Learn when and how to prune every type of rose and keep your plants thriving with expert year-round maintenance tips
There’s something uniquely rewarding about growing roses in your own garden. Whether you’ve chosen a fragrant Hybrid Tea, a robust shrub rose, or an elegant climber, one thing remains true… Proper pruning and maintenance are key to long-term health and glorious blooms. Pruning encourages stronger growth, improves airflow, shapes the plant, and stimulates more prolific flowering. And while it might sound daunting, it’s easier than you think once you understand the basics.
This guide covers when and how to prune different types of roses, bush, climbing and standard, plus helpful tips on general rose care, watering, feeding and deadheading.
If you’ve purchased a potted or bare root rose from YouGarden, this advice will set you up for success. And remember, if you’ve bought a potted rose in autumn, we’ll have already given it a light trim so it’s ready to settle in and flourish next spring.
Pruning Bush and Shrub Roses
Hybrid Tea and Floribunda roses benefit most from a hard prune in late winter. From mid-February to March, once the worst frosts have passed, reduce each stem by about two-thirds, ideally pruning back to 3 or 4 buds from the base. This helps maintain a compact, bushy shape and encourages vigorous, upright growth.
Always remove spindly stems, any damaged wood, and those that cross or crowd the centre of the plant. Shrub roses, being more naturally arching, can be shaped more gently, a light trim to control size and remove dead wood is usually sufficient.
Pruning Climbing Roses
Climbing roses need a slightly different approach. In their first year, lightly trim stems to about 6 inches from the ground after planting to encourage strong basal shoots. Once established, prune in late winter by removing any old or dead stems and tying in new growth horizontally where possible to maximise flower production.
Cut back side shoots from the main framework to 2 or 3 buds, encouraging flower clusters close to the main stems. After flowering in autumn, you can give them a light tidy-up to prevent wind damage, but save the main prune for February.
Pruning Standard Roses
Standard roses, with grafted heads on tall stems, should be pruned in the same way as bush roses. Removing around one-third of the previous year’s growth.
As they’re often more exposed to wind, removing any straggly or top-heavy branches is essential to maintain balance. Keep the head well-shaped and open to light.
Always cut just above an outward-facing bud and angle the cut away from it, helping water to run off. Because of their structure, standard roses should also be checked regularly for suckers growing from below the graft.
Essential Rose Pruning Tips
Timing is everything! Aim to do your main rose pruning in February or March, while the plant is still dormant but the risk of hard frost has eased.
Use clean, sharp tools to make precise cuts. Remove weak or spindly growth and any inward-facing stems to open up the plant.
If needed, a light autumn tidy after flowering helps prevent wind-rock but shouldn’t replace the spring prune. For thicker branches, invest in a quality pair of loppers or a pruning saw to avoid tearing stems.
How to Care for Roses Throughout the Season
Once your roses are pruned, ongoing care will keep them at their best.
Water deeply once a week, especially in dry spells, shallow, frequent watering is less effective. Feed regularly during the growing season with a specialist rose fertiliser to support healthy leaf and flower production.
Deadheading faded blooms not only tidies the plant but encourages more flowers. Keep an eye out for suckers and remove them promptly. And don’t forget to keep secateurs sharp, clean cuts heal faster and reduce the risk of disease.