Rose Pruning

I just pruned the rose bush this past weekend. I like to wait until the end of March to prune. I read about this plan when I first moved to Southern California. The idea is that the roses will put out new leaves when the weather is warmer and less wet. The hope is to minimize powdery mildew forming on the new leaves.

Normally, I would strip the whole bush of leaves. This year, however, I left a few leaves and rosebuds on one part of the bush because the buds were just about to bloom. After the petals drop, I will prune this part of the bush. Since the weekend, each day has been sunny warm. This enticed the buds to bloom.