By limiting the uncontrolled growth of the rose plant, you are helping it grow healthy, get more sunlight and air, keep it free from disease, promote blooming and encourage the growth of new branches.

• Use sharp and clean tools to prevent the spread of disease from one plant to the other.
• Begin pruning from the base of the plant.
• Cut the stem at 45 degree angle, quarter inch above the outward facing bud. This ensures that the new growth will be outward away from the centre of the plant thus providing more air circulation. Make a clean cut and not a ragged one. When you cut, look if it is white inside the stem. If it is brown, cut further down.
• Remove weak, dead, broken and diseased branches. Rip out the suckers from their source.  Suckers are canes that grow from below the grafted part on the main stem of the plant.
• Dead-heading: before the development of seeds, the faded flowers are removed. The stem that has the flower is cut above a five leaflet leaf.
• After making cuts, seal the ends of the cuts to prevent the cane borers from attacking.
• The ideal time for pruning depends on the variety of rose plant and also the geographical location. Pruning is usually done during the spring time just as you see the new growth beginning to bud.
• Remove the spent bloom from rose bushes.
• For newly planted rose bushes, you will have to adopt hard pruning where the rose canes are cut to 4-5 inches.