THIS MONTH…

• Prune I prune in early July if the weather permits. It is not as difficult as the books will tell you unless you are contemplating pruning ancient ramblers. We prune to remove dead wood and encourage the natural process of renewal – and to keep a rose to a manageable size.

Reducing the bush by a third is moderate pruning; cutting back by half is hard pruning.

You need strong gloves and sharp secateurs. Take time to look at the rose and decide how you want the finished result to look. Remove any dead or spindly branches.

The main canes of all roses lose their vigour after a few years. If a rose has hoary old canes, remove them at the base, perhaps with a small saw.

Strong young branches should be pruned moderately, making a clean cut just above an outward facing bud-eye in the direction the bud is growing.

This is the ideal for Hybrid Teas, but not always possible for very bushy roses where hedge trimmers might do a better job. Burn or bin all the prunings.

• Spray Immediately after pruning is always a good time to give the roses their winter medicine of copper and winter oil.

• Mulch Roses very much appreciate an organic mulch to protect their roots in winter.