"Stephen Younge" wrote in message
news:SUhla.401735$L1.115728@sccrnsc02...
I live in Boulder, Colorado, and noticed that a large rose bush (about
four
feet tall) in our backyard is greening up already.

Last year, I vowed to prune it, as it is so tall that it bends down to the
ground once it blooms.

Should I prune this spring or wait until this fall?

I'm a rose/flower newby, as most of my gardening to date has been
tomatoes,
cucumbers, and the like!

Any advice would be appreciated!

cheers,
Stephen

Knowing what kind of rose you have is critical to a succesful pruning job.

Many shrub roses grow in the arching pattern that you describe and it's
perfectly natural and desirable that they do. They are best pruned by
removing 1/3 of the oldest canes completely and "shaping" up the rest of the
bush. This does not need to be done annually, just once ever 3 years or so.

Hybrid teas are pruned by first removing winterkilled growth completely(most
of the canes in cold winter areas) and then selectively pruning down to the
4 or 5 strongest canes. In warmer winter climates, such a severe pruning job
is not necesary, but strong pruning will lead to larger (but fewer) blooms.
For more but slightly smaller blooms, prune less.

FOr climbers that bloom on the previous season's growth, spring pruning will
deprive you of most of the summer blooms and so you should wait until after
the flush of blooms to remove old and woody growth.

Floribundas and mini roses can actually be pruned with hedge clippers with
no real disadvantage to the flowering or the health of the bush.

Sunflower
MS 7b