Saw someone in a Facebook group say you should always prune roses in fall

I read this post yesterday from a lady saying autumn pruning is the only way for roses. I've been growing roses for about 8 years now and I always wait until early spring, right before the buds swell. Pruning in fall leaves those cut ends open to frost damage and rot over winter, at least in my zone 5b garden. Anyone else had bad luck with fall pruning or am I just doing it wrong?

2 comments

2 Comments

murphy.abby4d ago

You mentioned you're in zone 5b and worried about frost damage on fall pruned roses, so what about folks in warmer zones who don't get hard freezes? I'm in 7a and I've seen people swear by fall pruning down here since we rarely dip below 20. Is it still a bad idea if your winters are mild enough that cuts heal before deep cold hits?

eric_knight74d ago

Oh man I hear you on that. I'm in zone 6a and tried fall pruning once because I heard some guy on YouTube say it worked great for him. Big mistake. Half my bushes had dieback by spring and I lost two entire plants to rot near the ground. I think it really depends on how unpredictable your winters are. Even in milder zones you can get those random late fall freezes that catch you off guard. For me it was just not worth the risk. Now I stick to late winter or early spring and my roses have been way healthier.