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Many home gardeners plant roses in their landscapes because they can be easy to grow and produce a wide variety of beautiful scented flowers. If you live in California and you haven't already pruned your hybrid tea roses, don't wait! Now is the time to get out and prune.

Roses are typically pruned before dormancy ends in late winter to early spring. In most parts of the state this typically runs from Dec. 15 – Feb 15. The amount of pruning needed depends on the type of rose you are pruning. If you have the most common home garden rose, the hybrid tea rose (3 – 5 feet tall with large, mostly single flowers) they require more extensive pruning. 

Watch this short video with Marcia Nelson, UC Master Gardener of Yolo County, and learn some simple tips about how to properly prune a hybrid tea rose for desired shape, growth and flower production.

According to the California Master Gardener Handbook, always remember to follow the fundamental pruning practices for all garden roses:

• Remove broken or damaged canes
• Remove rubbing or crossing canes
• Remove spindly canes, those smaller than a lead pencil
• Make clean cuts towards the outside of the plant at a 45° angle just above a bud or shoot