I forgot to trim my 3 rose bushes back in the fall. Can I do it now?
Or will it limit their bloom this year?

Hi dk41,

You didn't say what kind of roses you have or where you live, so I've
based your answer on generic information from what I found on the web.

Here's some information from a Feb. 22 article in the Augusta
(Georgia) Chronicle:
Pruning is a necessary step in growing healthy roses. It promotes new
growth; removes dead, broken and diseased canes; trains roses to a
desired shape; and encourages flowering. Rarely will improper pruning
kill a shrub.
"Roses will recover from almost anything," said Chris Randall, a
consulting rosarian for the Augusta Rose Society.

http://augustachronicle.com/stories/022202/gar_221-6187.000.shtml

So, no matter what you did, you probably haven't caused any
permanently damage to your bushes.

According to The Principles of Pruning, pruning your roses after they
are no longer dormant "will waste energy the plant has put into
early-spring budding and leafing."

http://www.coronaclipper.com/roses.htm

However, several gardening sites say basically the same thing -- that
some pruning is better than no pruning at all.

Timelessroses.com lists the three primary seasons for pruning: late
fall (early winter), early spring (late winter), and during the
growing season and the goals and results of pruning is different for
each season. Rod Smith, Oregon Certified Nursery Professional, states
that "...plants respond differently to pruning at different times of
year. There are certain seasons for pruning to get certain results."

Timelessroses.com - Pruning Roses
http://216.239.51.100/search?q=cache:iRw7TIx7B9MC:www.timelessroses.com/pruningroses.htm+prune+late+rose+OR+roses&hl=en
(This is the Google cached page. When I went to the site, there were
some instances when it was down.)

Seasonal Pruning Guide by Rod Smith
http://www.rodsgarden.50megs.com/seasonalprune.htm
I suspect that your roses are now in their growing season.  If that's
the case, you should be deadheading, cutting out dead or diseased
wood, and very light shaping.  Deadheading is the process of cutting
off flowers as they wither.  This encourages more blooms to flourish.
Rose Glossary
http://www.mc.edu/campus/users/nettles/rofaq/rofaq-glos.html#deadheading

Here are some additional sites that deal with the issue of when to
prune your roses:

DirtGardener
http://www.dirtgardener.com/TipSheets/RosePruningFAQ.html

Ed Hume Seeds
http://www.humeseeds.com/qanda2.htm
http://froebuck.home.texas.net/toppage3.htm


Here are some additional sites on roses that you might find useful:

Gardenweb
http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/roses/

American Rose Society
http://www.ars.org/experts/prunemenu.html
http://www.ars.org/experts/experts.html

Know Your Rose
http://www.helpmefind.com/sites/rrr/eztoc.php?dt=2002-03-01
http://www.helpmefind.com/sites/rrr/ez.php?n=538

Search terms used:
roses
://www.google.com/search?&q=roses

caring for roses
://www.google.com/search?&q=caring+for+roses

prune late rose OR roses
://www.google.com/search?q=prune+late+rose+OR+roses

too late to prune roses?
://www.google.com/search?q=too+late+to+prune+roses%3F

prune OR pruning non-dormant rose OR roses
://www.google.com/search?q=OR+pruning+non-dormant+rose+OR+roses

Dear Dk41,
According to John Dickman of the American Rose Society, although it
depends on the part of the country you are in, the most likely answer
to you question is No, it is not too late to prune your roses.  As a
matter of fact, spring pruning is preferred to fall pruning,
especially in climates which can experience very cold winters.  But
even in milder climates it is better to wait to see just what sprouts
after
the winter dormancy.  Then pruning becomes a matter of shaping the
bushes to
the desired shape (not too large on one side and too small on the
other -
just a matter of taste) and removing any dead or diseased canes (good
garden
hygiene).
Yes, if you prune away live stem (stems that show a nice white center
as
opposed to a brown dead center, you will cut down on the number of
blooms,
However, you will  probably gain larger blooms on longer stems.  So
how far
you prune back is determined by whether you desire lots of color in
the
garden (minimal pruning) or fewer but larger flowers on longer stems
(more
severe pruning).  Most gardeners opt for a compromise.
Hope this helps!
Best Regards,
Skis4jc