Home Gardening Advice from the Help Desk of the
UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County
Client's Request: I have several roses in my garden that seem to bloom forever and well into late Fall/Winter. I'm confused on when to prune them compared to others that stopped blooming a month ago or so and are already going dormant. Would you provide me some guidance on when to prune these late blooming roses?
MGCC' Help Desk Response: Thank you for contacting the UC master Gardener Program Help Desk with your questions about pruning your roses that are acting like it is springtime in November!
As we discussed earlier today on the phone, in our mild climate, it is not unusual for some roses to bloom well into November and even December, so you should not prune those roses until later in winter. UC's article on rose care says that in most of California, pruning should be done in winter before buds swell, although it may be delayed where late spring frosts are common. So, as discussed, enjoy your roses until they go dormant within the next couple of months and then prune!
Here is the link to the full UC article on rose care:
http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7465.html
Also, Sunset magazine says that repeat-blooming roses are usually pruned just before dormancy ends in late winter or early spring. Roses that bloom only once a season are traditionally pruned just after the bloom period ends; strong new growth produced after bloom will bear flowers the following spring.
If you have additional questions, please let us know!
Help Desk of the UC Master Gardener Program of Contra Costa County (SLH)
Note: The UC Master Gardeners Program of Contra Costa's Help Desk is available year-round to answer your gardening questions. Except for a few holidays, we're open every week, Monday through Thursday for walk-ins from 9:00 am to Noon at 75 Santa Barbara Road, 2d Floor, Pleasant Hill, CA 94523. We can also be reached via telephone: (925) 646-6586, email: ccmg@ucanr.edu, or on the web at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/Ask_Us/ MGCC Blogs can be found at http://ccmg.ucanr.edu/HortCoCo/ You can also subscribe to the Blog (//ucanr.edu/blogs/CCMGBlog/).