"montereyredfox" wrote in message
ups.com...
I live in California's Central Valley, Zone 9b. Record low hereabouts
is 25 degrees F. Can someone tell this rose newbie when I should prune
my roses? Do I wait until the dead of winter, like January/February,
when everything is really dormant, or can I do it now?

Thanks.

Brian Phelps
Web Manager
http://www.reganroses.com

(While I administer the Regan Nursery bare root rose web site, I'm
still no expert...)

I wouldn't do it now. Wait until the roses are
dormant or in early spring just as roses are starting
to leaf out. However, that applies to modern
roses. Some (most?) old garden roses and
climbers bloom on last year's wood. So if you
prune those classes of roses, you lose the
spring bloom. Also, if this is the first year the
roses have been planted, prune more lightly
than you would later on.

You can always prune out dead canes - just
be sure you know what a dead cane looks like!
Not a trivial point: I recall a poster who kept
pruning out the "dead" canes that turned out
to be new spring growth!

I'll direct you to the American Rose Society
website where they have articles on pruning.
www.ars.org

Look for the link Articles and click on that.
Articles are available to the public to access.
There are several. I recommend reading them
all.

Welcome to rose growing.

Gail
near San Antonio TX Zone 8