Should I Trim my Roses Now? 

I recently moved to Prescott and inherited some beautiful rose bushes in my yard. After last week’s frost, the remaining buds and leaves all started to droop. I assume that they are done blooming for the year. Should I cut them back now? I do not know the first thing about caring for roses and do not want to do anything to harm them.

- Carol Jamie in Prescott

Carol, you are right; your rose bushes are done blooming for this year and are entering a dormant state. You do not need to do anything to them right now except feed them with a good quality rose food. If the droopy leaves are bothering you, you can remove them but do not prune your roses now. Waiting to prune until early spring will help to protect your rose bushes from damage. As the winter progresses, canes will freeze but the damaged wood will be removed in the spring pruning. In Prescott, the correct time to prune roses is in February or March when most risk of a late frost has passed.