What to Do About Garden Roses

     I realize that as folks on the East Coast read this, they are going to be thinking, "whine, whine, whine!" But really, it has been a strange winter here. No, not like back east has had - but strange, nevertheless. Winter seemed to come early and hard, then get really warm - even warmer here than in Las Vegas at one point in January. Then cold, then warm - cold and warm to what seems like greater extremes than normal.
     As a result, the garden is really confused - especially the roses. Even though we are currently having weather in the teens, the canes on my roses have almost all turned green which means that they are starting to come out of dormancy. On unusually warm winter days, I always wish that I could tell them, "No, don't wake up. It is too early, my pretties. We could get snow in May!" But really, all one can do is be patient and hope for the best.
     The thing not to do is get overly anxious and prune roses back too early. For if prolonged freezing temperatures come after they have been pruned, they will die back even further causing them to struggle too much putting on extra new growth when it is time - if they have the energy to come back at all. Last season's roses were not their very best for just this reason.
     During years when we are having lovely, hot temperatures over Spring Break, and I am outside cleaning up the garden, it is hard for me to resist the temptation to prune the roses. The garden always looks so much cleaner once that chore is done and it really makes me feel like the garden could burst into bloom at any moment. But I have learned my lesson the hard way! I usually try to wait until late April or even the first week in May to trim the rose bushes, unless they are starting to put on leaves. You don't want to let them leaf out and then cut off all their hard work and energy spent. So really, there is no set date for pruning roses - but in Manhattan, Kansas, March is too early. That is ... maybe ... unless it is a crazy year.