Prune and feed roses

Autumn and early winter are traditionally the best times to plant roses. Although a lot of complicated advice is provided about pruning roses they are one of the easiest plants to prune.

Roses can be pruned anytime up until spring then the buds start to break with new growth. However, if your garden is in an exposed position with lots of winter wind your roses are best pruned by a third in the autumn to prevent wind damage with the final pruning being carried out in the spring.

Feed in another key factor, best feed in the autumn with Growmore fertilizer or Top Rose and then through the summer months feed with liquid tomato feed once a month from March until September 

How to prune roses: general tips

When tackling roses bear the following in mind;

• Cuts should be no more than 5mm (¼ in) above a bud and should slope downwards away from it, so that water does not collect on the bud. This applies to all cuts, whether removing dead wood, deadheading or annual pruning
• Cut to an outward-facing bud to encourage an open-centred shape. With roses of spreading habit, prune some stems to inward-facing buds to encourage more upright growth
• Cut to the appropriate height, if a dormant bud is not visible
• Cuts must be clean, so keep your secateurs sharp. For larger stems, use loppers or a pruning saw
• Prune dieback to healthy white pith
• Cut out dead and diseased stems and spindly and crossing stems
• Aim for well-spaced stems that allow free air flow
• On established roses, cut out poorly flowering old wood and saw away old stubs that have failed to produce new shoots
• With the exception of climbing roses and shrub roses, prune all newly planted roses hard to encourage vigorous shoots
• Trace suckers back to the roots from which they grow and pull them away to remove the base bud. It the sucker is simply cut off it will leave the base sucker bud which will regrow.