I'll bet they can look spectacular! Personally, I don't like to remove more than a third of a plant at any one time. With the heat and the fact the lower parts are defoliated, I would wait until Fall before doing anything to them. Once you know you aren't going to get record high temps, you can begin whittling them down to the size you want them to be. In Zone 9, you should probably be more concerned about heat than cold, so beginning to thin them out, "lace" them as is done to trees to open them and permit light and air to their interiors.

With their being old and woody, you want to leave them an escape when you cut them. By not taking more than about a third off their height, they can more easily sprout from available buds and, hopefully, begin new basal breaks. Once this begins, more can be removed from their tops. Should there be any really awful looking lower, woody canes, those can also begin to be removed to create room for new basal breaks.

Thick, old, woody canes are more easily sun burned. If where they grow is exposed to long periods of direct, hot sun, particularly between two drives with all of that reflected, radiated heat, allowing them more foliage cover while it's hot should prevent any heavy heat and water stress. Beginning the pruning (except for those growths which may be blocking the drive, path, etc.) will allow them to continue feeding and shading themselves until it's cooler and they can relax a bit. At least, from the description and what I imagine your conditions are like, that's how I would approach it. Kim

Everything that Kim says but also you can take out dead wood anytime. And take that out all the way down as low as you can. If you have a lot of it, like you say you have, that by itself may open up the inside for better air circulation. And better circulation will encourage new growth and discourage diseases. Taking out one third of the oldest, woodiest canes right to the base should also encourage them to send up new canes. Pruning of any kind will always encourage new growth if they are healthy so don't be afraid to prune them. I don't know where you are at so I can't say when the best time for hard pruning is for your area. Here it's in the early spring, April, and perhaps at your optimum time you could cut them back further. You may want to contact your local rose society to find out when the best time for hard pruning is in your area.

Thank you so much for your advice!

I am a little confused about pruning back to one third..does that mean taking out 1/3 of the branches to the base of the plant or cutting the plant down to 1/3 of its height?

And I am not sure what a basal break is...is that where is begins to grow from a joint?

Thank you again.
Sue

The one third rule is for both top growth and bottom, new cane, growth. You take out, at the very base of the rose at the graft (the big knobby part where all the canes start to come out) or ground level if they are own root roses or if you have buried the graft (like we do up North), 1/3 of the very oldest canes to allow room for and encourage new canes to come up. Those new canes that come up from the bottom are what are called basal breaks. Not the canes that branch off of other canes. You want new canes to come up from the bottom to continue to renew the plant. As canes get older and woodier they tend to bloom less. Newer, healthier, stronger canes will give you better bloom.

Taking off 1/3 of the top growth will encourage more branching at the top which will also give you more bloom. When you are pruning the top cut out anything that is smaller than the diameter of a pencil. Those canes will be weaker and possibly not able to hold up an open bloom so the roses will "nod" or droop. Also when you prune anything larger than a pencil the cut should be sealed in some manner to prevent borers from getting in. You can use wood glue, nail polish or they make a cut sealer you can buy to do this with. I use a good carpenter's wood glue. Just dab it on the top of the cane and let it dry hard. I've heard people say they use regular Elmer's glue but it washed off in the rain for me.

I hope that helps clarify things for you but if not ask away!

Get any dead stuff out right away. Your bushs will love you for it. Then start pruning. With the dead stuff gone it will be a LOT easier to prune.

Thank you all. My plan is to print this up, take it outside with me and begin pruning out the dead stuff. I will stop and re-read all of your good advice to give me courage. ( I kinda cook the same way so its a good method for me).
Thanks again for giving me so much of your time.
Sue