Tutorial with illustrated instructions and video

An overview of important rose classes

More than 30,000 rose varieties compete for the gardeners' favor. In order not to lose track of the selection and maintenance, the classification according to rose classes serves as a helpful guideline. The key differentiating criterion is the growth habit, which also influences the care of the pruning. A global classification system is not yet available. Furthermore, modern varieties cannot always be clearly assigned. After all, the following table with important rose classes offers practical guidance for private rose gardeners:

In addition to the two traditional cutting dates in spring and summer, an autumn time comes into focus. A separate section sheds light on the conditions under which rose gardeners use scissors again in autumn Tutorial.

Basic rules in the rose cut

One of the basics of pruning is that a rose gardener is familiar with important basic rules. These premises apply regardless of which class of roses thrives in your garden. To get started, our basic tutorial introduces you to a short version of the fundamental principles for cutting roses:

• Prune roses every year when the forsythias bloom
• Thinning out or cutting back previously dead, frozen and damaged branches
• Cut strong shoots little, cut weak shoots vigorously
• Side shoots of the second and third order are the most valuable blossom wood
• Buds in the top position always sprout the most
• Always remove weak branches at the base
• The top bud on the shoot should always point outwards before and after the cut

The most abundant flowering occurs - depending on the rose class - on the one-year and two-year shoots. In order for a cut to achieve the optimal flower yield, it should create as many second and third order branches as possible. The figure below illustrates how to correctly distinguish the shoots of a rose according to their ranking. First-order shoots sprout directly from the main shoot. A first-order side shoot branches into second-order side shoots, and so on. Once you are familiar with the hierarchy and basics, you can’t go wrong with cutting roses.

The order of precedence among the side shoots dictates the correct pruning. The focus is on shoots of the second and third order as valuable blossom wood.

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The circumference of the cut dictates the strength to grow

Cut hybrid tea vigorously

The pruning of hybrid tea roses aims at the formation of numerous long and straight flower stalks. Majestic flowers are enthroned at their tips in summer. Too dense branching is only an annoying disruptive factor. The figure below shows that hybrid tea roses benefit from a strong pruning. With the following pattern you can direct the growth in the spring and summer in the desired direction:

• First all stronger shoots on 5 eyes, weak shoots on 3 eyes cut back
• Shorten side shoots to 1 to 2 buds
• At weak-growing Hybrid Tea Roses 3 to 4 select the most promising shoots
• At strong-growing Hybrid Tea Roses 5 to 6 select the best specimens
• Remove all other branches flush with the floor
• In summer, cut back withered branches down to the first leaflet with 5 partial leaves

A continuous rejuvenation works to prevent aging and the unfavorable long-legged growth. For this purpose, you remove the oldest ground shoot at the roots of old hybrid tea roses every spring.

Cut your hybrid tea roses back to three to five buds. Low-growing varieties should keep a maximum of 4, strong-growing varieties a maximum of 6 shoots. Remove the oldest shoots on old hybrid tea roses, level with the ground, in order to continuously rejuvenate them.

Adjust the cut of the floribunda to the vigor

With five to seven ground shoots, floribunda roses are well positioned for a long, lavish flowering period. The aim of pruning is to promote the valuable blossom wood and to keep long shoots in check. If over-long shoots protrude from a rose bush, sooner or later the floribunda will fall apart. How to complete the perfect cut:

• Shorten all shoots to 3 to 5 buds
• Leave 3 healthy shoots with 3 buds on the weak floribunda rose
• Leave 5 healthy shoots with 5 buds on vigorously growing floribunda
• In summer, clean off withered inflorescences down to the first leaf

In order for roses to show the desired reaction to a cut, the right cut is essential. The illustration below shows where and how you cut floribunda roses and other rose classes. Place the scissors five to 10 millimeters above an outward-facing bud. If you cut too short, the bud will be injured and will never sprout. If you cut too far away, a dried-up stump forms as an entry point for pathogenic germs.

If a floribunda is getting old, the annual clearing of an old ground shoot ensures a new courage to face life. In the last step of the main cut, cut off an aged branch near the ground. The resulting sap jam encourages young wood to venture out into the light.

Always cut a rose shoot 5 to 10 mm above a clearly visible bud that is directed outwards. A slight inclination of the Rose scissors prevents rain or irrigation water from drowning the bud

Cut shrub roses that bloom more often

Shrub roses build a stable framework in the first few years. This consists of five to eight ground shoots with Side shoots of the first and second order. This creates the floral foundation for vital annual shoots with numerous flowers. In parallel to the construction of the scaffolding, the incision care department works towards preventing balding from below from the start. With this cutting strategy the plan succeeds:

• Long drives 1. Order from the previous year: around one third cut back
• Shoots 2. and 3. Order: shorten to 3 to 5 buds
• Suitable for the space in the bed: leave a maximum of 8 vital ground shoots
• Thinning out: redundant, weak, decaying ground shoots

The right decision about the number of ground shoots depends on two aspects. The more airy a shrub rose is structured, the faster its leaves dry off again after a downpour. Furthermore, historical, often-blooming shrub roses with thinner shoots thrive. These buckle under the weight of magnificent flowers. The risk is avoided by using a denser network of branches to support each other. Modern varieties have more stately shoots with a larger diameter and get along excellently with three to five scaffold shoots.

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Remove wild shoots continuously

Cut single-flowering shrub roses

The cut on shrub roses that bloom once differs markedly from their conspecifics that bloom more often. Usually these are historical varieties from the 19th Century, like the legendary "Queen of Denmark" from 1816 or "Mme. Hardy ”from 1832. The floral divas lay their flower buds on the wood of the previous year. For this reason, the main cut takes place in summer. In spring, a shrub rose that has bloomed once is only given shape. How to cut with horticultural expertise:

• End of February / beginning of March: shorten shoot tips to shrub level, cut off rose hips
• July / August: Extra-long shoots derive on a lower branch
• Ideally, cut up to 5 or 10 cm below this year's inflorescence
• In addition, from the 4th or 5. Thinning out an aging scaffold shoot

Some lovers of single-flowering historical varieties do not prune their roses at all. These shrub roses achieve imposing dimensions that are well above the information provided by historical sources. In this case, the roses should be thinned out thoroughly at least every five to six years. Furthermore, a rejuvenation of strongly branched shoot tips is recommended by removing the Cutting technique of the derivation.

If shrub roses bloom only once, they set up their flower buds in late summer. Cut back this year's long shoots in August so that more short flowering shoots form for the next year.

Cut dwarf roses boldly

Miniature roses come out big in summer with a sea of ​​brightly colored flowers, under which the leaves and shoots almost disappear. The little beauties bloom on this year's branches several times per season and dispense with the formation of a load-bearing structure. That primarily weak growth requires one strong pruning, so that every year a lusciously blooming rose bush develops again in a small format. That is how it goes:

• All shoots 1. Blending order
• Vigorous variety: shorten to 6 to 7 buds
• Weak variety: cut back to 3 to 4 buds
• Finally, select 5 vital ground shoots and cut off all others at ground level

The summer care cut is dedicated to the withered flowers and not limited to a single appointment. Rather, your dwarf roses shine in picturesque splendor if you continuously cut out everything that has faded. Only when the flowering period is definitely over do you cut the faded shoot tips back to the first healthy leaflet.

Cut ground cover roses every 3 years

It is really no pleasure to cut an area covered with thorn-reinforced tendrils. How good that ground cover roses only need to be noted on the pruning schedule every 2 to 3 years. The particular advantage of this class of roses is that the bushes sprout and bloom without summer cleaning, provided that all other conditions are right. How to properly prune ground cover roses:

• Cut back every 2 to 3 years when the forsythia is in bloom
• Thoroughly thin out the bushes beforehand
• Shorten third-order shoots to 3 to 5 buds
• Do not intersect second and first order shoots

If shoots grow beyond the intended bed area, shorten them to just above a bud. In the end, each main shoot on a ground cover rose should have at least two to three side shoots from which the blossom wood can sprout.

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Plant pruning - prologue of pruning care

Form climbing roses on the trellis

Unmatched masters in terms of vigor and abundance of flowers are climbing roses that bloom frequently. If a stable support structure is available, the roses transform facades, arbors and arches into a summery flower fairy tale. A key function for the floral splendor is the right cut. It is important to overgrown the climbing aid evenly and to lure out numerous flowers. With this cut you can:

• Ideally, loosen all or as many tendrils as possible from the climbing aid and place them on the ground
• On each main shoot: all side shoots 2. and 3. Trim back to 3 to 5 buds
• Healthy, well-developed long shoots from the previous year do not cut

The cut main shoots now resemble a “chicken ladder” and are attached to the climbing aid. The figure below illustrates the before / after effect. Start the formation with the most promising shoot and work your way up step by step. You may not need all of the main shoots, so you can end up removing the weakest ones. Annual long shoots, however, are the floral ones Hopefuls for your climbing rose and be spared the scissors.

Seldom cut wild roses

Wild roses are an asset to any natural garden. The rosy natural beauties are not made for annual pruning. Attempts to press a wild rose into a cut shape are doomed to failure. A single ground shoot remains vital and blooming for up to six years. So that wild roses do not turn into an aged, impenetrable thicket, every four to five years a cut ensures order. This is how a wild rose stays young and full of flowers for many years:

• The best time is in February when the weather is frost-free
• Thinning out a third to a quarter of the old scaffolding shoots (very dark wood) at floor level
• Overlong or overhanging shoots slim down to an outwardly directed side shoot
• Do not cut annual, unbranched ground shoots

If young, green wood is in short supply in a wild rose, cut some of the older, two to three-year-old shoots back to 40 centimeters. A sap jam develops, which encourages sleeping eyes to shoot. If the cut branch gets caught in the dense mesh, please do not use force when pulling it out. The risk of damaging valuable blossom wood is too great. Instead, cut up the old wood to get a better grip on it.

Cutting tool for cutting roses

A rose gardener always has his rose shears to hand because they are the most important tool. The basic equipment also includes a Loppers and a jackknife. There are various designs to choose from on the market. The following overview summarizes the basic properties that the cutting tool should have:

Rose shears and loppers

• Narrow tip for maneuvering in tight spaces
• Two sharp blades as Bypass scissors
• Constructed from high quality stainless steel or carbon steel
• Easy to dismantle for cleaning work

Pruning saw, folding saw

• Narrow, pointed saw blade
• Ideally with Japanese perforation
• Folding saw(€ 17.68 at Amazon *) with stable locking
• Easy replacement of a blunt saw blade

With cheap tools from the discounter you will not meet the high demands of your roses. Please direct your gaze to established brand manufacturers such as Okatsune, Fiskars, Felco or Kumamoto. The investment in premium quality is rewarded with a smooth process of cutting work so that you can concentrate fully on the perfect approach.

frequently asked Questions

What does ADR rose mean?

ADR stands for Recognized German Rose and is to be understood as a seal of quality. The title is only awarded to those roses that have been planted in one of eleven viewing gardens and have impressed with health and high ornamental value over a period of three to four years. One of the most important premises is that healthy growth can be achieved without the use of pesticides. Further criteria are winter hardiness, leaf health, self-cleaning or overall impression. So far, around 150 varieties have been awarded the ADR rose label.

When is the best time to plant roses?

Roses grown in containers can be planted in the bed or in the tub during the entire growing season. For bare-root crops, the time window for planting is open from October to March. This applies provided that the earth is not frozen and the thermometer is above freezing point.

My heart bleeds to cut my roses as hard as you can read in many instructions. Why should a rose be cut so deeply at all?

You are not alone with your concerns. Many rose lovers struggle with cutting back roses radically in spring. Hobby gardeners often assume that it takes too much strength for a rose if it has already started budding. The truth is that roses only sprout from the end of a branch. Aging and lignification are inevitable if the shoots are not regularly shortened. Without annual pruning, the flowering trees become increasingly bare from the base with a few flowers in the upper area.

When and how should I cut a standard rose?

Standard roses are the combination of root and stem of a wild rose, refined with a bed, shrub or hybrid tea rose as a crown. Cut the crown back to 20 to 40 centimeters in spring. If it is a dwarf rose crown, shorten the branches to 10 centimeters. An exception applies to single-flowering cascade roses. The crowns bloom on last year's wood and should only be thinned out and slightly cut into shape. Please make absolutely sure that you do not cut into the spherical refinement area, which is located in the transition from the trunk to the crown.

The 3 most common mistakes

The Queen of Flowers graciously forgives many a beginner's mistake. With the following three cutting errors, hobby gardeners mostly fall out of favor and, in the worst case, are punished with the total failure of their roses. The following table lists common mishaps by name, provides information on typical damage patterns and has tips for prevention:

Tips

A regular and balanced supply of nutrients is the ideal addition to professional pruning. To ensure that roses bloom lavishly, give them a special organic-mineral rose fertilizer at the end of March and the end of June. Please pay attention to the dosage. Too much of a good thing makes roses soft and fragile. It shouldn't be more than 60 grams per square meter.