Undemanding, continuous bloomers that bloom all summer long and into autumn - these are the ground cover roses, which can appear in a wide variety of designs. When is a suitable time to cut them?
When and how should you cut ground cover roses in spring?
Ground cover roses should ideally be cut in spring, between the end of February and mid-March. Remove old, diseased, dead and dried shoots, wild shoots, crossing and inward-growing shoots. Cut the remaining shoots back to 15 to 20 cm, leaving at least 2 buds per shoot.
Spring is preferable to autumn
While many plants are cut back in autumn, you should wait until spring for ground cover roses. This is recommended for several reasons. Among other things, the rosehip fruits are decorative throughout the winter. Furthermore, budding is stimulated better by pruning in spring than if pruning were done in autumn.
But when is the right time in spring? Many gardeners base their time on the flowering time of the forsythia. It blooms when frost is no longer expected during the day. Then you should cut your ground cover roses! This is usually the case between the end of February and mid-March.
Is cutting in autumn dangerous?
It usually doesn't harm the plant if it is cut in autumn. But in principle this is not recommended. Autumn pruning is only completely harmless in mild locations.
Is pruning necessary every spring?
Ground cover roses do not need to be cut back every spring. However, it is not a problem for them if they are cut back every year. They tolerate radical pruning very well because they are quite robust. In general, it is sufficient if you cut back your ground cover roses every 4 to 5 years. This means the growth remains compact, bushy and dense.
What do you cut in spring?
As part of care, ground cover roses should be cut as follows:
- remove old, diseased, dead, dried shoots
- remove all wild shoots (below the grafting point) completely
- remove crossing and inwardly growing shoots
- Prune all remaining shoots to 15 to 20 cm
- at least 2 buds should remain per shoot
- Pruning tool: sharp rose scissors (€25.00 on Amazon) or hedge trimmer
Tip
Planted ground cover roses should preferably be cut in spring, especially in rough locations. The reason: Freshly cut shoots are more susceptible to frost damage.
