Additional note: I see on closer inspection that a number of the larger branches are quite dead, bark peeling etc, there might be only a couple of lve stalks or maybe a bit more.  I suppose that could certainly affect "best practices" for pruning.

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> YOUR QUESTION #0192939: rosebush pruning
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> Is this the right time to prune a rose bush? Searching the internet suggests it depends on the type, and for some it's "after the first hard freeze" which seems reasonable to do today, but other types are pruned in other seasons — are you able to tell the type from this winter photo (taken today?) Suggestions for how to prune (and any other maintenance needed, we've never done anything since moving in 8 years ago, and it's always given us roses. Thanks!
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Hi, 

You can refer to our Guide for Pruning Roses for more information.  We can't tell at this stage what type of rose it is, but it doesn't seem like a Knock Out rose. 

Since some of the branches are dead, you can prune those now, and that may be enough to remove from the plant. Generally, you never want to remove more than 1/3 of the total mass when pruning, but roses tend to be a bit different. The rest you could wait until early spring, and it will be fine. Even though our page says that Knock Out Roses should be pruned before winter, it is also fine if you don't. They are usually pretty tough. 

We're assuming that this is a hybrid tea rose, though (usually knock out type retain some green leaves at the base.) So just remove the dead or dying branches, any with what looks like fungal growth or peeling bark. Then, in the spring, you can trim back the remaining branches by about 12 inches to see how the plant fares. After that, you should know which type of rose it is to care for. 

Feel free to send in a photo of the blooms next year, and we can help narrow down the ID (probably not to the variety, as there are so many, but at least to determine tea rose versus landscape rose).

Let us know if you have further questions. 

Emily