Should I cut back my roses (that have started budding) now or later

Hi all,

I went out to tidy up my dad's garden (very much needed!) and noticed all of our roses bushes have started budding and there's quite a lot of new leaves sprouting.

I thought March is the best time to cut back roses (which ours really needs) but should I do it now?

Will the weather be mild enough and stay that way? Dad is in north London if that helps, weather wise.

And if I do go ahead, I assume I should compost, add fishbone etc. now as well. Basically, all of the prep work needed for spring?

Thanks!

 

@Shyamalie Satkunanandan
I tend to prune mine in autumn after flowering to lower the height of them and reduce wind rock loosening them.
They than get a proper prune some time over the winter/early spring, when I have a bit of time and reasonable weather. If it has been mild and there are shoots to tend to ignore them and prune pretty much where I would've done with no shoots. The rose soon produces new shoots lower down.
In your case I would do it now, London is a heat island and frosts are unlikely, as for compost and feeding I might hold off until they are growing well, feeding them now would encourage soft growth which would be more likely to suffer in drying winds or if there was a frost.

 

I dont think the roses will mind the pruning. As long as you do it when its dry for a few days.

The roses will just produce some new shoots and buds. i actively tried to murder mine when i moved in because the roses looked scrawny and dead. Repaid me by growing into beautiful plants from some roots i seem to have missed. So i decided to let them stay.

 

They always say to get your worst enemy to prune your roses.

 

Two varieties (Peace and Gertrude Jekyll) Now flowering! Not pruned yet (March) but somehow doesn't and hasn't been that unusually warm. Is it caused by global warming???

 

i read that a lot of flowers etc are now 1 month ahead
Climate change: UK plants now flowering a month earlier

 

Time to plant those citrus trees