| Leslie, March 10, 2005
Have just moved and there are about a dozen rose bushes that have not been trimmed back in a year or two. It is now March, is it too late to cut back? We still have frost some mornings here in The Dalles, Oregon. Thank you! |
| 3/10/05 Dear Doris, Leslie, I am writing from the other side of the USA in Maine, so you can incorporate that information. Roses will not be growing until the ground temperature warms up to 42 degrees or greater. So, if you are having frost in the morning, I suspect the plants are dormant. You can check this by seeing if they have leafed out as yet or not. If they have not leafed out. This would be a good time to prune provided you have additional knowledge, as discussed below. Some roses, particularly once blooming "Old Garden Roses", bloom on old wood (growth), so if you prune those you will lose this year's flowers. Many modern repeat blooming roses bloom on new wood - new growth- and some bloom on both old wood and new wood. Knowledge of the varieties that you are pruning would let you decide, with the aid of a rose book. Hope this helps
Jerry Cinnamon |
