The United States of America is made up of 50 states,
a federal district, within planting zones 3 - 10.
What are the months of the year for
pruning roses in each state and factoring
in the different planting zone within a state
where appropriate?
I am in IL - near Chicago - it’s zone 5b here. Illinois is a big state (north to south) and at the furthest southern tip I suspect it’s zone 7 there. Here they always say prune your roses when the forsythia bloom (leaves are golden yellow in early spring). Usually that is in mid to late April around here. This year was weird after a mild winter - only the bottom 6 to 12 inches of my forsythia bushes bloomed this year, and that happened 2-3 weeks sooner than usual. The large forsythia bushes in my area really didn’t bloom at all this Spring - I can’t recall that ever happening before.
I usually start to prune about one week after the forsythia bloom and usually finish in early May. This year I was 2-3 weeks ahead of that schedule. For downstate Illinois, I am guessing they prune about 4 weeks earlier than up here.
When you see buds (usually reddish in color) pushing out from green cane, it is time to begin the pruning of your roses. Doesn’t matter what the date is on the calendar.
Thank-You for you valuable response.
I’m in Chicago and I always prune about now, early March. If I wait until the forsythias, my roses are fully leafed out. I have even had them bloom in March before! So, you need to pay attention to your canes and prune when they are looking a bit more lively but no leaves yet. I also have a few that don’t drop their leaves so I pull or cut all the dead ones off and dispose of them to prevent black spot.
Here in Minnesota Z5a/4b pruning is done in late April to Mid-May.
Zone 8a, Deep South, we prune anytime from mid-February to mid-March. Hybrid teas are done in March in the hopes of not being damaged by a late freeze.
Marianne - do you grow roses in a greenhouse? Pruning in March and roses blooming in March simply can’t happen in Chicago if roses are grown in a garden (i.e., in the ground). So, you have them in a greenhouse then?
I live in SE Wisconsin, zone 5B and generally begin pruning end of March to April 15th. I have waited until late April to start however, depending on the weather. I do look at the Forsythia for some in indication and then check the future forecast for freezing temperatures. I do not do much winter protection and with limited snow fall this winter I will be cutting to the ground in many cases.