Prune shrub roses in winter to keep them blooming in 4 ‘super easy’ steps

Alan Titchmarsh gives advice on growing shrub roses

Winter is a time when the garden tends to not look its best, as petals will have fallen off flowers and trees are looking empty without their leaves, but the bare branches mean it is the perfect time for pruning.

During the colder seasons, it is essential to protect your garden as roses can be very vulnerable to extreme cold, windy and wet weather conditions.

At this time of year, roses can be susceptible to a condition called ‘root rock’ which is when strong winds can cause plants to sway and tug at their roots, which can interfere with a plant’s ability to remain in the soil and collect water or nutrients.

There is also black spot, a serious fungal rose disease which is more likely to thrive in both cold and wet weather, which greatly weakens roses and makes it very difficult for them to survive in the wintertime, and can also prevent roses from ever flowering again.

However, pruning is an easy way to promote healthy growth for roses and protect them from the worst of the winter weather.

Preparing to prune your rose shrubs 

Lee Burkhill, also known as the Garden Ninja, is a multi-award-winning garden designer and BBC television presenter of the gardening show Garden Rescue who has explained the best way to prune roses over winter.

In a blog post, Lee said: “Pruning roses is super easy but seems to daunt many a new gardener. However, ignoring rose pruning just leads to awkward straggly roses with fewer flowers and more drama.”

He added: “Pruning roses is done in later winter when the leaves have fallen and the bare skeleton of the rose bush, shrub, or climber is visible. This is when the rose is dormant.”

The perfect time to prune roses can vary depending on the type of shrub rose you have and the climate you live in, but late winter when the worst of the weather has passed is generally the best time to consider pruning.

Lee has said pruning roses is “easy and fuss-free” as long as you have the proper equipment, so you will need a pair of clean sharp secateurs, as using a rusty pair can lead to the plant being damaged or encourage disease.

You will also need a bucket of some kind to collect your rose trimmings as you do not want a rose’s thorny branches lying around in your garden. Lee has said while rose branches can be composted, they take a while to break down properly.

He wrote: “Often their thorns still remain, making it hard to work with as compost. I either recycle them in my green bin or shred them rather than putting them on my compost heap.”

How to prune shrub roses in winter 

When pruning, make sure to always cut the rose at an angle away from any buds. Lee wrote: “You are always wanting to cut at an angle away from the lateral bud below (lateral buds turn into horizontal growth off the main stem – think of them as mini branches).

“This allows rainwater to run off away from the bud. If you cut the wrong way the chances of the bud rotting increase, meaning your pruning becomes less effective.”

1. To begin, you will first want to remove any part of the rose which appears dead, diseased or damaged so the rose spends more energy on creating healthy growth and flowers rather than wasting it on broken stems.

2. Next, you will need to prune any crossing stems on a rose. Lee wrote: “You’re aiming for what is known as the ‘Open Goblet’ shape when pruning Roses.

“This simply means that there is airflow and an open shape to the rose bush. Think of the palm of your hand with your fingers in an open cup shape.”

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3. Lastly, Lee recommends removing one-third of last year’s growth on the rose to help it keep its shape. He wrote: “This last area can be quite contentious in the gardening world, but I’ve never shied away from that!”

Lee added: “As a good rule of thumb if you don’t know, then cutting out one third and that includes older stems, is a good place to start. This allows you to remove the above offending branches and then ‘sculpt’ the remaining rose into a neat and open shape.”

4. However, after pruning a rose it is essential to mulch them to help them keep protected over winter and keep weeds at bay. 

Lee wrote: “Mulching will ensure that your rose has a steady slow-release feed when spring comes. Mulching also reduces competition from weeds and helps retain moisture. Think of it as the icing on top of the cake, it’s just not the same without it!”

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