How to Prune Rosa Rugosa

PDF download Download Article
PDF download Download Article

Rosa rugosa —also called "rugosa rose," "Japanese rose," or "Ramanas rose”—is a variety of shrub rose. Each season, these roses produce a single flush of flowers, ranging in color from white to deep pink. This rose variety is a fairly easy one to maintain and will usually thrive with only light pruning each season. Heavier renovation pruning is only necessary if the plant becomes overgrown. [1]

Method 1
Method 1 of 2:

Essential Yearly Pruning

PDF download Download Article
  1. Most pruning should be done once the plant enters its dormant season. This can be any point in time between late autumn and early spring. [2]
    • The best time to prune is in the early spring, after the danger of frost has passed. Pruning makes a plant vulnerable, and vulnerable plants tend to be weaker against the cold frosts of winter. If you live in a fairly warm climate, though, waiting until spring is not as significant an issue as long as the time you do prune is still in the dormant season.
    • The only pruning you should worry about during the active growing season is deadheading. Deadheading, if performed, should be done on an "as needed" basis throughout the flowering season (summer).
  2. You can deadhead faded blooms before they drop, but doing so is not strictly necessary for rosa rugosa shrubs. [3]
    • The rose hips are often considered part of the display or aesthetic appeal of the shrub, and deadheading would remove these hips. As such, you may opt to brush away the spent petals with your hands and leave the hips behind and intact. [4]
    • Deadheading prevents the bloom from going to seed and reduces the risk of disease, however, so you may still wish to do it.
    • If you do decide to deadhead, snip off the spent bloom just beneath the rose hip, cutting the stem at a 45 degree angle.
    • Do this continually throughout the flowering season, but stop sometime during the beginning of autumn, around October 1 or so. Stopping the practice will give the shrub enough time to harden itself in preparation for winter.
    Advertisement
  3. Unhealthy stems include dead stems, dying stems, and diseased stems. Weak, thin stems are also considered unhealthy and should be removed each dormant season. [5]
    • Use a sharp cutting tool and cut stems at a 45 degree angle.
    • You can usually determine if a cane or stem has died simply by looking at it. Dying canes are usually shriveled and either dark brown or black in color.
    • Weak stems refer to any stem that is smaller than a standard pencil in diameter size.
    • Dead canes should be completely removed at the ground level.
    • Stems that are only partially dead should be cut back to a point just above the crossing of dead wood and live wood. Leave a small amount of the dead wood intact to protect the live wood from harm.
    • If you are unable to tell where the dead wood ends and the live wood starts, gradually cut back the dead wood until you reach a point where the center of the trimmed stem is completely white, with no brown or black in sight.
  4. In this case, problematic stems primarily refer to branches that intertwine or grow at abnormal angles. [6]
    • Wood that crosses other branches or rubs against other sections of the shrub can cause problems. Light and air are unable to flow freely in between these canes, and as a result, these sections of wood are more likely to become damaged or diseased.
    • Cut crossing or rubbing stems down to a point below the problem area. If the stems grow back the following year in the same problematic matter, cut them down to ground level to prevent the problem from recurring the year after that.
  5. The center of the shrub should be fairly open to promote air circulation and light penetration. If your rosa rugosa plant has grown too vigorously, you may need to trim away some older wood in the center of the plant, even if that wood appears healthy.
    • Shrub roses like rosa rugosa will flower on both new and older wood, so most of the older wood should be allowed to develop and maintain itself naturally when possible. [7]
    • If the interior of the plant becomes too crowded, however, you may need to trim up some of the healthy growth in the center. Look for older, unproductive wood that did not bloom in the previous flowering season. Cut away two or three of these branches, cutting them down near ground level at a 45 degree angle.
    6. Advertisement
Method 2
Method 2 of 2:

Optional Renovation Pruning

PDF download Download Article
  1. Rosa rugosa shrubs often remain tidy without much interference, but if the roses start looking messy or overgrown, you will need to use renovation pruning to clean the plant up. [8]
    • Note that renovation pruning can cause a slight loss of flower production the following year, but it is still beneficial to your plant overall.
    • Rose shrubs that are too overgrown essentially over-extend themselves and their resources. It may take a few years for the stress to show, but once it does, your plant will be much weaker and may have a hard time surviving.
    • For the first two or three seasons, you should actually avoid renovation pruning. Doing so can allows the plant to establish itself more securely.
    • Once the plant establishes itself, consider waiting every other year to do an overhaul on it. Renovation pruning can be performed once every year, but if new growth on the plant is not vigorous enough or if the plant grows weak, you may need to skip every other year. [9]
  2. As with essential yearly pruning, you should wait until the plant enters its dormant stage before pruning it down. Waiting until the last frost passes in early spring is often the best option, but you should be able to prune the shrub at any point between late fall and early spring. [10]
  3. Suckers refer to stems that grow from the rootstock of the plant instead of the main stem. Cut these suckers off at the ground level. [11]
    • Aside from looking messy, the main problem with suckers is that they tend to grow too well and will deprive your main rosa rugosa shrub of the nutrients it needs. As a result, your main shrub will weaken and eventually die.
    • Cutting suckers off at the ground will usually be enough, but if you want to be more thorough, dig down to the root from which the sucker originates and tear or cut it off at its point of origin.
  4. Starting with the oldest stems, cut down between one-quarter and one-third of the stems on the plant. These stems should be trimmed down to ground level. [12]
    • In this instance, "ground level" refers to any height between the ground and 1.5 inches (4 cm) above the ground.
    • Make each cut with sharp shears and at a 45 degree angle.
    • Ideally, you should still try to cut the plant down to a bud. If you cannot find a bud that is low enough, however, the shrub should still be able to produce a new bud below the cut once the growing season starts again.
    • If your plant is fairly weak, you may opt to trim the branches down to its new growth instead of cutting it all the way down to the ground.
    5. Advertisement


Community Q&A

Search
Add New Question
  • Question
    How do I get continuous rose blooms during the summer in the U.S. midwest?
    Community Answer
    You need to plant a rose variety that is a continuous bloomer; otherwise, you will need to vigorously deadhead.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 3 Helpful 6
  • Question
    Can I move Rugosa roses to a new position, and can it be done at the same time as renovation pruning?
    Community Answer
    You can move a Rugosa rose effectively at any time as long as the soil isn't frozen. Any pruning should wait until the plant has re-established itself.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 2 Helpful 7
  • Question
    Should the seed heads be removed as a deadheading process?
    Community Answer
    Deadheading is optional. It can increase the number of blooms produced, and make the plant look more tidy.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
    Thank you for your feedback.
    If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
    Yes No
    Not Helpful 3 Helpful 5
See more answers
Ask a Question
200 characters left
Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.
Submit
      Advertisement

      Tips

      • Always use sharp, clean cutting shears or other cutting equipment. Doing so reduces the risk of causing injury or spreading disease.
        Thanks
        Helpful 0 Not Helpful 1
      • Always sterilize your pruning shears with isopropyl alcohol to avoid spreading any disease from one plant to another.
        Thanks
        Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
      • Make each cut at a 45 degree angle. Ideally, cuts should be about ¼ inch (0.64 cm) above a healthy bud.
        Thanks
        Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
      Submit a Tip
      All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published
      Name
      Please provide your name and last initial
      Submit
      Thanks for submitting a tip for review!
      Advertisement

      Warnings

      • If you have had trouble with cane borers in the past, you should seal the ends of your cuts to prevent the pests from entering them. The simplest way to do this is to brush on a little white glue after making the cut.
        Thanks
        Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
      Advertisement

      Things You'll Need

      • Gardening gloves
      • Sharp, clean pruning shears
      • White glue (optional)
      • Clean paintbrush (optional)

      You Might Also Like

      How to
      Grow Roses from Seed
      How to
      Prune Roses in Winter
      How to
      Propagate Roses
      How to
      Propagate Roses from Cuttings for Beautiful Blooms
      How to
      Graft Roses
      How to
      Plant Roses
      Easy & Effective Ways to Revive a Dying Rose Plant
      10 Tips to Keep Roses Fresh & Looking Their Best
      How to
      Prune Knockout Roses
      Drying & Preserving Roses in Resin: A Step-by-Step Guide
      How to
      Keep Rose Petals Fresh
      How to
      Trim Rose Bushes in Fall
      The Meaning and Significance Behind a Single Rose
      How to
      Grow a Rose Bush from a Single Stem or Cutting
      Advertisement

      References

      1. ↑ https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/119869/Rosa-rugosa-Rubra-(Ru)/Details
      2. ↑ https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/119869/Rosa-rugosa-Rubra-(Ru)/Details
      3. ↑ https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=178
      4. ↑ https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/timeline-through-landscape-design-archives/2018-04-27-time-prune-roses
      5. ↑ https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=178
      6. ↑ http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/pruning_roses1.shtml
      7. ↑ http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=178
      8. ↑ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/problem-solving/how-to-prune-rugosa-roses/
      9. ↑ http://www.oakleafgardening.com/how-to/prune-plants/pruning-roses/
      1. ↑ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/problem-solving/how-to-prune-rugosa-roses/
      2. ↑ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/problem-solving/how-to-prune-rugosa-roses/
      3. ↑ https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/problem-solving/how-to-prune-rugosa-roses/

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To keep your Rosa Rugosa healthy, you only need to prune it once a year. Wait until the early spring when the plant will be safe from colder temperatures. Use sharp shears to remove dead, diseased, and weak stems. Always cut at a 45-degree angle so the branches will continue to grow healthy. If the bush is too dense in its center, cut away a few branches to let light through. If you’re pruning your Rosa Rugosa for aesthetic reasons, you can do this at any time between late fall and early spring. Trim up to ⅓ of the plant, starting with the oldest branches. Cut them back to about an inch from the ground. You can also pinch off faded blooms before they drop to improve the appearance of your Rosa Rugosa, but this isn’t necessary. For more gardening tips, including how to remove suckers, read on!

      Did this summary help you?
      In other languages
      Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 121,042 times.

      Reader Success Stories

      • Erica Peterson

        Oct 28, 2016

        "The simply-explained and graphically illustrated pictures made this How-To article stand above others. ..." more
      More reader stories Hide reader stories
      Share your story

      Did this article help you?

      Advertisement