When is the best time to prune roses and secondly, how do you prune them? How much should you cut them back?

In most areas, July is the main pruning time, but if you live in a cold climate, wait until the risk of frosts is over. Use sharp, clean secateurs for small branches and a hand saw or loppers for thicker stems. Wear heavy gloves and dip your pruning tools into a mild bleach solution between bushes so as not to spread disease. Remove all dead, old or diseased wood, cutting at the base with the hand saw or loppers. Then shorten the healthy branches by about two-thirds, and remove any weak, spindly, inward-growing or crossing branches. If in doubt, chop it out. Try to make your cuts just above an outward-facing bud. You should be left with just a vase-like framework of sturdy stems. Climbing roses are treated differently, but standard roses are the same - just work with the branches on top of the straight stem.