We have around 50 rosebushes on our property ranging in age from around hundred years to 20-year-old plantings. Our hard freeze a few weeks ago did significant damage to all the tender shoots coming out. Everything seems to just be frozen in time out there. Question should I go out and trim down and remove all the damaged canes & early spring growth? These are all heirloom roses I'm referring to. I was just about to do a spring trim when the freeze hit!! Roses are so tough but I know with this super cold winter we had that those roses have some super sugar stored up to put on a show with :) I love my roses....been growing them for decades..but wow this freeze took its toll.
Any thoughts... Thank You Karen
Rose pruning in light of or recent hard freeze
Karen, I would go through and trim out any visibly damaged or dead canes now. Personally, I would wait and see just a bit with the early spring growth. Many of the roses will clean that up for themselves. If that doesn't seem to be happening then I would start to prune any damaged new growth out as well. Also, make sure that any dead growth and dropped growth gets removed from under the roses themselves. This makes perfect cover for many of the nasty little insects who will be hatching out soon. Might as well make life difficult for the pest insects now before they make life difficult for you later. I'm still pruning some of my roses for spring--it is not really too late to prune. Some of the rugosas and Stanwell Perpetual do not like to be pruned as much so be careful about pruning too much on those if you have them.
Good luck and I hope this is the last of the hard freezes for a good while.