"lj" wrote in message
...
Thanks, Gail. It sounds like I'm stuck with the monster
until fall!

I think I may have misled you. Spring is the
best time to prune, as roses are coming out of
dormancy (no or few leaves). Waiting until
after the average frost date for your area - which
is early May for your location:
http://www.victoryseeds.com/frost/ma.html
-is what is usually recommended for pruning
roses. Some people also do a fall pruning but I
think most experts recommend major pruning
in spring.

Depending on where the rose is located - for
example, if it's close to the house which is a
warmer location - you might be able to get
away with a major pruning now. But you're in a
MUCH colder zone than I am, and all my
rose experience has been down here in the
South/west.

I recommend going to a local nursery, describe
the rose (I'm referring mostly to size here) and
where it's growing and they can probably give
you good advice.

At any rate, you can cut out dead canes and
even crossing canes at pretty much anytime,
assuming the bush has a lot of canes (so you're
not accidentally cutting out all healthy stuff).
It's hard to kill a healthy rose by pruning, unless
you chop it off to the ground.

Gail