June is the absolute peak of rose season, a time when gardens are flooded with vibrant colours and heavy, intoxicating perfumes. But if you want to keep that spectacular show going for as long as possible, you need to know the golden rule of rose care: dead-heading.

The secret to extending the blooming cycle isn’t just about giving them a quick tidy-up. You shouldn’t simply yank off the brown, spent petals and call it a day. Instead, grab a sharp pair of secateurs and make a proper cut. Look closely at the fading bloom, trace the stem down, and cut it right back to the very next healthy leaf or bud below it. It doesn’t matter if that means removing several inches of stem. By cutting back to a growth point, you trigger the plant to send out a fresh side-shoot. Before you know it, that new shoot will develop its own fresh batch of buds, giving you a whole new wave of gorgeous flowers to enjoy later in the summer.

However, gardening is rarely one-size-fits-all, and there is a brilliant exception to this rule. Some roses are grown just as much for their autumn display as their summer blooms. Species roses such as Rosa rugosa or Rosa moyesii produce stunning, vibrant hips later in the year. These colourful seed pods will only develop if you let nature take its course. If you chop off the fading flowers, you are cutting away the future fruit. For these specific varieties, the best approach is to simply enjoy the blossoms while they last. Let the flowers fade naturally so the plant can channel its energy into setting seed. By balancing a bit of strategic pruning with a little hands-off patience, you can maximise your garden’s beauty from early June right through the first frosts of autumn.