Don't miss your rose pruning window

BBC Gardeners' World Magazine

Published: Saturday, 14 March 2026 at 7:35 pm

Act now to prune your roses so they look their best this summer.

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Winter to early spring is the key time to prune roses, just around the time new growth starts. Rambling roses are the exception to this rule, as they are usually pruned after flowering in summer. But, as winter turns to spring, time is running out. So, grab your secateurs and follow our guide to pruning for the best rose display this summer.

You will need:

Sharp secateurs
Thick gardening gloves

How to prune roses

Pruning a climbing rose. Jason Ingram

The rules of rose pruning are the same as pruning anything else: cut back hard to promote strong growth, or prune lightly for less vigorous regrowth.

Remove dead, damaged or diseased wood, cutting to an outward-facing bud to encourage outward growth – consider leaving some dead wood for solitary bees and wasps to nest in
Remove closely positioned stems that might rub or compete for space, but consider leaving some so birds might have a good spot to make a nest
Encourage fresh new growth from lower down by removing any main stems that are starting to lose their vigour
Remove thin, twiggy stems, which are unlikely to produce anything worthwhile in terms of growth and flowering potential

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