Time to wake up rose bushes

Nature lies fallow in winter in preparation for the new year. All life needs rest in order to grow with greater strength. Winter is the time of withdrawal that precedes renewal. But now it’s time to take a few simple steps to wake roses up for a great year.

There is no magical specific date to prune. According to all accounts and professional rosarians, the proper time is “late winter.” This time has many meanings, but the bottom line is to prune late enough that there’s little risk of frost damage to the tender growth that will emerge from pruning. In the Temecula Valley, last average frost d...