If you've inherited a tangle of thorny stems and don't know which bits to cut, the first thing to establish is what kind of rose you've got. Modern bush roses are generally pruned to encourage vigorous new flowering shoots. Many old-fashioned shrub roses are treated more lightly because their natural shape and flowering habit are different.
The usual UK pruning season for modern bush roses is late winter to early spring, often February or March. That does not mean every rose in the garden should be cut to the same height on the same day.
Identify your rose as far as possible
Hybrid tea roses commonly produce a large flower on an individual stem. Floribundas produce clusters of flowers and repeatedly bloom through the season. Both are classed as modern bush roses.
Shrub roses may have longer arching growth, a larger mature size and flowers borne on older branches. Some produce one main flush each summer, while others repeat flower. Climbing and rambling roses need yet another method because their framework must be trained and maintained.
If you don't know the variety, look for an old label or photographs from last summer. The way it flowers and grows is more useful than the colour of the blooms.
Choose a suitable day and prepare tools
Prune modern bush roses as growth is beginning to resume in late winter or early spring. In colder parts of Britain, March may be better than a very early February cut. Avoid working during a hard frost.
Use clean, sharp bypass secateurs for ordinary shoots and loppers for thicker stems. A pruning saw is safer than forcing small secateurs through old wood. Put on sturdy gloves and protect your eyes from springing thorny branches.
Take a bucket or garden bag for cut stems. Leaving diseased leaves and badly spotted debris beneath the plant increases the chance of problems persisting in the bed.
Start by removing what is clearly wrong
Before deciding the bush's final shape, remove dead, diseased, damaged and rubbing branches. Trace dead wood back to healthy tissue, where the centre of the stem is firm and pale rather than dry and discoloured.
Take out spindly stems that will never carry a worthwhile flowering shoot. Where two stems cross and scrape against each other, choose the better placed one and remove the other.
These first cuts let you see the remaining structure clearly. Resist the temptation to shorten everything at once and only then work out which stems should have been removed entirely.
Make clean cuts just above good buds
Look for a healthy bud pointing in the direction you want a new shoot to grow. On many bush roses, an outward-facing bud helps maintain an open centre with better airflow.
The RHS recommends cutting no more than about 5mm above a bud, with a slope away from it so water is not directed onto the bud. Do not leave a long dead-looking stub above every cut; stubs can die back.
Make one clean cut rather than crushing the stem with blunt tools. If the cane is too thick for your secateurs, use the appropriate larger tool.
Prune hybrid tea roses
Modern hybrid tea roses benefit from relatively firm late-winter pruning. After removing damaged and crowded wood, retain a framework of strong healthy shoots.
RHS guidance describes shortening strong shoots to around four to six buds, often roughly 10–15cm above the base of last year's growth, while weaker shoots can be cut lower to fewer buds. The precise result depends on the rose's vigour and age.
The aim is to encourage sound new stems capable of carrying the characteristic individual blooms. Don't copy these low cuts onto a mature climbing rose or an old shrub rose unless its own pruning guidance calls for them.
Prune floribunda roses
Floribunda roses carry clusters of flowers, so the pruning style generally leaves somewhat longer shoots. The RHS advises reducing strong stems to around 25–30cm above soil level, with weaker shoots cut back more firmly.
As with hybrid teas, remove crossing, diseased and weak stems first. A handful of healthy well-spaced canes is better than a tightly packed ball of twiggy growth.
Floribundas can vary considerably in natural size. If a named variety has specific recommendations from its breeder or supplier, consider those alongside general guidance.
Handle shrub roses more gently
Many shrub roses flower on older growth and look best with a naturally arching framework. Pruning them to low stumps every March may remove potential flowers and ruin their shape.
For a shrub that flowers only once, routine pruning commonly follows flowering in late summer. Remove dead or congested old growth and preserve a balanced mix of stems. For repeat-flowering shrubs, a gentle shortening of strong growth in late winter can be appropriate.
The RHS distinguishes these two groups in its shrub-rose guidance. If you cannot identify the rose, start conservatively. You can always shorten another stem later, but you cannot replace the previous year's flowering wood once it has been cut off.
Deal with an overgrown or neglected bush
An old rose may contain a few thick stems that produce little fresh flowering growth. Remove one or two ageing stems near the base where healthy replacement shoots are available, rather than cutting every cane down indiscriminately.
Stand back and check the balance after each major cut. Open the centre enough for light and air without leaving the plant with only weak, spindly stems.
If the bush has a single old main stem, be especially cautious about removing it. A drastic renovation may fail on an ageing plant that lacks vigorous shoots to take over.
What to do after pruning
Collect all trimmings and fallen diseased foliage. Give the rose a suitable spring feed as directed and mulch the surrounding soil with well-rotted organic matter, keeping mulch away from the crown.
Check for suckers that arise from the rootstock rather than the intended rose variety. The RHS recommends tracing them back to their origin at the roots and removing them appropriately rather than simply cutting the tips.
As new growth appears, monitor for aphids and fungal leaf diseases. Water during extended dry periods, particularly where roses have strong competition from nearby shrubs.
Three mistakes that cost flowers
The first is treating climbing, rambling, shrub and modern bush roses as though they were interchangeable. Learn the rose group before attempting a major cut.
The second is pruning too early in a cold region, leaving tender new growth exposed to later frosts. A little patience in late winter can be worthwhile.
The third is leaving overcrowded crossing stems because the bush looks fuller that way. Healthy, well-spaced shoots generally produce a better framework and make later deadheading easier.