My dad had marvelous roses in AZ. He pruned in mid-October, because he figured that they do their best growing and blooming when the weather is cool ... instead of starting the spring with a bunch of twigs, he had a well-leafed out rose that could shade part of itself.

They still looked like crap at the end of the summer, but we had a winter's worth of lovely blooms and rose bushes. During the summer he just trimmed off the dead flowers to keep it looking decent.

They do best where they get some afternoon shade, have a thick mulch, lots of organic material in the soil, and regular deep waterings.

Ironite and soil sulfur will probably be needed more than any other supplement. Maybe a bit of ammonium phosphate to boost blooming.

Begin pruning roses toward the end of September but add a 1/2 cup Epsom Salts and a handful of alfalfa pellets, or an organic rose food, and a tablespoon of chelated iron anytime before the end of the month and plan a full label-recommended rose feeding in October and another in November.

Just take off the weak, spindly growth at the end of the canes but leave the leaves and thicker canes to support the new fall growth.

Most all roses look dismal right now. These heat records we set every year really push the limits of non-native plants. If you're in the Phoenix area, there is a pruning demonstration at the rose garden at Encanto Park, 15th Ave, between Holly & Palm Lane, 10am, Sept 26. It's free to the public and if you bring your shears you can get some hands-on practice. Hosted by the Phoenix Rose Society which also has a meeting this Tuesday night, 7:30pm, Valley Garden Center, 15th Ave, just north of McDowell Rd. Program is on Resuscitating your Roses after a Hot Summer. Free to the public & we'd love to have you attend.

I'm a newbie at growing roses in the desert, so I really appreciate all of the advice I've read on this site as well as the "rose forum"...My roses are barely hanging on as well...

I was out clipping off some black branches, when a friend stopped by...he told me that his grandmother grew beautiful roses, that when she clipped/pruned she always clipped at an angle...Does this really make a difference as to the plants' responses ?

Just in case, I went through and re-clipped where I had made straight across cuts...

Also,I am getting poor, pitiful small blossoms...most consist of only 4-5 petals ! Is this normal for those that survive the brutal 118-120 temps in Bullhead City ?

We're down to 100-110 days now, but "cooling down" overnight to mid-70's ! YAHOOOOO ! ! !

Any advice/encouragement will be most appreciated !

"I am getting poor, pitiful small blossoms...most consist of only 4-5 petals ! Is this normal for those that survive the brutal 118-120 temps in Bullhead City ? "

Yes. The hotter it is, the fewer petals you get.

As for the angle of clipping - clip dead branches back to the closest live branch, and cut parallel to the live stem (which may be at an angle or not).

If you are cutting back a partly dead branch, cut just above a bud that's going to head outward (straight or angled cut, doesn't matter).

Proper cut is slight angle 1/4 inch above an outward-facing budeye (where leaf meets cane). Look at the angle of the stem and cut at same angle. Canes naturally die back to about the quarter-inch spot and the angle is thwart pests laying eggs and provide runoff for moisture.

When people ask why their roses look so bad in the heat I try to remind them just how THEY'D look if they stood outside day after day in 118F temps. Your roses are probably doing quite well, lol. Wait to do your light pruning until the daytime temps fall under 100F so they don't overly stress.

Thanks to all of you for your helpful responses.
MOROSEAZ - I appreciate your invitation to attend events hosted in Phoenix, but it is difficult to do because I live in Tucson. I am going to find out about a similar event in my area. I need to learn how to prune. Also...You said "look at the angle of a stem and cut at the same angle". I thought a cut should be made at 45 degree angle to the ground....Am I wrong? I guess I need a lot to learn.
A couple days ago I removed some dead and damaged leaves but have not pruned yet.

There are two rose societies in the Tucson area: The Rose Society of Tucson and the Green Valley Rose Society. GVRS meets on the first Monday of the month, 7pm, www.gvrose.org, and the RST meets on the first Tuesday of the month, 6:30pm, at the Tucson Botanical Gardens, www.tucsonrose.org. Event info is listed on their websites but if it doesn't look updated, contact info is there, too.

Most folks don't carry protracters into the garden with them so no need to sweat the 45 degree angle rule. Just go with 'slight angle' and cut similar to the angle the leaf grows out of the cane (provided you have a leaf), lol.

To Moroseaz and others: Today I took care of my Marilyn Monroe tea rose... I cleaned tree bark around the bush and realized that the soil has settled a bit since spring. I added approx. 5 gallons of organic mulch (with 15% chicken manure in it) and 1/2 cup of epsom salt. I fed it with Ferti-lome Blooming&Rooting plant food (9-59-8). Hope I did good things.... I still have to buy alfalfa pellets and chelated iron. Is liquid iron better?
I want to buy &plant 1-2 rose bushes but do not know is it OK to plant them now??? Or wait until spring??? Thanks.

If the liquid iron says 'chelated' on the label, you can use it. I use Kerex Sequestrine 138 Chelated Iron. Comes in a canister or 4lb bag. Chelation allows the iron to be readily available to the rose roots. For only a few roses, I'd go to a feed and tack store and buy alfalfa by the pound. Get it without molasses. I've heard that the pellets sold for rabbits are better to use than the ones sold for horses for that reason. Ferti-lome makes good products but stay away from the systemic products where a fungicide/pesticide is incorporated into the fertilizer. The benefit is limited and longterm usage can stunt the rose and leave toxins in your soil. Best to use water for most problems... aphids, whiteflies, spider mites and powdery mildew all respond to being jetted off the bush with an intense spray of water.

Considering it's supposed to be 107 here today, I'd advise planting when the weather has cooled enough to allow you to be outside for an extended period without burning, toasting, roasting or calling 911, lol. Wait another week or two to plant but go ahead and prepare the next planting spot. Dig the holes, add the amendments, water it thoroughly and research the roses for disease resistance, size, bloom and availability.