Millions of people enjoy the look and fragrance of roses.  Growing roses add color and beauty to any yard.

You can plant many rose bushes or vines in your garden or just a few, the choice is yours.  Roses can be used for many different reasons for example they make a good border plant and they also make a great decorative plant as well. 

In order for you to have the best looking rose bushes you will need to prune them properly.  You can simply use your pruning sheers to guide your rose bushes where to grow.  Make your roses grow where you expect then to otherwise they will grow wildly and not where you want. 

You need to guide your rose bushes as to where to grow as in width and height.  Only allow them to grow in the space you have set for them.  When planting the rose bushes be sure to give them enough space to grow.

Pruning in different ways results in different looking rose bushes.  By pruning the roses you encourage them to expand in different places.  You need to remember that roses love being in the sun so plant them in a sunny spot.

You should use garden stakes to help encourage your roses to grow to your walls or walkways.  What is pretty growing up a trellis is some climbing rose bushes and the trellis helps them grow in an upward direction.

Keep in mind that growing roses takes time. It is a project that needs to be stuck with.  You have to have plenty of time and patience and know what you are aiming for when you start your rose garden.

As you can tell, roses take more time to grow correctly than other flowering plants, but the results can be stunning. So make use of the tips imparted here and get started growing roses.

Pruning Roses-How To Prune Roses

Pruning roses and deadheading are important parts of your rose care routine. There are as many different opinions about how and when to prune as there are roses in need of pruning.

While individual rosarians may have their favorite “tried and true” methods, this article is geared towards new rosarians who have no idea where to start. As time goes by you may feel the urge to modify these techniques or even develop some new ones of your own. That’s great. Variety is the spice of life and anything that doesn’t kill your roses can’t be that bad, right?

Rose pruning isn’t as complicated as some people make it out to be. In fact, there are only four basic rules and a few common sense ones. If you keep these basic rules in mind every time you pick up your pruning shears, you’ll be rewarded with beautiful bushes that reflect the care that you put into them.

How To Prune Roses

1. Always keep the center of your bushes free of growth. This denies insects a place to live, and allows good air circulation which helps to keep down the instances of fungus infection.

2. Always remove any dead or decayed growth. This keeps your bushes looking better and also denies disease and insects a place to call home.

3. Shape your rose bushes as they grow. This adds symmetry to your garden and transforms your bushes from wild and wooly to prim and proper like all good roses should be.

4. Remove crossing branches to promote stronger growth,

Common sense rules

Always using sharp pruning shears and clean the shears after use to remove any disease or fungus spores.

Seal the cuts you’ve made to keep out disease. Save your money and use regular Elmer’s glue. it works just fine and it’s a lot cheaper than commercial preparations.

Here’s a look at common pruning terms and techniques as well as some guidelines for what types of roses to use them with.

Hard or “Low” Pruning

Cut canes back to three or four buds from the base or the bud unions. The end result is strong canes which are about 4 to 5 inches in length.

This pruning technique works best with new hybrid tea, grandiflora, and floribunda varieties. You should not do hard pruning with established bushes because they may not recycle. The only exception is as a last-ditch effort to revive sick or neglected bushes.

Moderate or Medium Pruning

Cut strong stems back to approximately half of their length. Weaker stems may be cut back even more if needed.

This technique works fine with established gardens of floribundas, hybrid teas, grandifloras, and tree roses.

Light or High/Long Pruning

Cut the canes back to around 2/3 of their length. After all unwanted wood is removed any remaining stems are “tipped”.

Light pruning is not generally recommended for most bushes as it tends to produce early blooms and poorly developed flowers. Use this technique only if others are not working and the bush is an eyesore to begin with. Pruning roses gets a lot easier with practice.