Greg Grant

Mid-February is a busy time for gardeners in East Texas.

It’s the perfect time to plant cool-season vegetables like broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cilantro, collards, kale, lettuce, mustard, onions, parsley, potatoes, spinach, Swiss chard, and turnips.

But February also brings another important task — rose pruning.

Most rose bushes benefit from regular pruning to remove dead wood, maintain their shape, and encourage healthy new growth. While different types of roses have specific pruning needs, all roses appreciate a little attention at this time of year.

Pruning Hybrid Tea, Grandiflora, and Floribunda Roses

These traditional, showy roses require annual pruning to encourage new growth and larger blooms. Begin by removing all dead or diseased wood, as well as any weak shoots or crossing branches. For older, established plants, cut out one or two of the oldest canes each year to stimulate fresh growth.

Cut back the remaining canes to about 2 to 3 feet, depending on the vigor of the plant. Taller cultivars can be left at 3 to 4 feet. Always prune just above a strong outward-facing bud to direct new growth outward and encourage a full, open shape.

Pruning Other Types of Roses

Tree Roses: These grafted roses are often hybrid teas, grandifloras, or floribundas trained to grow on a tall trunk. Prune them like hybrid teas, cutting the branches back to 6 to 12 inches from the crown to maintain a compact, rounded shape. Remove any shoots sprouting from the trunk or below the graft union.

Miniature Roses: These small but hardy roses require minimal pruning. Simply remove dead wood and lightly shear the plant to maintain its shape.

Ramblers: These vigorous, old-fashioned climbing (“running”) roses bloom on last year’s growth. “Peggy Martin” is a popular example. Do not prune them in February—instead, wait until after they bloom in late spring or early summer. Remove dead wood and older canes but leave new growth untouched to ensure flowers for the next season.

Large-Flowered Climbers: Unlike ramblers, ever-blooming climbing roses produce flowers on both old and new wood. In February, remove any dead or diseased canes, as well as one or two of the oldest canes at ground level to encourage fresh growth. Side shoots can be pruned back 3 to 6 inches to control size and shape.

Antique and Shrub Roses: Repeat-blooming old garden roses like teas, Chinas, and polyanthas, as well as modern shrub roses like Knock Outs and Drifts, should be lightly sheared in February. Remove dead branches but avoid heavy pruning. These roses bloom best as full, bushy plants rather than long-stemmed cut flowers.

Once-Blooming Old Garden Roses: Many old European-type heirloom roses like gallicas bloom on last year’s wood and must be pruned after the bloom. Pruning them now will remove this year’s blooms.

February pruning sets the stage for a healthy, vigorous rose garden that will reward you with abundant blooms in the months ahead. As a general rule, mark your calendar for Valentine’s Day and Labor Day — the two key times of the year to prune repeat-blooming roses in East Texas.