GIve roses a boost with a good prune

A good trim will keep them growing well

Two things help roses flower and grow really well each year and that’s lots of feeding and excellent pruning.

Carrying out an annual trim also keeps them in good shape and helps them not get too tall, spindly and leggy. Shrub roses are best done in February, though if the weather in your area turns harsh, as it so often does these days in late winter, leave it until March.

Young roses – those that have only grown and flowered for one season – should be sparingly trimmed, that is, any overlong shoots cut back to fit in with the rest of the shape, and flowering shoots trimmed. In year two, prune a little more – cut back all stems by a third.

Each year after that you can prune mature roses how you want – perhaps a full renovation is in order, or alternatively you may want to create a taller plant? For a full-on cut, prune back stems by at least a half, or to grow a taller rose bush don’t prune very much at all – just under a third off each stem.

Never fear pruning roses – they’re resilient and will spring back if you do over or under-prune – but here’s some tips on getting it right.