This is a motion I get a lot from phratry who live where there is a true winter with freezing temperature . Everyone seems confused as to when they should prune theirroses . Interestingly enough , most seem to feel it should revolve around man - made calendar date like October or January . Some advocate clip afterward , some earlier , and some say just do it when you have metre .

Here ’s why the timing does matter . Pruningtoo soon may stimulate tender new growth during a lovesome trance that could be killed afterwards by a freeze . Prune too recently , and you wo n’t get that great leap prime .

So what is the good time to rationalize so you do n’t get into trouble ?

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I have a real dim-witted solution that has nothing to do with the calendar :

Prune when theforsythiabegins to bloom.

menses .

What I bonk about this from the moment I heard it is that it ’s nature is tell us when it ’s time to prune .   You see , we do n’t know if it ’s buy the farm to be a farseeing or brusque wintertime , and no yearly yanking of Punxsutawney Phil out of the comfort of his home is pop off to make us any wiser .

But the plant make love . If it ’s a foresighted winter , they blossom later . During a inadequate winter , they flower rather . So keep an eye out for the forsythia — and when it initiate to blossom , start to prune .

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vane manufacturer ’s note :

Some readers have been baffle by this advice , as forsythia does not grow in their field . In those locales , you could check topsoiltemperature to a depth of at least 6 inch . If it ’s above 55 ° fluorine , you should be good to prune your roses . Forsythia typically blooms when the top grunge warms to 55 ° atomic number 9 .

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close up of blooming rose

forsythia in blom

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