Rose Pruners: Anvil or Bypass?
Q. Please tell me if I should use a bypass or an anvil pruner for my roses. I have hybrid teas, climbers, tree, and groundcover roses. Thanks!
A. Bypass pruners are preferable in almost all situations because the anvil type tends to crush the stem rather than slice it clean.
As you probably know, pruning roses isn't difficult. In spring, remove the dead and damaged canes as far back as necessary. Then remove any suckers that arise from below the graft union (the swelling near the base of the plant), if there is one. Next, select the healthiest canes (thicker and bright green) and cut off the rest. For roses that are just a couple of years old, save about three to five canes. Save more on older plants. Finally, cut the flowering canes back by one-third to one-half. Make your cuts about one-quarter above an outward-facing bud.
