Anyone who has roses in their garden have been issued with an alert to ensure they look just gorgeous in 2025.
Those wishing to have beautiful flowers in their garden this year are being reminded of a vital time to prune your roses.
Despite the UK’s unpredictable winter weather, roses – particularly English varieties – are robust and can withstand the conditions well.
During the winter, roses enter a dormant state, meaning pruning is one of the few tasks that can be performed on them.
Most types of roses should be pruned in January or February, around the time new growth begins and before the leaves start to emerge.
You can start pruning your roses any time after Christmas, throughout January, and through to around Valentine’s Day as this is when growth is just resuming.
However, in the northern and colder parts of the country you may wish to wait until March.
Pruning will help breathe new life into your roses and is essential for their overall health, vitality and appearance.
The process helps remove weak stems so that the plant grows back stronger with bigger flowers.
How to prune your roses
To prune roses, you will need a pair of clean pruning shears, thick gloves, and disinfectant spray or alcohol to clean the shears.
First, inspect the plant and identify any dead, dark or damaged branches, then cut them off.
Make sure to cut away any discoloured or spindly growth as well to encourage the roses to grow as strong as possible.
Remove closely positioned stems that might rub or compete for space.
Encourage fresh new growth from lower down by removing any main stems that are starting to lose their vigour. More air circulation also reduces the risk of fungal disease.