How to Prune Joseph's Coat

Prune all but three to five of the Joseph's coat's strongest, most prolific canes in the spring of the plant's second year. Cut them off at ground level with pruning shears and pull them off the trellis. The remaining canes provide the main framework of your Joseph's coat's shape for the rest of its life. Limiting the number of canes encourages it to bloom more prolifically and produce thicker growth.

Prune the terminal 2 feet of growth at the end of the canes that remain. This encourages the stems to produce shoots.

Cut off a third to half of the length of the newest shoots in the third spring. This shortening prune encourages the shoots to produce prolifically and fill out the plant.

Prune Joseph's coat roses once they fade. Make the pruning cut at the base of the flower, an inch or so into the stem. Removing the spent roses encourages the Joseph's coat to produce more flowers later in the year.

Clean up the Joseph's coat each year in early spring. Prune any dead or diseased shoots or canes at their base or 1/4 inch above a bud or branching shoot.

Prune overly long shoots down to the appropriate length in early spring, once temperatures begin to warm. Make the cut 1/4 inch above the nearest branching stem or shoot.

Remove the oldest shoots once your Joseph's coat has covered the trellis to your satisfaction. Make the pruning cuts in summer after the Joseph's coat's last blossoms have faded. Cut the same number of old shoots as new shoots that have grown in. This way, you end up with roughly the same number of healthy, productive stems, year after year. Repeat step three the spring after the new shoots have grown for one year to encourage them to bloom prolifically.