Rugosas don't need much pruning unless they have totally overwhelmed their neighbours or are growing over a path. They can then be cut back quite hard, in spring, so that the hips are not removed along with the prunings.
Species roses should not be pruned unless it is to remove dead or diseased wood. If they are very old a major overhaul can be carried out, but there will be no flowers the following season.
If you do prune, remove only tangled, spindly stems and any very old or diseased wood for these wild roses will flower happily without a major prune every year.
R. 'Frau Dagmar Hastrup', the hips are part of the charm of the rugosas, so prune lightly and don't dead-head.
Miniature Roses
Hard Pruning of Miniature Rose
Miniature roses can either have dead, damaged and diseased wood removed and then any very densely tangled stems thinned out.
Or you can remove all but the strongest stems and cut these down to two-thirds of their height. The second method is more suited to the more tender, mild-climate miniatures.
R. 'Albertine' a beautiful rambler, fragrant and continues to flower intermittently after a first tremendous flush in early summer.
Climbing Roses
If allowed, climbing will grow straight up and produce few flowers. Pruning and training aims to encourage their stiff, upright branches into a fan, more horizontal and producing a far greater number of blooms. Climbers not on walls (i.e. pillars, etc.) can be trained around rather than up, creating a horizontal framework.
Do not prune for the first two years after planting, but tie in the branches horizontally to encourage a good framework.
From the third year onwwards prune to reduce new growth from the horizontally tied-in branches to one-third and tie in horizontally. Continue in this way, until a good framework of branches, flowering all over, is achieved.
Cut out any damaged branches and tip prune the main branches to keep them within bounds. Strong sideshoots can be treated as main shoots and tied in.
Always look at the framework you are creating and try to maintain a balance, even framework of branches, encouraging horizontal growth to promote flowering.
If the base becomes bare, cut one of two older shoots back to about 30cm of the base to promote new growth.
R. 'Lawrence Johnstone' (Also known as R. 'Hidcote Yellow'), an early flowering climber with clusters of egg-yolk yellow flowers with prominent stamens and a slight perfume.
Rambling Roses
Generally ramblers have a more lax habit of growth than climbers and they tend to be once flowering, producing their blooms on the previous years growth. In the first years after planting it is often better to leave a rambler unpruned and let it establish plenty of flowering wood. Pruning then can be undertaken every two or three years, to control the dimension of the plant!
Prune after flowering in late summer. Remove only stems that have flowered, or you will lose the flowers the following summer.
Remove one to two older stems (not more than a quarter of the total) at the base of the plant, You will need loppers or a pruning saw to do this neatly. As it is difficult to get the stems out, remove in sections.
