Do you eagerly look forward to that beautiful carpet of brightly colored flowers when your ground cover roses bloom every year in spring? If so, a little extra care towards the end of winter will result in a truly beautiful display of colour. In fact, it is common knowledge that roses are one of them plants to prune in late winter for a beautiful spring display. Although many types of ground cover roses do not need as much or as close pruning as other types of roses, they will benefit from a February pruning and reward you with beautiful blooms next season..
Pruning ground cover roses is simple and something you should keep in mind if you are looking for vibrant, bushy plants. It is best to give your roses a haircut in late winter or early spring, just before they come out of dormancy and begin to show their new growth. All you need for this job is a good pair of pruning shears and sturdy garden gloves to protect your fingers from any thorns.
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Best pruning method for ground cover roses
Handheld pruning shears ready to prune back a ground cover rose that already has new spring growth – JulieK2/Shutterstock
The first thing you want to do is remove any dead or damaged stems. You can cut this to the ground or to a healthy top. If you have bush-type ground cover roses, you can prune back any upright branches to ensure a more compact growth structure. Any strong stems can then be pruned back by about a third. Always make sure you make the cut just above a bud emerging. Stems that grow sideways can be trimmed if necessary. If your roses are the creeping type, the long flexible stems can be shortened to create a more manageable structure. You can even cut these in late summer when the plants have finished blooming.
If you have ground cover roses that have been neglected and their growth has gotten out of hand, they can even be hard pruned to about 4 inches above the ground.. This is commonly known as rejuvenation pruning and while it may sound a bit drastic, these rose varieties are super hardy and will surprise you with lush new growth in the spring. As a final tip, give your plants a dose of slow-release, organic, balanced fertilizer immediately after pruning and look forward to a huge burst of blooms late spring and all summer long. And if you’re looking for a little less maintenance, you might want to take a look at a range of beautiful rose varieties that require no pruning or deadheading not at all.
Read the original article on House Digest.
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