Question

Roses   Zone 5  I have 13 of the above.  Thought I was to wait until after the last hard freeze to prune.  Have had a very mild winter in Northwest Missouri and temps now in the 70s.  Roses have many tiny red leaves already.  When should/can I prune and how hard can I prune?  They are 3 or 4 yrs old and about 4 foot tall.  Would like to keep them as short as possible as they seal off our view when in our lawn chairs on the front porch.
Thanks for your opinion.

Answer
Good evening Rosalie,

No doubt this winter or warm extended fall as I like to call it has us and the plants confused.  Here in lower SC we hit 86 degrees todays!

I suggest cutting them back by 1/3 their height.  Then wait 2 -3 weeks and then cut them another 1/3 getting down to about 18 inches.  This just to be safe

Or, if you have a way to cover them if a frost comes, cut them to 24 inches and then you will not have to prune them again.

You can fertilize the normal time for your zone.  You do not want to push too much foliage in case it does frost.

I do not know how you are taking care of your roses but they look great even wiht no leaves.

Thanks for asking,

Jay