Question
I live in Fresno ca. and it is June.  I think I over pruned my roses to much as they were almost 10 feet tall and looked like they had never been pruned or cleaned out. They were over crowded ....what can I do to help them grow back faster.and did I prune to much?  HELP

Answer
Don't panic. No rose ever died from being pruned back. Roses can grow back from only 2 inches of cane. Never make a rose grow fast, especially if the weather has turned hot . The reason is that if you give roses fertilizer to make them grow in the heat if summer, because the roses are under stress from the heat, you could damage the rose bush by burning the roots. Also all insects prefer a softer cane and too much fertilizer will cause soft canes. I use an organic type of fertilizer in the heat of the summer such as a fish fertilizer and use it as a liquid. It is like a tonic and the roses do well with it. Also, if your weather is hot, try using a mulch of any kind all around the base of the rose bush, as this keeps the soil moist and cool, which rose roots do better in.