Question
We just bought a home and it has beautiful roses everywhere, but they have been seriously neglected in their care and trimming. I do not know what each rose bush is, but there are many varieties, and I am unaware on how to prune each one, my basic question is how far back can I trim them? It is early fall and they need lots of love. Thanks in advanced.

Answer
It all depends where you garden and what type of winter you have in regards to rejuvenating roses. I will assume you have a reasonably mild winter. This pruning applies to every rose bush not matter what classification it is. Your main job is to save three to 5 good canes. Not the grayish older ones but the new ones that are a green colour. However if the rose bush has only grayish canes then simple save three of the best.
Cut all the rose bushes down to 18 inches.
Cut out to the base, all the canes that are thinner than a pencil.
Cut back even lower, those canes that are crossing sideways over other canes as they will rub and damage the other canes which means disease will get in.
Check to see if any of the canes have been damaged or are brown and dead, cut those out.
Clean out a 18 inches circle around the base of the rose bush free of weeds and grass.
Place a mulch of compost, bark mulch, dead leaves anything to keep the area free of weeds.
In the spring mix a cup of any rose fertilizer plus a cup of alfalfa meal in with the mulch.  Alfalfa meal will activate the roots into growth.
Water well especially if you get heat spells in the summer.
After the first flush of flowers is over add another cup of alfalfa meal.
No more fertilizing as the roses have been neglected and you have pruned them drastically. The following year you can add another cup of fertilizer after the first bloom.
Some of the roses may not show much growth the first year, but thy will come back and bloom for you.