In spring or in autumn?

Spring is preferable to autumn

While many plants are cut back in autumn, one should wait until spring for the ground cover roses. This is recommended for several reasons. Among other things, the rose hip fruits are decorative throughout the winter. Furthermore, budding is stimulated better by pruning in spring than if the pruning was done in autumn.

But when is the right time in spring? Many gardeners are guided by the heyday of the Forsythia. It blooms when frost is no longer expected during the day. Then you should cut your ground cover roses! This is usually the case between late February and mid-March.

Is a cut in autumn questionable?

It usually does not harm the plant if it is cut in autumn. But in principle this is not recommended. Autumn pruning is only completely harmless in mild locations.

Is it necessary to prune every spring?

Ground cover roses do not have to be pruned every spring. However, it is not a problem for them if they are pruned back every year. They tolerate radical cutbacks excellently, as they are quite robust. In general, it is sufficient if you prune your ground cover roses every 4 to 5 years. The growth remains compact, bushy and dense.

What do you cut off in spring?

In the course of care Ground cover roses should be cut as follows:

• Remove old, sick, dead, dried up shoots
• Remove all wild shoots (below the grafting point) completely
• Remove intersecting and inward-growing shoots
• Cut back all other shoots to 15 to 20 cm
• at least 2 buds should remain per shoot
• Cutting tool: sharp Rose scissors or hedge trimmer