can clearly see the structure, making it easier to shape.”
Lastly, Lucie touches on the concept of “flower power” stressing the impact of timely pruning on the blooming potential of roses come spring.
Lucie shared her rose pruning insights, telling readers: “Roses bloom on new growth. By pruning back, you bring those gorgeous flowers closer to the framework. Pruning in January means setting your roses up for a stunning bloom in spring”.
On her gardening website Mimosa Garden Design, Lucie detailed how essential pruning is for creating a robust structure that “thicken up year after year” and maintains the perfect height for blooms without causing stems to bend.
Highlighting a common mistake, Lucie cautioned against cutting back too aggressively for gardeners who’ve seen their roses bloom at ground level, advising: “Don’t prune that rose as hard this time.”
She then suggested a gentler approach: “Prune it by a third to avoid too much regrowth. With secondary thickening, you are creating a shorter regrowth this year.”