How to Make a Rose Bush Into a Tree

Use a rosebush that has at least one strong, upright-growing cane, whether the bush is already growing in your garden or growing in a pot at the nursery.

Prune off all canes except the strongest cane that is growing as close to vertical as possible.

Insert a supporting stake into the soil about 4 to 6 inches away from the base of the plant. Tie the remaining, upright-growing cane to the stake at the bottom, middle and top of the cane, using strips of raffia or twist ties. Fasten the ties so they loosely support the cane; this will give the cane a little room to grow in diameter without getting choked by the ties.

Remove any branches or flower buds growing off the chosen cane, but leave all of the leaves for now.

Cut the top of the cane off when it reaches the desired height of the trunk of the rose tree. Make the cut just above a bud.

Allow the rose cane to put out branches at the site of the cut you made. These branches will form the basic framework of the canopy of the rose tree.

Remove all leaves from below the point where the rose bush is branching off, as well as any branches that have formed below that cut, on what is now the “trunk” of the tree. Continue cutting off any flower buds until the rose tree's second year of life in your garden.

Cut off the ends of the branches that make up the tree's canopy when they reach approximately 8 to 12 inches long. Make the cut just above an outward-facing bud. This will encourage the plant to branch out even more and create a fuller canopy.

Remove any branches or leaves that form on the trunk at any time of year that they form. Continue to cut or pinch the growing tips of the branches when they reach 12 inches long to encourage the bush to branch out. This will give the plant many more branches on which to grow flowers.