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How to prune your roses for the winter? Each variety has its own technique!

Do you like your little garden full of roses? So you are probably aware that an annual pruning is essential to prepare them for the approach of the cold months and to take advantage of their abundant flowering during the spring. So how do you prune roses for the winter? What is the right technique to adopt according to their variety? It is to these questions – and many more – that our gardening experts will try to answer you. Focus!

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  • 1.4 What about potted roses?
  • 1.5 8 tips for properly pruning your roses this season
  • Why and how should you prune your roses for the winter?

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    In nature, wild roses do not need any special care to bloom every spring. However, this is not the case with hybrid varieties that require annual pruning. What is this ? For those who do not have a green thumb, pruning roses represents regular maintenance where you must clean your shrubs and shorten their branches. A rather simple procedure that can be carried out in just a few steps. To do what ? In addition to preserving their beauty, the right pruning also aims to strengthen your plants. What's more, it allows you to give shape to your roses, to remove small dead branches and to properly direct the growth. It is therefore a very precise gesture that is not done just anytime. The pruning period for a rose bush can depend on its variety, but also on its age. If you have just planted one, it is better to wait 2-3 years before pruning it so that it is well rooted.

    How to prune your roses for winter Each variety has its own technique

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    If the purpose of the annual pruning is to preserve the beautiful flowering of your roses, the right time to use the shears is after the first fall of leaves, also called vegetative rest. Depending on the variety, the pruning period extends from November to March. Apart from the age and type of rose bush, this period can also depend on the climatic region. Note: Avoid pruning when there is frost. Although roses are known to be cold hardy, they fear frost. Creating a mound, mulching the foot or installing a wintering veil are just some of the solutions to protect them during the winter. In late fall (October-November), pruning prepares your plants for wintering, while in winter (February-March), it ensures good flowering for the next season. Certainly, for your roses to develop properly, it is not necessary to cut them every year. In fact, you can do it once every two years. If you plan to prune your rose bush for the first time this fall, the next pruning should be done two years later, at the end of the winter season.

    There are several techniques for pruning your roses. We therefore choose the right method according to their variety. Whether they are shrubby, ascending or not ascending, bushy, climbing or even ground cover, each type requires an appropriate pruning and suitable tools. It is therefore out of the question to use your old rusty secateurs! It is better to get one that is sharp enough. Gloves are also a must when trimming your roses. Between each pruning, remember to thoroughly clean your shears with alcohol to limit any risk of disease transmission.

    To properly prune a rose bush, there are three basic steps to follow:

    To give a particular shape to the rose bush, bend the branches until you obtain the desired silhouette. Thus, the bent branches will be entangled in the existing branches. Another trellis-based technique, netting with very fine mesh, is also very suitable for taking care of the shape of your shrubs. Cut them diagonally, 1 cm above a bud facing outwards. Branches should not be cut too far or too close to it.

    To find out how to prune your roses for the winter, let’s go back to the varieties!

    To encourage the appearance of new branches in the spring, these roses must be pruned in the fall. The right technique? At the end of flowering, identify the buds, and leave between 5 and 10 centimeters of stem, then cut. It is important to prune at the level of an outward facing bud. To thin out your rosebush, remove intersecting branches. Next, cut off any dead parts at the base of the shrub so it can breathe and take full advantage of the light.

    Non-remontant roses can wait for the end of winter (late February-early March) to be pruned. The right move? Remove only the branches that have already flowered, then a good part of the dead branches. At the beginning of March, trellis to promote flowering. To do this, tie and arch all the branches, being careful not to break them.

    Similar here, shrub and ground cover roses are pruned at the very beginning of spring (February-March), but not every year. So, every other year, cut about 2/3 of the branches, then remove the dead branches. Next year, in November, shorten the branches by a third of their length, then those that have been pruned too high so as not to leave snags.

    Growing potted roses on a balcony or patio is a great way to brighten up or hide your property from neighbours. In this case, it is necessary to choose roses of reduced development or small climbers. In terms of pruning, it is quite simple and is similar to that of bush roses. When is the best time to prune your potted rose? At the end of winter for remontant varieties and after flowering, in August, for non-remontant varieties.

    Everbearing roses in pots must be carefully pruned in order to concentrate all the sap in the branches and obtain vigorous regrowth and abundant flowering. For this purpose, remove all dead branches and those that do not give anything. Then remove the branches facing inwards so that the shrub takes better advantage of the light. If it is a non-remontant rose, remove a third of the branches, just after flowering. As for small climbing roses grown in pots, install them at the foot of a wall or a stone pillar. Lay a trellis or obelisk, when planting, to guide the plant.

    Pruning your roses before winter is a must. The fall season is indeed the ideal time to clean these small shrubs before the arrival of the frosts. But be careful not to miss it! To avoid severe pruning, a few valuable tips are in order.