Undemanding permanent bloomers that bloom all summer long and well into autumn - that's them, the groundcover roses, which can appear in a wide variety of designs. When is a good time to cut them?

Spring is a good time to prune ground cover roses

Spring is preferable to autumn

While many plants are cut back in the fall, you should wait until spring for the ground cover roses. This is recommended for several reasons. Among other things, the rosehip fruits are decorative throughout the winter. Furthermore, the budding is better stimulated by a pruning in the spring than if the cut were made in the autumn.

But when is the right time in spring? Many gardeners are guided by the flowering time of the forsythia. It blooms when frost is no longer to be expected during the day. Then you should prune your groundcover roses! This is usually the case between the end of February and mid-March.

Is a cut in autumn questionable?

It usually does not harm the plant if it is already cut in the fall. However, this is generally not recommended. Autumn pruning is only completely harmless in mild locations.

Is a 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. The growth remains compact, bushy and dense.

What do you cut off in spring?

In the course of care, ground cover roses should be cut as follows:

  • remove old, diseased, dead, withered shoots
  • completely remove all wild shoots (below the grafting point).
  • Remove crossing and inward-growing shoots
  • Cut back all other shoots to 15 to 20 cm
  • at least 2 buds should remain per shoot
  • Pruning tool: sharp pruning shears or hedge trimmers

tips

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.

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