Its that time of year when the roses have to be pruned. Doll up in your combat clothes and gloves as the arduous and sometimes lethal job is on. Its not a bad job. Its actually quite therapeutic after the little thorns scrapes you through the other seasons…come winter and you can cut them off! Seriously, its quite a confidence boost when your pruning produces beautiful blooms. Some people say there is no wrong way to prune a rose.
Even though, I agree its not as hard as some others lead you to believe, it does have a certain skill involved. The rule of thumb is to prune the dead wood and the middle branches. Prune all that are pencil thin. Also prune to an outer bud so it will grow to where you want it. Some other things to keep in mind is to clean up around the rose and prune plants which may inpede the flourish of the rose. Cut on an angle but not too much. If you have standards, make sure they are pruned to roughly the same height.
Before prune. It amazes me there was still blooms on this.
After
Once you get into the pruning zone, it becomes like second nature. Or better yet, get someone else to prune them!
D.S.King Gardening 