If you prune now, you will destroy all those many buds you are so happy about! If you absolutely need to do more pruning, I'd wait until the roses finish their first cycle of bloom. They usually have a rest period after each cycle--perfect time for pruning, if needed.

Are you sure you want to do more pruning? I'm not sure DA roses, as a rule, like drastic pruning. For the early spring pruning of my DA roses, I just prune out brown/dead canes, any diseased-looking canes, and any canes in the center that are crossing each other too closely and rubbing against each other. Then I shape the over-all bush a little bit, sometimes giving it a light "haircut" all over.

I have seen some posts occasionally about some Austins not liking strong pruning. I also remember reading in a DA catalog that David Austin recommends mid-summer pruning to keep the size of the large bushes under control--but I don't think he meant any drastic cutting back.

Perhaps others with more pruning experience can add some helpful advice here.

Looking forward to your pics. Third year usually works like a charm for shrub roses.

Kate

Agreed, wait until after the first flush. If they are repeat bloomers, new growth can come either old canes or new ones. You can do your shaping while you deadhead. With all of the snow and rain, there is a lot of nitrogen in the ground, which helped push the green growth of many plants this year (which is nice after the snow blanket and cold). Enjoy the blooms, cut later.

I think the advice is spot-on, so I don't have anything to add there. However, I'm also in NJ, and I wanted to share in your excitement about the impending first-flush -- I'm also seeing buds everywhere! There's going to be something spectacular going on in the next week.

:-)

~Christopher

Post pics when they burst!