Pruning Hybrid Tea Roses is not that difficult. Below are instructions for hard and summer pruning.
Early Winter Pruning
When winter has arrived, and after we've had a few hard freezes (28 degrees or so), cut back long canes that extend beyond the rest of the bush to make the plant even. Then tie twine around the remaining canes to hold the plant gently together. DO NOT cut the rose bush back completely at this time. You'll do that in late winter or early spring.
Clean the ground of all leaves and cover the bud union with compost or mulch, to help it through the winter. When the plant goes dormant and has lost most or all of its leaves (usually December), spray your roses with a dormant rose spray. I spray with Volck Oil and Lime Sulfur dormant disease spray. Spray solution on the rose canes and on the ground under and around the rose bush. A second spray of Volck Oil and Lime Sulfur in late January or early February can be of great benefit in controlling such insects as scale, and some of the fungi that plague roses.
Late Winter / Early Spring Pruning
In late winter or early spring, when new growth begins to emerge, it is time to hard prune your roses. The first step in pruning any type of rose is to remove any dead, damaged, diseased, or weak and thin canes, cutting them off flush with the bud union at the base of the rose.
Next, remove any canes that are growing into the middle of the bush or are crossing one another. Always prune to an out-ward facing bud so that canes do not grow into the center of the plant. The ideal angle when making a cut is 45-degrees, slanted parallel to the direction of the bud growth.
Cut remaining canes back to 12-18 inches in height.
Summer Pruning
You'll be cutting fresh long stem roses from your hybrid teas all season long. If not, you will want to remove faded or finished blooms. Simply trace from the spent bloom down the stem until you come to the first five-leaf branch. Once you have located the first five leaf branch make your cut about a half inch or so above the bud that is nestled at the base of the five-leaf branch. Do not cut too close to the bud or at too sharp of an angle.
