Timing your pruning just right can help your roses thrive and bloom for longer - but when is best to give them the chop?

Prune rose of Sharon in late winter or early spring—this avoids disease and protects summer blooms. Pruning shapes the plant, improves airflow, and can rejuvenate older bushes if cut back heavily.

The main issue in deciding when to prune roses is whether they are repeat-flowering or once-flowering roses. Once-flowering roses should be pruned in midsummer after they bloom.

Most rose gardeners have a yearly pruning schedule, regardless of our unpredictable early-spring temperatures. Speas always prunes his roses mid-April. Reynolda Gardens prunes their roses mid-March.

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Many gardens include at least one rose and perhaps several. Roses are dormant from late winter to early spring (when buds begin to swell), so now is the time ...

Late January to early February is a crucial time for roses, and if you want them to thieve in spring, then now is the time to ...

Although it's chilly and frosty, January is a great month to get on with pruning certain plants, according to an expert.