"DaveDay34" wrote in message
news:20030920084149.19898.00001675@mb-
I'm not sure why you'd want to prune roses just yet. The idea behind
waiting
till late in the year to prune roses and other plants is to allow them
(deciduous plants at least) to withdraw nutrients from the leaves and
relocate
those nutrients in their roots and stems over winter for use next spring.
As
we're still experiencing some extremely mild weather, and may do so for
some
time to come, cutting back roses now will probably stimulate new growth,
if
anything. Something you're surely not wanting to do right now?

Sounds sensible. The only reason I want to prune now is to make it easier
to woodstain the fence behind it!! It can wait though

I'd hold off 'til the roses have dropped their leaves, then prune back to
within a few buds from the base of the plant. Wait 'til spring and for
the
worst of the frosts to have past, then prune back to as low down as you
can
(leaving enough buds to ensure good growth for your roses). This will
ensure a
maximum reduction in height (which seems to be what you're after
specifically)
while still ensuring that your rose survives.

When you say to buds, all the buds are on the end of branches ... or am I
getting what are unopened flowers confused with something else? At the
base, the bushes have substantial, branchless trunks - it is this far that I
want to cut it back to. Will this kill it? Should I stick a couple of pics
up to explain better?


a