When do I prune roses in Oklahoma?

The timing as to when you prune your roses in Oklahoma or elsewhere depends on the flowering habit in addition to the vigor of the plant. 

In general, roses in Oklahoma should be pruned after mid-March. When you prune any plant it tends to encourage fresh growth. This fresh growth will likely be killed off by frost. 

You do want to prune most roses annually. You want to prune to maintain the shape of the plant and to remove dead, dying, or diseased wood.

If you prefer to enjoy only a few larger-sized flowers on your roses prune harder – more severely. On the other hand, if you prefer to have many more flowers on your roses, carry out a lighter pruning. 

You’ll want to prune your rose bushes so that the heart of the plant is open (this helps to encourage airflow and reduce disease). To do that make your pruning cuts a little above buds that are outward-facing. 

Any branches that are growing towards the center of the bush can be removed. If any branches are growing across one another, remove the weaker of the two. 

For hybrid teas and floribunda roses if there’s any growth that originates from below ground please remove that growth as well. This growth is what is referred to as ‘understock’.

Hybrid tea roses generally need fairly severe pruning. That’s because some or many of the canes will have been damaged by frost.

In the springtime, any dead or diseased canes can be removed from hybrid tea roses. For the remaining canes, cut those back to a length of between six and 24 inches (this will depend on how vigorously growing the plant is and how many flowers you wish the bush to have). 

For floribunda roses, grandifloras, and polyanthas, these take less pruning. It’s merely a matter of removing dead and diseased canes and providing the bushes with some shape. 

Small-flowered climbers and rambling roses – those that bloom a single time during spring – prune these bushes back straight after they have bloomed. 

Roses (and other shrubs) that flower during the spring start to establish flowering buds during the later part of spring and into summer. 

Again, for small-flowered climbers and ramblers remove any canes that have already flowered either from the crown or the base of the plant. Any new shoots can be tied up or trained. 

Read: When to plant roses in Oklahoma.

Image by Diverse Pixel from Pixabay