Rose pruning can seem bewildering when you're new to gardening. But it's really simple once you know why you're doing it and what type of rose you are tackling.The reason roses need pruning is to keep them shapely, healthy and flowering well. All roses can be divided into four groups that have slightly different pruning requirements bush roses including all hybrid teas and floribundas, patio roses and most standards; shrub roses, including species and old-fashioned roses as well as rose hedges; climbing roses; and rambler roses including weeping standards.

Roses should be pruned in early spring just as buds start to break. The exact timing will depend on where you live and the local conditions in your garden. Changes in the general climate in recent years means that pruning should be carried out earlier than many old gardening books suggest, but if you use the roses as a guide and prune them just as they start to grow you won't go far wrong.

What to prune now:

• All bush roses, patio roses and most standards
• Any shrub roses and hedges that were left to produce attractive hips
• Any climbing roses that were left to produce attractive hips

Alan's golden rules of pruning:

1. Always use the right tools: tackle stems up to 1cm thick (1/2in) with good- quality secateurs; 1- 3cm (1/2-1 1/4in) using long-handled loppers; and stems over 3cm (1 1/4in) using a pruning saw.

2. Always make sure the blades are sharp to make cuts without crushing or bruising the stems.

3. Always make sure the blades are clean to prevent the spread of diseases - wipe the blades with disinfectant after pruning out diseased wood.

Traditional pruning advice dictates that each cut should be made to just above (about 3mm) an outward- facing bud using a slanting cut that helps protect the bud and shed water. However, recent research by the Royal National Rose Society amongst others has shown such precise attention to detail isn't really necessary when dealing with most roses.

Pruning bush roses
A common error made by beginners is to confuse shrub (see below) and bush roses. Bush roses includes all hybrid tea (sometimes referred to as 'large- flowered') and floribunda ('cluster- flowered') roses, as well as patio roses and rose varieties grown as standards. These should be pruned about now (late winter or early spring) when the weather is not too frosty. Newly planted bush roses should be cut back to within 15cm (6in) of ground level after planting. Thereafter prune your roses hard back each year reducing stems to within 30cm (12in) of the base, or at the most to around knee height. Aim to keep the centre of the bush uncluttered by cutting out all the dead and diseased stems first, as well as any that are spindly and overcrowding.

A quick method of pruning using secateurs, shears, or even a hedgetrimmer is gaining in popularity with busy gardeners. With this method you simply reduce all the stems back roughly (not worrying about cutting above a bud) to 30-45cm (12-18in). It seems that the plants don't suffer - at least in the short term - and such rough treatment increases flower production the following year. Call me an old stick-in- the-mud if you like, but it all seems a bit brutal to me! And, anyway, I enjoy pruning the old-fashioned way - it helps me to know my bushes.

Standard roses are just bush roses on a leg and should be treated as such when pruning. Cut them back during late winter or early spring, reducing the main framework of stems by about one-third, and thin out side-shoots that are becoming congested. However, weeping standards should be pruned after flowering like rambler roses (see below).

Patio roses don't need much pruning at all. If they get too big give them a general trim, removing any dead stems while you're at it.

Pruning bush roses step-by- step

1. Remove all dead, diseased and weak growth.

2. If the plant is still congested select the framework of four or five well-spaced young vigorous stems you wish to keep that will create a neat cup- shaped arrangement once pruned. Remove any unwanted older stems.

3. Prune back the selected framework to within 45cm (18in) of the ground, cutting to just above an outward-facing bud using a slanting cut