"Marianne" wrote in message
ups.com...
I live in Northern California though I do not know the zone I am
currently living in and I have a question regarding pruning.

Any gardening magazine should have a zone map in it.
Or you can go to this web site:
http://www.usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html
Those are just guidelines. Local conditions can
effectively put your garden into a warmer or
colder "zone".

I just
recently moved to the mountains I live at the 3000 foot level so I am
not really in the snow country though we do get little bit of snow.

I'm jealous. I miss snow.

When I lived in the San Joaquin Valley I always trimmed my rose bush in
January or around that time. My Mother-in-law, who lives next door,
has told me not to trim my rose bush until after the frost season ends
which according to her is around April. I am concerned isn't that
too late? My beloved rose bush is already sprouting; in fact I am
shocked at how much new growth she has. What do you recommend? Should
I wait until April to prune her back? I would appreciate any and all
advice on this subject.

Thanks,
Marianne

I'm much south of you (Zone 8) but I agree with
your mother-in-law. One main reason for
pruning before a rose starts growing again is
that it's easier to see what you're doing when the
canes are bare (or mostly so). I seldom get a true
dormant period here so I'm used to pruning roses
when they're green and actively growing.
No problems.

I believe roses can potentially be harmed if
you prune too early and then get a late frost.
I did that once and lost quite a few young roses
during that rare winter when we actually had
"winter".

Gail
near San Antonio TX Zone 8