Chapter 8

Pruning

Nothing frightened me more when I started growing roses than pruning.  I read up on the subject, went to demonstrations, and, still, when the time came, I stood with my shears and trembled in front of bushes that begged to be pruned.  Cutting canes seemed so final, so noncorrectable.  Now, on the other side, feeling comfortable, knowing exactly what I'm doing, I want to make it easy for you.

Why Prune?

Pruning is done for two reasons:  (1) to eliminate older, nonproductive, or damaged wood, thereby encouraging new growth; and (2) to shape bushes.

Left to its own devices, a bush will become a tangled mess of small, insignificant flowers on weak, spindly stems.  (Old wood left unpruned won't produce blooms at all.)  And new growth for the coming season will be minimal without the stimulation pruning provides.  All in all, there is no choice but to prune.