When is the best time to prune rose bushes?

Most rose bushes do best following a pruning in early spring, after the leaf buds begin to swell but before the leaves emerge. The exceptions are rose varieties that bloom from last year's wood instead of from new growth; prune these after they have finished flowering.

The amount of pruning a rose bush needs varies by variety, but all rose bushes benefit from regular removal of dead or damaged wood. Other good targets for pruning include canes that are rubbing each other or growing toward the center of the bush, as well as suckers sprouting from below the graft union between the bush and its roots.