Is It Too Late to Prune My Roses?

“I live in Kitsap County, Washington (state); is it too late to prune my roses?” Question from Jennifer of Silverdale, Washington

Answer: It’s not too late! Many gardeners advocate pruning roses when they are dormant, usually in late winter, but you can prune them at any time. Whether you have a shrub rose, climber, or hybrid tea, you can make strategic cuts throughout the growing season.

I recommend using very sharp bypass secateurs (pruners) or loppers. The best cross at the cutting junction like scissors. Just be sure to clean your pruning tools between roses to avoid spreading any potential diseases from rose to rose. I recommend cleaning them in a 10% bleach solution with a drop of washing liquid.

Please watch the video below created by Mike Darcy of Portland, Oregon. It highlights rose pruning in your area.

Happy gardening!

Jessie

 

About JESSIE KEITH


Plants are the lens Jessie views the world through because they’re all-sustaining. (“They feed, clothe, house and heal us. They produce the air we breathe and even make us smell pretty.”) She’s a garden writer and photographer with degrees in both horticulture and plant biology from Purdue and Michigan State Universities. Her degrees were bolstered by internships at Longwood Gardens and the American Horticultural Society. She has since worked for many horticultural institutions and companies and now manages communications for Sun Gro Horticulture, the parent company of Black Gold. Her joy is sharing all things green and lovely with her two daughters.

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