Wake Up Your Roses: A Spring Pruning Guide for New Hampshire Gardens

Spring is the best time to prune your roses here on the New Hampshire Seacoast. After a long, cold winter, roses appreciate a little TLC to wake them up and get them ready for the growing season. Pruning may seem intimidating, but with a few simple techniques and a sharp pair of pruners, you can set your roses up for a summer full of beautiful blooms.

Start When the Forsythia Blooms

A good local cue for rose pruning in New Hampshire is the blooming of forsythia—those bright yellow flowers are nature’s way of saying your roses are ready. By then, the worst of winter has passed, and new buds on your roses will begin to swell.

Work From The Center Out

Pruning roses from the center out, rather than just trimming from the outside in, is one of the best ways to encourage a healthier, more vigorous plant—and better blooms. It allows you to focus on crossing and smaller weaker inside branches. The goal is to open up the center of the plant, creating a vase-like shape. This structure improves air circulation and sunlight penetration, both of which are essential for reducing disease pressure and encouraging even

Step One: Clean Your Pruning Sheers

Before you begin working on your roses, or other shrubs, you should get into the habit of cleaning your pruners to prevent any cross contamination expecially in Spring where various garden fungus transfer between plants. A simple method is to fill a large mouth sealable container with 70% isopropyl alcohol or a diluted bleach solution (1 part bleach to 9 parts water). Dip the blades or wipe them thoroughly, especially between pruning different plants, to avoid spreading disease. Alcohol is preferred for quick disinfection—it evaporates fast and won’t corrode metal.

Step Two: Clear out the Winter Damage & Cut Out the Clutter

Begin by cutting out any dead wood. Dead canes will be brown or black and brittle, while live wood will be green inside when you nick it with your pruners. Also remove any branches that were damaged by snow load or broken by the wind. This helps prevent disease and clears the way for healthy new growth. Look for small, twiggy growth that probably won’t support much flowering, and prune it out. Crossing branches—those that rub against one another—should also be removed to prevent future wounds and disease. Always make your cuts at a 45-degree angle, about a quarter inch above an outward-facing bud.

Open Up the Center

When pruning roses, it’s important to shape the plant with intention—and one of the best approaches is to work from the center out, aiming to create a vase-like structure. This means removing any inward-facing canes and thinning out the dense middle of the plant.

Why does this matter? Roses benefit greatly from good air circulation and light penetration, and a crowded center traps moisture and limits sun exposure. Poor airflow can lead to common problems like black spot, powdery mildew, and fungal dieback, especially in humid coastal climates like New Hampshire’s Seacoast. By opening up the center, you help the plant stay dry after rain or morning dew and allow sunlight to reach all parts of the bush—even the lower leaves and interior buds.

This shape also encourages strong, outward growth, rather than tangled canes competing for space. It improves the plant’s structure and overall balance, making it easier to maintain and more attractive in the landscape.

As a general rule, after removing dead, damaged, or weak wood, aim to leave 4 to 6 of the strongest, healthiest canes when pruning hybrid teas, floribundas, or shrub roses. These should be well-spaced around the plant, ideally angling slightly outward from the center to support future flowering. Always cut just above an outward-facing bud to encourage this natural, open shape. You can learn more about pruning roses and other shrubs on our pruning page.

Taking this approach sets your roses up for better airflow, healthier foliage, and bigger, more consistent blooms all season long.

Train as You Prune

Climbing roses should be trained as you prune. Gently bend long canes horizontally and tie them to a trellis, arbor, or fence. Training the canes sideways encourages more lateral growth—those side shoots are where most of your flowers will appear.

Feed and Mulch

After pruning, it's a great time to give your roses a nutritional boost. Apply a balanced fertilizer, such as 10-10-10, which provides equal parts nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium—essential nutrients that support healthy foliage, strong root development, and abundant flowering. Sprinkle it evenly around the base of the plant, following package instructions, and water it in thoroughly to help it absorb into the soil.

If your roses experienced powdery mildew last season—a common fungal issue in our coastal climate—early spring is the ideal time to apply a systemic fungicide. Systemic fungicides are absorbed by the plant and help build internal resistance to fungal diseases. Applying one before active growth begins gives your rose a protective head start, reducing the risk of mildew flaring up again when temperatures rise and humidity increases. Be sure to use a product labeled for roses and follow all safety guidelines.

Keep It Simple

Spring pruning is about setting the stage, not making your rose perfect. Don’t stress if you’re unsure about every cut—roses are forgiving. A little attention each spring keeps them looking their best and reduces disease later in the season.

At Seacoast Gardener, we help clients across the New Hampshire Seacoast prune, train, and care for their roses so they can enjoy gorgeous flowers all summer long. If you’re unsure where to start or just want an extra hand, we’re happy to help!

📞 (603) 770-5072 | 🌐 www.seacoastgardener.com