2 days Ago By Angela Patrone
Roses are a sight to behold when they come into bloom; however, to achieve this, they need pruning . Speaking exclusively to Liam Beddall, senior rose consultant and gardening expert at David Austin Roses , he claimed that pruning is “arguably the most important job you can do for your roses”. Liam added: “It is essential to give them shape and structure, improve airflow and sunlight exposure, and encourage new blooms for the season ahead.
It’s also a wonderfully relaxing job, giving gardeners a chance to slow down and enjoy the fresh air as they snip away.” As this task is typically completed while the roses are still dormant, usually in January or February, I was worried that it was too late for me to prune my roses now. However, Liam assured me that March is “not too late” to prune roses and that the task can even be done if the plant has already produced new leaves.
He added: “They’ll still benefit from a thorough prune; it just may push back the flowering period slightly.” To help me prune my roses, Liam shared three key points to remember. The first is not to worry about how you cut a stem – you can’t kill a rose by pruning incorrectly.
Secondly, don’t worry too much or overthink pruning – roses are resilient and will put on new growth in spring. Then thirdly, remember to carefully dispose of foliage and be thorough in clearing the ground, removing any pruning debris or fallen leaves. With his tips noted, I grabbed some gardening gloves and a pair of clean and sharp secateurs.
I used the Ultralight Bypass Pruners from Wilkinson Sword, which retail for £14.99 on their website . They also retail for £12.
99 at Wilko . There are also other types of pruning secateurs on the market at a similar price point. You can pick up the Spear and Jackson Bypass Secateurs from Rober Dyas for £14.
99, down from £18.99 or the Burgon and Ball RHS Bypass Secateurs from Farrar and Tanner that cost £23 . When pruning the roses, I made sure to remove all of the dead, damaged and diseased stems.
I then located the strong stem in the centre of the plant and cut it back approximately half of its length, making sure to just a 45-degree angle. Given the thickness of the stem, I was surprised at how well the pruners were able to cut through it with ease. I then used the centre stem as my guide for the rest of the plant to know how far to prune the plant down.
I also made sure to remove two of the stems that were thinner than a pencil, as they wouldn’t be strong enough to support a bloom..
