Rose · last checked 2026-09-28
When to prune roses: repeat bloomers vs once-bloomers
Roses do not all get cut at the same time. Repeat-blooming bush roses get their main pruning at the end of dormancy; roses that bloom once a year flower on old wood and are cut after they bloom.
Each line names the Extension service it comes from and links to their page. Where the services split plants into groups, each group is shown as they put it.
Sun and soil
- Colorado State University Extension says roses need at least five to six hours of sun a day. If a site is not sunny all day, early-morning sun is the better second choice. Selecting and Planting Roses · checked 2026-09-27
- Clemson Cooperative Extension says roses should get six to eight hours of direct sun daily. Growing Roses (HGIC fact sheet) · checked 2026-09-28
Watering
- Illinois Extension says as a rule of thumb, roses need about one inch of water a week during the growing season. Roses: Care · checked 2026-09-28
- Clemson Cooperative Extension says roses that run short of water wilt, shed leaves, put out smaller leaves or stop blooming. Growing Roses (HGIC fact sheet) · checked 2026-09-28
When it blooms
- Clemson Cooperative Extension says modern roses such as hybrid teas and floribundas rebloom through the summer; most old garden roses flower just once a season. Pruning Roses (HGIC fact sheet) · checked 2026-09-27
When to prune
- University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension says lists roses with summer-flowering shrubs, pruned while dormant or in early spring before buds break; waiting until late spring or early summer costs flower buds. Pruning Deciduous Shrubs (Wisconsin Horticulture) · checked 2026-09-27
- Clemson Cooperative Extension says hybrid teas, floribundas and other repeat bloomers get a hard annual pruning in spring as the buds break dormancy; the cue is when the buds begin to swell. Pruning Roses (HGIC fact sheet) · checked 2026-09-27
- Clemson Cooperative Extension says old-fashioned roses and climbers that flower once a year are pruned right after blooming, not heavily in early spring, since they bloom on the previous year’s wood. Pruning Roses (HGIC fact sheet) · checked 2026-09-27
- Clemson Cooperative Extension says first-year plants and weak growers should be pruned lightly, vigorous ones harder. Pruning Roses (HGIC fact sheet) · checked 2026-09-27
- Clemson Cooperative Extension says puts floribunda and grandiflora roses with shrubs pruned before spring growth, and climbing roses with those pruned after flowering. Pruning Shrubs (HGIC fact sheet) · checked 2026-09-27
Timing shifts with your local climate and the plant’s variety; your state’s Extension service has the final word. See how these pages are put together.
Other flowers: Daffodil, Hydrangea, Lavender, Mums (garden chrysanthemums), Peony, Tulip.