How to prune:
Hybrid Teas/Grandifloras
Floribundas
Old Roses
David Austin Roses
Climbers
Species

Before taking shears in hand, understand what your goals are.  Pruning roses has a multitude of rewards, including healthier plants, stronger growth and flowering, elimination of diseased or damaged canes, and improved overall appearance.  Pruning stimulates growth, leading to robust plants.

Do not be overly concerned about making grave mistakes; even overly hard pruning is more beneficial to the plant than no pruning at all.  There is definitely room for error when pruning, and as you go, you'll accumulate more and more insight into what roses like and don't like.

There are three primary seasons for pruning, late fall (early winter), early spring (late winter), and during the growing season.  Each season has a specific goal for which we prune.

Late Fall (Early Winter) Pruning
In general, it is not absolutely necessary to prune in late fall.   The reason to prune during this time period is to protect the plant from winter damage, chiefly due to long canes whipping in the wind and disturbing the root structure.   Further, many gardeners like to tidy up their garden with a bit of light pruning.   Generally, fall pruning is not hard pruning, just taking off some of the taller growth from the preceding season.  Finally, in winters where the temperatures fall below 10 degrees Fahrenheit, do not prune in late fall.

If you choose to prune in late fall, be careful about your timing.  Pruning stimulates growth, and there is very real danger of pruning too early in the fall, stimulating new growth which is hit hard during the next hard frost.  If you choose to prune your roses in fall, make sure that the plants are fully dormant and you are past the time period when extended warm spells could cause the plant to reawaken.  In general, wait until several hard frosts have occurred, and foliage is brown.

As an aside, during fall you may notice the canes of your roses turning from green to rusty brown.  This is a natural hardening off as the rose prepares to go dormant for the winter.

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Early Spring (Late Winter) Pruning
The major pruning of the year for roses is early spring.  This is when rose gardeners make the key and most severe cuts of the season.    Prune when the Forsythia bloom, or 4 weeks before average last spring frost for your area.  You should look for buds beginning to swell as the plant begins to prepare to leaf out.  Pruning after the plant leafs out should be considered too late (although if the plant does leaf out, go ahead and prune).

Pruning in five easy steps:  
1.  Prune out dead or diseased wood. 
2.  Prune out weak, spindly canes. 
3.  Prune out canes which cross or rub against each other. 
4.  Open the center of the bush for better air circulation by pruning out canes in the center. 
5.  In order to stimulate growth, prune remaining canes one quarter of an inch above an outward pointing bud.

Be very careful that you do not prune too early, for the same reasons outlined in instructions for when to prune in Fall.   Pruning stimulates growth, and if pruning is done too early, late frosts will damage new foliage and flower buds.  Almost all roses naturally will be bitten back a time or two from false starts in spring.  Do not be concerned, as roses are adapted to easily handle the inevitable spring thaws and freezes that occur.  Each eye has several buds in reserve, so if one gets bitten back, another is there to take its place.

Pruning During the Growing Season
From March until November, the primary pruning you should be doing is deadheading (removing spent blooms), cutting out dead or diseased wood, and very light shaping. 

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In an nutshell, deadheading is the removal of spent flowers in order to encourage more blooms.

Life on this planet is adapted for one goal:  each species' primary objective is reproduction.  Roses reproduce through the production and fertilization of seeds.  Seeds are produced in flowers, with the main objective of the petals of the flowers to attract pollinators.  Once a rose has borne flowers, it has reached its goal of creating the vehicle for reproduction.   By removing spent flowers (deadheading), gardeners can stimulate the rose to continue bearing new flowers.

Many species and old garden roses only flower once per season; in general, these are plants that have originated in climates with a short growing season, where plants must get their business done in a hurry or not at all.

How to Deadhead
After the flowers have faded and are no longer attractive on the plant, cut at a forty-five degree angle one quarter inch above the first leaf with five leaflets.   With some floriferous (heavy flowering) roses such as many of the Floribunda and Shrub roses, you may which to simply wait until each flowering wave is past and then lop off the entire top layer (3 to 6 inches or so) with a set of garden shears.

Finally, discontinue deadheading approximately one month before first frost in order to discourage new growth which might be nipped hard by winter's approach.

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Here's what you'll need:  By-pass hand pruners, loppers (long-handled pruners), and a pruning saw.  With the case of tools, you'll get what you pay for.  You may be able to save by purchasing less-expensive loppers and pruning saw, as you will use these less often than your hand pruners.  With the hand pruners, I advise you buy the absolute best you can comfortably afford.

It is very important that tools are sharp. Cuts should be crisp. Dull pruners will crush, rather than cut, canes, which is an open invitation to pests and disease.

In late winter (see: when to prune), prune out dead or diseased wood.  Prune out weak, spindly canes.  Prune out canes which cross or rub against each other.   Open the center of the bush for better air circulation by pruning out canes in the center.  In order to stimulate growth, prune remaining canes one quarter of an inch above an outward pointing bud.

Hybrid Teas and Grandifloras should be pruned hard, hard, hard.  Pruning by at least two-thirds is almost always recommended.  While I follow the practice of pruning Hybrid Teas and Grandifloras (Grandifloras in the back of the bed or border may be pruned less severely) by two-thirds, there have been recent studies which show that less severe pruning can result in quality performance during the growing season.  You might experiment a bit within your own garden, but if you err, choose to err on the side of stronger, rather than weaker, pruning habits.

After flowering, deadhead in order to promote more flowers.  Discontinue dead-heading one month before first frost in order to discourage new growth.

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Floribundas are pruned in very similar fashion to Hybrid Teas, with the exception that their charm lies primarily in the quantity of clusters of flowers rather than the long-stemmed singles characteristic of Hybrid Teas.   Prune Floribundas by only one-third to one-half, leaving plenty of canes to sprout the clusters of flowers Floribundas are renowned for.  Your goal is a dense plant with lots of foliage and flowers.

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As a rule, prune old roses lightly.  Prune once a year bloomers after flowering in order to preserve the spring bloom.  With old roses, it is best to err on the side of light rather than hard pruning.  Just shape them lightly and enjoy.

Pruning of the really old roses, the Gallicas, Damasks, Albas, Centifolias, and Mosses, is as basic as thinning old wood to keep the rose from getting too dense.  Prune after blooming in Spring.  Flowers are produced best on old wood, so refrain from pruning for the first two or three years after planting.  Hard pruning every several years will revitalize the plant and encourage heavier flowering.

Chinas, Teas, and Noisettes are not demanding in their pruning requirements; remove spent flowers and dead wood.  If you wish to shape or revitalize Chinas and Teas, the best time to prune is while they're dormant or between waves of bloom.  Cut back by a third and no more.

Prune Bourbons and Hybrid Perpetuals in the same manner as Chinas and Teas, removing spent flowers and dead wood.   To revitalize, prune canes back by one third (Hybrid Perpetuals may be pruned by two-thirds to create a fuller, less leggy plant).

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With David Austin roses, you should pay attention to the particular growth habit of each specific rose in your climate.   Many David Austin roses (for example, 'Graham Thomas' and 'The Pilgrim') grow very large in American gardens, but not every David Austin is alike with regards to growth habit.  'Evelyn' should be allowed to develop for a season or two before any serious pruning is contemplated.  So, as a general recommendation, consider each David Austin individually with regards to pruning; the larger and more aggressive the growth of a particular plant, the more aggressive you may be with your pruning.  David Austin crosses old roses with floribundas (among other combinations), and the result is that there is not one typical growth habit for David Austin roses as a class.  Some have the classic vase-shaped habit of some old varieties, while others may be more bushy in habit, perhaps from the influence of the Floribundas.

Let's go back to 'Graham Thomas' and 'The Pilgrim' to show how different techniques can result in lovely plants (and to illustrate that pruning is not a rigid, exact science - just have fun and learn from your past efforts!).  In southern gardens, both 'Graham Thomas' and 'The Pilgrim' are very aggressive growers, each capable of reaching seven feet or more.  In my own garden, I pretty much whack 'The Pilgrim' back hard (to two or three feet) every winter - I'm not gentle about it - I mean I really just whack it down.  Every spring I am rewarded with revitalized growth and a lovely vase-shaped plant of four to five feet.  After the first wave of flowering I cut it back by six inches or so, being careful to preserve the vase shaped graceful demeanor of the plant.

Despite my own habits with the aggressive Austins, the prettiest David Austin rose I ever saw was a 'Graham Thomas' that was fully nine feet height, dense, and had the same vase shaped form so characteristic of many David Austins and old roses.  It looked like a small tree, with blooms starting at five feet or so above the ground.  The owner had the sensitivity to recognize that 'Graham Thomas' is a big, robust grower in the South, and further understood that trying to restrict the size of plants through hard pruning almost never works (I'll contradict myself by stating that roses are an exception - you can in many cases restrict the size of a plant through hard pruning).  The point is this:  with pruning, after learning the fundamentals, you should look forward to finding your own style; we'll all make a mistake or two, but enjoy the experience.

Climbers, as a whole, are different in their pruning requirements than other roses, primarily because they flower best on old wood.  First, a brief word about climbing roses:  Climbers fall into two primary categories, large-flowered climbers (sports of Hybrid Teas and Floribundas) and ramblers.   Most of the roses sold today as climbers are large-flowered climbers.  Both ramblers and large-flowered climbers bloom best on old wood. 

Pruning Large-Flowered Climbers
Climbers should be allowed to develop long structural canes which will sprout flowering shoots.  Training these structural canes horizontally will encourage sprouting of flowering shoots along the length of the structural cane.  In order to allow climbing roses to develop to their potential, do not prune for two to three years after planting (with the exception of removing dead and/or diseased canes).  After structural canes have developed, in early spring prune out dead wood and shape the plant to desired length and/or height.  During the growing season, deadhead the lateral (flowering) shoots by two-thirds after flowering.

Pruning Ramblers
Ramblers bloom best on last year's wood.  After flowering, cut the current year's flowering canes back hard.  New canes will sprout from the old canes or from the ground and produce the flower-bearing canes of next year.  Keeping ramblers properly pruned ensures that there is adequate air circulation, providing   for healthy growth conditions.

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Species roses are the simplest of all roses to prune.  While pruning during dormancy is preferred, it is not absolutely necessary.  For the most part, leave species roses to themselves, unless they become overcrowded or you wish to control size.  If pruning is required, prune with a sharp pair of garden shears, and just cut 'em back as much as desired (NOT to the ground!).

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