Use clean, sharp pruning shears or loppers
Wear gloves and long sleeves
Prune in late winter or early spring when buds begin to swell
Remove dead, damaged, or diseased canes first
Cut out crossing or rubbing branches
Remove weak, thin, or spindly growth
Cut canes at a 45-degree angle about 1/4 inch above an outward-facing bud
Remove suckers growing from below the graft union
Open the center of the bush for better air circulation
Reduce the plant by about one-third to one-half, depending on the rose type
Deadhead spent blooms during the growing season
Make cuts to healthy green wood
Disinfect tools between plants if disease is present
Clean up and discard all pruned material
Water and mulch after pruning if needed