I'm here just outside of in Boston and I have some roses that are about a foot taller than I'd like them to be. Most articles I'm reading about pruning say that the ideal time is early spring when leaf buds just begin to show but before they open. These roses definitely already have their full complement of open leaves, so is it too late to prune? If so, I'm curious to know what it is about pruning this late that could potentially cause problems. Thanks.

I'm in zone 6a-b-ish in WV. I lightly prune all season. But when you heavy prune it cause more growth. That's why you prune earlier. Depending on how much you wanna cut off. You would be ok. But it will cause more growth.

No it's not too late. I just finished all my pruning this week. And with this cold blast they are not growing right now any way. Go ahead and prune.

Pruning earlier starts the spring growth off where you want it from the get go. Pruning later will set back your bloom time a little bit. But they will still bloom! Also remember that if you want them to end up at a certain height you have to cut them lower than that height to allow for the new growth. If you want them waist high cut them knee high or by the time they grow out and bloom again they will be over your head!

I knew someone with more experience would chime in.