Gardening 101: How to Prune Roses for Health and Beauty

Mrs. Hart, my post‑war neighbor, cultivated magnificent floribunda roses—big, round powder‑puff clusters. Her secret? “Easier to show than tell.” Here’s the visual guide.

Know Your Rose

Floribunda. Cross between hybrid tea and compact polyantha. Flowers grow in clusters, not single stems. Can be trained as hedge or bush.

Supplies

• Pruners
• Gloves
• Alcohol
• Cotton swabs

Step‑by‑Step

1. Clean blades with alcohol swab to prevent disease spread (roses prone to black spot).

2. Deadhead. As flowers fade, clip spent stems at base to encourage new blooms.

3. Shape. Remove dead, errant, or leggy stems. Cut at a junction with a five‑leaf grouping for fuller growth.

4. Technique. Clean 45° cut lets rain run off, preventing rot in the wound.

Regional rose guides: Northeast US, Texas, Northern California. New to gardening? See Gardening 101 archives: forcing bulbs, sprouting seeds, drawing garden plans.