Our Valentine’s Day Plans: Rose Pruning

With Valentine’s day right around the corner, love is in the air. Some of you may be looking forward to some festive plans, and others might be a little stressed since you just realized you forgot to make any plans at all (respectfully, you should probably get on that). But for our team at Noonday, Valentine’s Day means that our days have been full of rose pruning! Since Valentine’s Day is for each of us to appreciate the love we have, what better time than now to tend to the roses created to display that love? To ensure the most lovely blooms, roses need to be pruned at least once a year; we prune in early February so the new growth is timed just right. So let us help you create the most beautiful spring your space has ever seen, starting now by taking care of your lovely rose bushes.

At Noonday Gardens, we love rose pruning! The artistic process determines the shape we want the plant to take come springtime. It requires a creative eye, deciding how and where we want the plant to grow. As we carefully select what canes to remove and which to keep, we imagine what it might look like in the future; whether we want it to grow taller or fill out sideways. The creative process is tedious but exciting, it is especially satisfying when the rose bush beautifully blooms just like we had envisioned. We especially enjoy the process since it is a little bit of a challenge; it’ a tedious skill to get the shape just right.

You may wonder: Why do I need to prune my roses? 

We prune roses because it promotes the growth and health of a plant. When we cut unproductive and tangled growth, we are pushing energy to the plant’s roots. The plant is then able to conserve energy to grow in the spring. You may be concerned about cutting the plant back, because you like the general size of the plant. What you may not know is that pruning promotes the health of the plant as we remove extra leaves, stems, branches, and canes that would crowd out and congest the plant. Those branches are not benefiting the plant, but instead, they are going to inhibit the airflow of the plant. This will inevitably promote fungus and disease that can hurt your bloom in the spring — what a tragedy that would be!

In all honesty, pruning is not a bed of roses! There is one thing that we really dislike about pruning roses…it’s that they fight back! If you plan on trimming their stems, branches, and canes, you can expect them to cut whatever they can get their vicious little thorns on. Some varieties have wicked thorns that jump out and mercilessly grab you, we try not to take it personally. Having to deal with thorns is the worst part of rose pruning, but everything else is a great experience for our team. 

Many individuals would avoid pruning their roses because they may not have enough time, have never thought of it, or find it too difficult (potentially it’s the whole thorn part). Though we all want a beautiful space, full of roses, many of us are insanely busy and simply don’t have time to think about these things. You may find it hard bringing yourself to cut a lot of the body and height away. You might think: “I just love the size of these!” In that case, you are operating in a fear that it won’t grow again. This thinking can hold you back from giving your plants the care they need, the growth will come and it will produce more for your space.

If you have never pruned your roses and don’t feel a need to start now, we would say you don’t know what you are missing. There is a significant difference between a well-pruned rose bush and one that has been living neglected. 

Our team offers phenomenal year-round maintenance contracts to residential and commercial individuals desiring beautiful natural spaces, but you don’t have to have a monthly maintenance contract to benefit from our team’s expertise. You can do a one-time pruning as a service, with no commitment. That goes for roses, perennials and evergreen shrubs. We are very skilled when it comes to pruning evergreens in ways that maintain their natural shape, we don’t use electric hedgers or shearers, instead, we use a natural pruning method that maintains the more whimsy natural look of a shrub. You can rely on us to provide the best care for your space.

So as you finalize your Valentine’s Day plans, we encourage you to let us take care of your rose pruning here in the next week or two. We are approachable and will intentionally work with you. You can easily reach us with a phone call or email. You can expect expert care and accessible pricing. We promise to creatively cultivate the art of nature in your home or business. 

Happy Valentines Day, and happy pruning!