Pruning, Deadheading, and Preventing Disease

In most areas, early spring is the time to prune your roses. Many experts recommend pruning your roses about the time forsythia blooms in your area.

Note: Exceptions to this include roses that bloom just once a year in early summer. Prune them right after they finish blooming.

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Deadheading, or cutting off flowers after they fade, helps your roses look better and allows the plants to put more energy into producing blooms instead of seeds.

Note: Don't deadhead your roses if you want to enjoy their hips (fruits). Deadheading roses will stop them from producing hips.

Here's a hint: Deadhead your roses with a pair of sharp pruning shears. Clean cuts heal faster and attract less disease than crushed stems.

Roses are commonly attacked by a number of fungal diseases, including black spot, powdery mildew, and rust.

The best way to help your roses fight disease is to keep them strong. Make sure they have good growing conditions and ample moisture and nutrients. Remove dead foliage from your rose garden, too -- it can spread disease.

Click here to learn more about stopping black spot and other fungal diseases