I have to agree with the pruning tips already given. I don't even remove
last yr's dead pieces until after this yr's blooms as often if the weather
has been really harsh over the winter, new growth will be coming out at the
very base of the supposedly dead stuff. And any dead stuff that doesn't
just pull out easily with one hand, I leave as it's not totally dead. I
always have lots of blooms each yr.

Genevieve