How to Trim Last Year's Rose Leaves

Prune the rosebushes in late winter, before new growth appears, to ready them for spring. Roses don't need to be completely dormant for this pruning. In warm U.S. Department of Agriculture Growing zones 9 to 11, they may still have foliage and blooms at this time of year.

Don garden gloves for protection. Cut any dead or diseased wood to the ground. This includes brown canes with stratification, rotten wood and even dead canes with green stems growing from them. Maintain only green canes.

Pull up suckers, which grow from the roots rather than the crown of the bush, and grow out rather than up. These suckers may grow several inches from the main canes and suck nutrients from the bush. Cut these off where they join the roots to keep them from regrowing.

Cut off canes or stems that grow through the center of the bush or rub against other canes. Cut these off at their mother canes or at the crown of the bush with flush cuts. End with four to six healthy green canes growing freely upward.

Prune the remaining canes by one-half to two-thirds of their length. Make these cuts at 45-degree angles, 1/2 inch above a leaflet or growing node. Check the canes after cutting; healthy canes have white, moist centers whereas diseased or dead canes have dry brown centers. Keep the healthy canes and prune the dead canes down to healthy growth.

Rake away grass, mulch, letter and pruned foliage and throw it away. These may harbor disease or pests, which will attack the defenseless bushes.