Can i prune my roses in march

As the RHS says, bush roses can become unruly and tangled, with little flowering, if not pruned properly. Not sure what your bush rose is? Hybrid Tea roses have one flower per stem, whilst Floribunda roses are also known as 'cluster-flower roses', as have multiple blooms per stem. English roses are a fairly new rose group, introduced by breeder David Austin. Whatever varieties you have, keep them in good company with these 5 of the best companion plants for your rose bushes.

These smaller varieties of rose are perfect if you love the romance of our cottage garden ideas but don't have much space. Most varieties will grow very happily in pots.

Don't forget we've got lots of lovely patio ideas in our guide. These roses are bred to be resilient and repeat-flowering, with impressive blooms. There is a huge variety, but some of our favourites include the vivid pink ' Bonica ', or the clustered white blooms of ' Little White Pet '.

Climbing roses have large flowers but smaller trusses and stiffer stems than ramblers. They're gorgeous when trained around an arbour, or one of our pergola ideas.

They tend to need just a light pruning. These roses, chosen to cover large beds or sloping banks, need only light pruning. However, once established, you may need to prune them a little harder to keep their shape. Many types of shrub rose make great hedges. Their thorns provide a good barrier to unwanted visitors and their dense growth will provide sweetly-fragranced shelter.

For more inspiration when it comes to garden screens, check out our garden privacy ideas. These roses add height to a bed or border. Prune normal standards the same way as if they were bush roses ignoring the fact that the flowering stems are sitting atop a tall, single stem. Weeping standards are usually ramblers that have been budded on to a standard rootstock, or 'cane'. Technically, you don't have to prune roses, and some gardeners have healthy rose bushes that aren't pruned.

But, if your rose's branches are looking congested and crossing over one another, or you can spot dead or diseased wood, then pruning is the way to go. Here are some basic guidelines for pruning your roses. As a general rule of thumb, roses that flower only once in a season should be pruned right after flowering and roses that flower several times during the season should be pruned in late March or early April once the buds start to break swell and green up : the adage is to prune your roses "when the forsythia blooms".

Once-blooming roses flower on old wood and continuous-blooming roses flower on new wood. The majority of modern roses flower over a long period.

Hybrid Teas, Floribundas and Grandifloras : Prune in early spring when about half the buds are swollen, but before the leaves start to expand. Reduce the plant to a total of 3 to 6 canes. These roses respond well to hard pruning. The lower the pruning cut the stronger the new growth will be.

A hard pruning encourages the growth of strong canes from the base of the plant that will produce the best flowers. When finished pruning these roses, the framework is anywhere from 6 inches to just over one foot tall.

Cut back main canes by half and laterals to just two buds. Thin out branches that are older than three years. Repeat Blooming Climbing Roses : Do not prune a climbing rose for the first three years; only remove dead, damaged or diseased wood. After three years, cut back laterals in the early spring to two or three buds or about six inches. On a mature climber, selectively thin out older canes by cutting down to the base. Prune these shrubs lightly to shape them.

So seize the day come March, as day hours lengthen and temperatures rise, to spend a little time in your garden and give your complete attention to your rose trees. The end of winter is when the most important pruning must be performed on rose trees, in February or March depending on the climate, once the last heavy frost spells are past. Of course, you can still wait a bit longer, until April, but always be wary of freezing days.

One exception is the once-blooming rose tree: it is pruned as soon as its only blooming is over, in August. Rose trees need their branches to be structured, so that light can reach all the way to the center of the shrub, and air can circulate freely. Take care, though, not to cut off any budding eyes, or you will reduce the coming blooming. However, nothing should stop you from cutting the plant back by two-thirds of its height, to concentrate spring sap into the new shoots.

Beforehand, make sure you have disinfected your pruning utensils, since they can turn out to be spread factors and transfer diseases. Also, remember to burn the trimmings in order to eliminate diseases and parasites that may have gone dormant or taken up shop during the winter.

What is certain is that the more you pay attention to your rose trees, the more their blooming will reflect that care… So now you know what you must do if you wish to see your garden beautifully invaded with roses!