Pruning wayward roses is today's task, roses are tough as old boots and frost hardy, more so than me!

They will benefit from pruning in the dormant season before March, to improve flowering as well as the health and lifespan of the rose.

Cutting out any dead, damaged and diseased or spindly branches is the first job.

Then I want to open up the centre to allow the air to flow more freely. Then it’s on to cutting back branches which I will do so by a third, just above an outward facing bud at an angle, so that water will not collect on the bud.

The new shoot will then grow outward in the direction of the bud not inward which we don’t want.

Then I need to take back any suckers, right back, these can be identified as being covered in particularly spikey thorns and growing out from the base of the rose.

Rose identification

If you have inherited a rose and are not sure whether it’s a bush or shrub, a climber or rambler you can still follow these few basic pruning tips for each in addition to the details above:

Climber or rambler:

If there is only one thick old stem take back to ground level.

If there are multi stems take out one or two of the oldest looking stems as near to the base as possible.

If after pruning it then sends out lots of strong non-flowering shoots chances are it’s a rambler.

If it is less vigorous and flowers it's probably a climber.

Shrub or bush:

Take out one or two stems to ground level, or to green barked, younger side stems lower down the rose.

Shorten remaining stems by a third.

If it then sends out lots of vigorous growth that flowers well chances are it’s a floribunda or hybrid tea.

Otherwise its probably a shrub rose.

Feed all roses that you have pruned with a rose fertiliser in spring. I use the embers from the wood burner on mine also.