Hi, tiffoo! Don't be afraid. As you can see these roses weren't cared for at all in the last year and their still doing great!

Start by getting any weeds out from around the bases so you can see what you've got to work with. You don't say exactly where you are but if the roses are already blooming I'd let them finish this first flush before doing any deep pruning. But if there are any dead canes those you can take out right away. You want to cut them as flush as possible to the graft. That's the knotty looking part at the ground. Once they've finished their first bloom cycle, when you go to dead head the spent blooms, you can cut them back further to shape them. Make you cuts just above an outward facing leaf set. That's where the new growth will come from. You can also take out any crossing/rubbing canes then too. You want to try and keep some open space in the center of the bush so air will flow through it easily to keep the leaves dry to prevent diseases. So canes growing inward can be removed if necessary.

After the first bloom cycle you can also apply some good balanced fertilizer. Any one you use on the rest of the garden will work fine. Miracle Grow, Peters, Ortho, whatever, it doesn't matter, just feed them.

Most importantly...Enjoy!

Tiffoo...,before such a drastic prune, you need to know what you have!!! Of course, dead stuff can go, but check tags that usually are low on the bush and post back some names, or post pictures. Seil gave you great advice, assuming they are hybrid teas and other modern roses, but some climbers and most antique roses don't need that drastic of a prune, IMHO. Let us help you and congrats on that new home. Lucky you! Another thought, any tracking the owner for input as to what is there?? I envy you!!! (Drool!!!!)

Thank you for the help with my new roses! I went over to the property yesterday and everything is in desperate need of water. I can not wait until the closing and then we can get out there and give the much needed love these roses and plants need!

BTW,ilovemyroses, when I went through the small fruit orchard and herb garden there were tags with the names of the fruits and herbs and even on the trees! The family that owned the property before knew what they were doing! I have a lot to learn :)

Thanks again for all the help, I am certain I will be back to get more gardening help when we close on the house.

Your new property sounds wonderful--Seil gave you the best advice ---keep asking questions ---the folks here will be happy to help---

Keep us posted about your progress---we all love to see success

Florence