Pruning roses: which to cut back when, and how hard

Prune roses in spring, in March, as the buds begin to swell (the old rule says: when the forsythia flowers). Cut the strong stems of hybrid tea roses back to 10-15 cm, 4-6 buds, and those of floribundas to 25-30 cm; shrub and ground cover roses only lightly, by a third. Tie the main canes of a climbing rose horizontally and cut the flowered side shoots back by two thirds. Always cut at a slant, about 5 mm above an outward-facing bud.

Updated: November 11, 2026 · Prices checked: November 9, 2026 · Data and prices from our plant database, worked out for your country. How our data is made

A rose bed in June: pink floribundas, red hybrid teas, a white climbing rose tied horizontally on the fence, catmint and lady's mantle at the front — A climbing rose grows the most flowering side shoots on canes tied horizontally.

When to prune roses?

The main pruning is in spring, in March, once the hard frosts are over and the buds begin to swell. The old gardeners' rule says: when the forsythia flowers. Prune earlier and a late frost can take the fresh growth; later and the rose has put its strength into the part you cut off.

In mild-winter areas you can prune a climbing rose at the end of winter too, on a frost-free day; in colder places rather in March. A once-flowering rambler that grows long canes and flowers in June, however, is pruned in summer after flowering, because next year's flowers open on the canes grown during the summer.

By rose group

How much to cut depends on the rose's group. Hard pruning gives the large-flowered hybrid tea fewer but larger flowers on long stems; the cluster-flowered floribunda keeps longer stems to carry more flowers; shrub roses and ground cover roses look best in their natural form and need hardly any pruning.

Hybrid tea rose

Deciduous

Height: 0.8–1.8 m
When to prune: March, before new growth
How hard: hard: strong stems to 10-15 cm, 4-6 buds
Price per plant: €19

Floribunda rose

Deciduous

Height: 0.4–1.5 m
When to prune: March, before new growth
How hard: moderately: stems to 25-30 cm
Price per plant: €20

Shrub rose

Deciduous

Height: 1–2.5 m
When to prune: March, before new growth
How hard: lightly: by a third, 1-2 old stems at the base
Price per plant: €7.90

Climbing rose

Deciduous

Height: 1.8–6 m
When to prune: end of winter or March
How hard: flowered side shoots by two thirds
Price per plant: €20

Ground cover rose

Deciduous

Height: 30–90 cm
When to prune: March, before new growth
How hard: lightly: thinning, renewal every few years
Price per plant: €6.80

Miniature rose

Deciduous

Height: 20–60 cm
When to prune: March, before new growth
How hard: stems by half
Price per plant: €36

Rose	Height	When to prune	How hard	Price per plant
Hybrid tea rose Deciduous	0.8–1.8 m	March, before new growth	hard: strong stems to 10-15 cm, 4-6 buds	€19
Floribunda rose Deciduous	0.4–1.5 m	March, before new growth	moderately: stems to 25-30 cm	€20
Shrub rose Deciduous	1–2.5 m	March, before new growth	lightly: by a third, 1-2 old stems at the base	€7.90
Climbing rose Deciduous	1.8–6 m	end of winter or March	flowered side shoots by two thirds	€20
Ground cover rose Deciduous	30–90 cm	March, before new growth	lightly: thinning, renewal every few years	€6.80
Miniature rose Deciduous	20–60 cm	March, before new growth	stems by half	€36

The table shows the rose groups. The price is the typical price of a potted plant of the usual size; where it is empty, that group is not on offer in your country at the moment. Prune newly planted hybrid teas, floribundas and miniature roses hard in their first spring too, so they send up strong shoots from the base; do not cut climbing and shrub roses back in their first year, only damaged stems.

How to cut?

The dashed part comes off. Cutting above an outward-facing bud keeps the middle of the bush open and airy.

First cut out anything dead, diseased, damaged or as thin as a pencil, and anything that grows inwards, into the middle of the bush, or crosses another stem. Cut a dead stem back to white, healthy pith.
Cut the remaining stems just above an outward-facing bud, about 5 mm above it, at a slant sloping away from the bud so water runs off. The middle of the bush stays open and airy: less black spot and powdery mildew.
Use sharp secateurs, and loppers or a pruning saw for thick, old stems. Do not leave a stub: no new shoot grows from it, it only dies back.
On an old plant, cut one or two of the oldest stems with grey bark that flower poorly out at the base each year: young, strong stems grow in their place.

Pruning a climbing rose

Tie the main canes of a climbing rose as horizontally as you can to the fence, wires on the wall or a pergola. A horizontal cane grows many flowering side shoots; an upright one only at the top.
Cut the flowered side shoots back by two thirds. Do not cut off new, long canes but tie them in: they become the main canes of the coming years.
You can rejuvenate an old, bare climbing rose from late autumn to the end of winter: cut a few old canes out at the base, keep no more than six young, strong canes, and shorten the side shoots by a third to a half.

Summer and autumn tasks

In summer, regularly cut off faded flowers just above the first full leaf of five leaflets: a repeat-flowering rose then makes new buds sooner.
Do not cut off a sucker coming from below the graft at the base (often with different leaves, seven leaflets), but follow it to the root and pull it off there; cut, it grows back more.
In autumn, shorten the long, whippy canes of hybrid teas and floribundas by a third so winter wind does not loosen the plant; shrub and ground cover roses usually do not need it. Do not do the main pruning yet.
In colder areas, mound 15-20 cm of soil or compost over the base of hybrid teas and floribundas in late autumn to protect the graft; spread it out in spring before pruning.
After pruning in spring, give rose fertiliser and cover the base with 5 cm of compost or well-rotted manure.

Where to plant roses?

Roses want a sunny, airy spot: at least six hours of sun a day, and where air moves there is less fungal disease. They like deep, rich, free-draining soil and take limy soil too. Do not plant them under large trees or at the foot of a dense hedge, where roots take the water and nutrients.

Catmint, cranesbill, salvia and lady's mantle look good beside them in a bed and hide the rose's bare base. Our garden planner's Colourful flower bed style counts roses among its signature plants.

Sources

The advice rests on these expert pages and laws, adapted to Central European winters and soils. The tables come from our own plant database.

MATE: Recept a szabadföldi rózsa tavaszi munkáihoz a MATE munkatársától
Bayerische Gartenakademie: Rosen richtig schneiden
RHS: Rose pruning: general tips
RHS: Rose pruning: climbing roses

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