When is it too late to prune roses

1. Remove dead, damaged or diseased wood, cutting to an outward-facing bud to encourage outward growth
2. Remove closely positioned stems that might rub or compete for space
3. Encourage fresh new growth from lower down by removing any main stems that are starting to lose their vigour
4. Remove stubby 'snags' (short, dead lengths of stem with no growth on them) and thin, twiggy stems, which are unlikely to produce anything worthwhile in terms of growth and flowering potential

When to prune roses

The best time to prune most roses is from late winter to early spring, just around the time new growth starts.

In the south of the UK, spring growth may start as early as January, while further north you may not see any new leaves until April. Rambling roses can be pruned in summer, as soon as they have finished flowering, however sometimes it's easier to wait until autumn or winter, so you can see what you're doing more clearly, once the leaves have dropped and the new, long stems have ripened in the sun, making them less liable to snapping.

Follow our advice on pruning ro

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