I've pruned mine the way I do any other shrub rose. Clean out any crossing canes and prune them to an outside bud eye so that new growth is directed outward. If something looks spindly and weak, remove it. Knockouts benefit from a general shape up, so let your instincts be your guide. You can also shorten the canes by about 1/3 overall if need be. Knockouts are tough, so don't be afraid of making a mistake. They bounce back. I would also clean out some leaves to let a little air circulation in. Pick off a few that won't spoil the whole look of the bush, and any that look "cruddy" especially from the interior. The new growth is so pretty, isn't it? Sandy

I haven't had roses long either, but I think it is fairly easy to see where to prune in the spring. Wait to do it after your last frost which should be around March or April. It is a signal for your rose to start growing again so wait until you are sure it is safe. Now, when you look at your rose this spring you will see brown ends on the canes. That is dead wood, and you will cut all of that out. Make your first cut just below the brown wood into the green part of the cane. If you don't see any green cane then prune down to the soil. If the green cane is all white inside like an apple, it is good wood. If the inside is brown then you need to prune further down. Watch for dark areas on the green canes. That is canker and you need to prune below any canker you see. Once you have finished pruning seal all the cuts with something. I use regular white glue, but you can use carpenter's glue or nail polish. That will keep out borers which would otherwise lay their eggs inside the cut end of the cane. Feel free to stop by the rose forum for more advice. I post there quite often and everyone is very helpful.

Ahh, Musicalperson, I mean Iforgotitsonevermind, or is it gardningrandma, no Monsanto'sCompetionSpy, is here to make the same old unfounded excuses as to why glyphosate is from the evil depths of hades. It's amazing that will all that effort, she still hasn't come up with one valid reason not to use the stuff (except that she has some bizarre personal hatred for it). Strange, cause she had enough imagination to come up with all those different screennames. If you can't afford $29.99 for a bottle of RoundUp, get the generic glyphosate which will work just as good and is cheaper. Of course everyone could probably justify that small price to get rid of a stump and kill all the grass and weeds that pop up in those cracks in the driveway for the next year (which triclopyr won't do). Triclopyr is no more effective at killing most stumps as glyphosate, and in some cases is less effective. Lastly, it takes no more time to apply glyphosate than it does triclopyr. Just a couple of minutes for each, and then you never have to worry about the stump again. Oh, and don't spray triclopyr or glyphosate in your rivers and streams. Anyway, use either glyphosate or triclopyr, but if you do use triclopyr, wait at least a month or so before replanting in that spot, if you get the chemical in your soil.

I thought privets were impervious to pests and diseases. When the leaves get really old on my texas privets, they yellow and fall off. If there is yellowish veining in the new leaves, it may be a nutritional deficiency of some sort, but if the interior leaves are bright yellow, they are just old and will drop. Shear your privet if you want a narrow thick hedge. Make sure you shear the top as well so that the naturally long arching branches send out new little branchlets. Just shear it a bit higher each season. I am growing privets for privacy now, and once I get them dense and tall I will stop shearing and let them go wild. I like them best when they are allowed to grow into their natural shape. Fortunately, we do not have a problem with them reseeding in our dry climate. Renee