Hi all,

I'm new to roses and am helping a friend care for neglected climbing roses at her new home. We planned to prune away dead branches this fall while it was easier to tell dead from green. But we kinda missed the autumn deadline here in northeast Connecticut (zone 6a).I know that regular pruning at the start of winter is a bad idea, but would it be risky to remove just the dead stuff?

You can safely remove dead canes at any time. If you are unsure whether it is dead or not, just scratch through the bark and check the color of the wood beneath.

Brilliant, thank you! And thanks for the tip.