Roses are beautiful flowers that come in a range of pretty pastel colours and deep reds. They're often synonymous with romance and can add a magical feel to most gardens.

Growing roses requires a lot of preparation, maintenance and care, especially in the cooler months before they start to flower.

To ensure roses produce beautiful blooms next season, gardeners need to start preparing their roses now.

Liam Beddall, senior rose consultant at David Austin Roses, told Express.co.uk that rose pruning is one of the "most important jobs" that needs to be completed in February or early March.

He explained: “Pruning is arguably the most important job you can do for your roses.

"It gives them shape and structure, improves airflow and sunlight exposure, and encourages new blooms for the season ahead."

While it may sound like a lot of work, pruning can be a relaxing task that allows people to slow down and enjoy some fresh air.

Pruning should ideally be completed when the roses are dormant in January or February. However, Mr Beddall reassured gardeners that if they're not pruned by March, it's "not too late".

The plants will still benefit from being pruned in March. They will flower slightly later.

The gardening expert said there are three main points gardeners need to remember when they are pruning roses.

Don't worry about how you cut them

Even if you're a complete pruning beginner, pruning your rose bush incorrectly will not kill it. Mr Beddall said there is no evidence to prove that cutting above a leaf joint with a sloping cut is necessary.

Instead, the gardening expert suggests cutting off half the length of the stem. He explained, "Simply take a pair of sharp, clean secateurs, find a strong stem in the centre of the plant, and cut back approximately half of the length.

"There’s no need to panic about snipping off any buds or making slanted cuts. You can then use this stem as your guide for the rest of the plant.

"You should also remove any stems that are thinner than a pencil, as they won’t be strong enough to support a bloom, and remove any dead, dying, damaged or diseased stems."

Don't overthink pruning

Roses are surprisingly resilient plants and will produce lots of new growth in spring so if you accidentally cut it back too much, it will still bounce back later on.

How you approach pruning your rose will depend on what type of rose you have and how well-established it is. However, if your plant looks a bit bare after being pruned, don't be alarmed.

"Bare root roses don’t require any pruning upon receipt, while younger plants that have flowered for one or two seasons require a light prune and roses that have bloomed for more than two or three summers can be reduced in size by half," the rose expert added.

Dispose of foliage carefully

Remember to dispose of foliage carefully and be thorough when clearing the ground. Fallen leaves and debris from pruning need to be removed.

Cuttings should never be composted to ensure any spores that could trigger disease are not present in the garden.