If you prune your spring/summer-flowering (not remontant) roses at this time, you will be cutting off the mature wood that will produce blooms.

Unless they are blocking access to something vital, I would avoid cutting them back until they have finished blooming.

Jerri, I beg to differ. I routinely prune the few once blooming european OGRs I grow by cutting about 1/4 off during the winter. They bloom on new laterals formed in early spring on the remaining parts of the old canes. I think that only roses which will bloom only on cane tips would be affected by this type of pruning.

Maybe it's the AMOUNT of pruning that is important. :-)
The few once-bloomers we grow really do NOT bloom if they're cut back at this time. But then, this is not precisely a heaven for once-blooming roses. ;-)

Mad_gallica is right. I prune my once-blooming old roses mainly January and February, and they bloom just fine for me every year. Note that we can work outdoors much of this time and don't have to wait for the end of winter to get out in the garden. We have a mild but four season climate with plenty of winter chill.

I consider the deciduous once-bloomers fair game for pruning as soon as they lose their leaves in fall and pruning can straggle on into March, but January and February are the principle months. The roses begin leafing out in March or April, and bloom mid-May through mid-June.

I agree with Melissa and mad-gallica ... winter is a perfect time to get out and whip many of one's once-bloomers into shape. I prune my ramblers in winter. It's easier to see the structure, and safer to work with those thorny monsters, when the plant is leafless. At this time, it also can be very apparent which canes are old and bloomed out and should be removed, as MG mentioned, Many Hybrid Chinas, Gallicas, etc., produce tall, arching canes during the growing year. Winter is a good time to evaluate these new canes, to determine which ones can support the weight of flowers and which ones will probably flop into the mud if a good rain comes while they're flowering.

There's always that weekend or two in winter here in Virginia, usually at the end of January or mid-February, where the weather is unseasonably delightful. Those are great times to get out with one's pruners to commune with the roses and soak up some much-needed sunshine.

Ive been waiting to buy alcohol to clean my pruning shears. Do you wipe them after each cut, or just between bushes ?

I have too many roses to even think about sterilizing my pruners between each cut. Normal procedure for me is to clean my pruners after I finish each plant. I use 91% alcohol in one of those little pocket-sized spray bottles. The only exception to this is if it is a plant that I suspect may have been exposed to RRD, or one that I have removed RRD-type canes from in the past. For those plants, I clean my pruners after each and every cut.

Does a bleach solution--1 part bleach to 3 parts water--work as well?

Bleach is an oxidizing agent, so it will encourage rust on your pruners. I think that some strong alcohol is best. It does not have to be ethanol which can be very expensive in some places due to tax. Potassium permanganate is also very effective but it too will oxidize iron if not properly washed off.

91% alcohol is isopropyl alcohol, easily available and cheap at any US pharmacy. Look for it on the bottom shelf in the first aid department. Nik is right, bleach will damage your tools (and tie dye your clothes).

What about H2O2?

I would think that would exacerbate rusting -- the extra oxygen atom bonding with iron to form iron oxide.

:-)

~Christopher

Thanks Chris. Here is another one: Baby Diaper wipes.