Rose Pruning Begins

 Today I began my rose pruning jobs.  If you've been following along, you know that this is my busiest time of year(yay!).   Every year I prune about 2500 rose bushes between the last week of Dec(a few of my clients want it early) and the end of Feb. Last year I was still pruning in March!  And these are not just whack whack jobs!  I prune correctly above a bud eye facing outward on every plant!

For those who don't know, we prune roses to:
1.  Get rid of diseases
2.  To make the plant a manageable size.  
3.  To encourage new growth because roses bloom on new growth. 

Thought I'd share today's before & after photos at a job in Arcadia.  Granted that these are scrawny because of too much shade. But this bed holds 93 plants. 

Watch my progress this season as I post my weekly pruning numbers. 

Happy gardening!