Hardy Rose Bushes Dear Stan, Is there a special way to pruning and trimming Hardy Rose Bushes? I lost them last winter but they came back during the summer. Do you cut all the old stock out from the bottom to let new growth come in, and do you trim the top to shape the bush? I have three Wentworth Cranberry bushes that were planted last year 15' from a large spruce tree. They have put on very little growth , mostly sun. Is there something wrong, either location or what? Looking forward to your reply. Nev Nev - If your roses are truly hardy, and not just out of zone label hardy, a late fall cutting back can be done. Clean all dead and below the graft suckering growth. If the rose is a plant that flowers on it's own root stock like the Heritage or Explorer series of roses, there is no graft that has to be winter protected. Soak the shrubs well before freeze up and mound dry leaves or dry peat moss upwards to 8 or 10 inches to retain soil moisture and winter burn. Your cranberries like acid soil to pH of 4 to 5. Prune them to half the existing size and gather leaf drop from other berry producing plants, then mulch in the cranberries after soaking them in late fall. Best regards.

BACK