Category Archives: Antique Roses

It’s supposed to be an arcane and scary subject, pruning roses, but I find it rather easy. You prune around Valentine’s and again around Labor Day and reap the benefits of a flush of blossoms a month or two later. This year I decided to start a few days before Labor Day weekend since it’s been so wet and not all that hot a summer. Rose Magazine’s pruning guide was a help, giving me the courage to whack the hybrid tea Mr. Lincoln back by almost half. The electric meter reader will thank me, even if Mr. L. decides to pout and refuse to bloom. The antique roses were easier. I always cut them back by a third. Both types bloom on new growth. The only time you really don’t want to prune is close to winter or summer’s dog days, when the new growth would either freeze or get burned. Something tells me it’s going to be a glorious fall, rose wise.