Pruning roses

Light pruning of roses now will help to prevent wind damage in the interim before the hard pruning in winter.

The warm autumn has meant that many roses have continued to grow unchecked and have developed long, whippy stems. In high winds these can cause the plant to rock, loosening the soil around the roots and allowing disease and insects to get in to the root system.

The best way to tackle a top- heavy rose is to cut the long stems back to by a third or a half. Always cut no more than 5mm above an outward facing bud and make the cut sloping so that water does not collect on the bud.