Despite their need for regular pruning, fertilizing, watering and pest control, roses remain a favorite among Las Vegas gardeners.

Most popular are the large flowering hybrid tea roses. They provide excellent cut flowers and nearly year-round blooms. Some of the most dependable teas for Las Vegas include Mr. Lincoln, Peace and Touch of Class.

Pruning roses is a struggle for many gardeners. If you don't understand how, attend one of two pruning demonstrations. Both are from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The South Valley Rose Society demonstration is Saturday at the St. Rose Dominican Hospital Healing Gardens. The Las Vegas Valley Rose Society demonstration is Jan. 20 at Dick Jackson's, at 1112 Oak Tree Lane. For more information, call 435-8923 or 646-6048.

It's time to prune established roses. Do your pruning before Groundhog Day to encourage optimum blooming this April, when they are prettiest.

Don't mistake winter rose pruning in Las Vegas with what they do in colder climates. We don't have to worry about the frozen canes. Our pruning is more a fine-tuning the bushes to maximize new growth and blooms. Here is how to prune most roses:

1. Cut all canes back to a height of about 18 to 24 inches.

2. Strip off all leaves so you can better see how to prune the bush.

3. Get rid of old (gray and wrinkled) canes at the crown. Never leave a stub.

4. Remove all crisscrossing canes so light can reach inside the bush.

5. Remove canes thinner than a pencil.

6. Remove all growth coming from below the plant's crown or bud union.

7. Make final cuts on remaining canes 15 to 18 inches above ground at a 45-degree angle  1/4 inch above an outside-facing bud eye or red swelling on the cane.

8. Dispose of all clippings, leaves and other debris and clean out the beds.

9. Seal cane ends with Elmer's Glue to prevent borer entrance.

10. Spray each rose with dormant oil to dripping runoff to control overwintering insects.

If you've done it right, you'll have four to eight healthy canes coming from the crown.

Fertilizing established roses: They are big eaters thriving on the big three nutrients : nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. They are found in all rose food bags. Roses also like a few other nutrients.

Here is a prescription recommended by the rose societies. To each rose, evenly spread the following nutrients in a 2-foot diameter under each bush:

1. Thoroughly irrigate each bush.

2. Spread a cup of sulfur.

3. Add a cup of cottonseed meal.

4. Add  1/2 cup of superphosphate or bone meal.

5. Add  1/4 cup of Epson salts or magnesium sulfate (same fertilizer).

6. Two weeks later, and monthly until summer, add an all-purpose rose-food.

7. Scratch the ingredients into the soil.

8. Follow with a thorough irrigation to move nutrients to the roots.

If you are planting roses for the first time, start out small. Limit your planting to three or four bushes. Then you'll know how much time and effort to devote to a larger rose garden.

Right now, bare root roses are at your nursery in an array of colors. Plant before Valentine's Day to allow for root development prior to when top growth starts. Here is how to select new roses:

1. Purchase grade No. 1 roses from your nursery.

2. Grade No. 1 roses have three or more canes at least the thickness of a pencil.

3. Purchase roses budded on proper rootstock. This means the top part is a different type of roses than the root-producing part we call the bud union; the root is resistant to diseases in our soils.

4. Select a site that gets at least six hours of direct sunlight each day and afternoon shade.

5. Plant your roses away from competing tree and shrub roots.

Preparing the soil for your roses:

1. Dig the hole 2-feet square and 2-feet deep.

2. Fill hole with water to check drainage. It's OK if it drains within eight hours.

3. If there's no drainage, dig until breaking through the barrier.

4. Remove thin layers of caliche, as well as stones and other debris from the soil.

5. If caliche lies close to the soil surface, choose another location.

6. Add 1/3 organic matter (from nursery) to the on-site soil. Organic matter opens up native soil.

7. Stir a cup each of sulfur, cottonseed meal, bone meal and a  1/2 cup of blood meal into the improved soil. The nutrients are organic, so they won't burn the roots.

8. Do not feed new roses again until after the first thrust of blooms.

9. Refill the hole to form a soil pyramid so that it tops at the soil surface.

Planting of bare-root roses:

1. Soak the roots in water with superthrive (root stimulant) added overnight.

2. Cut off any injured roots and a  1/4-inch of all remaining roots.

3. Cut canes back to about 6 to 8 inches.

4. Set crown (swollen bud union) an inch above ground level.

5. If crown settles below soil level, gently lift it up to the proper height.

6. Drape roots evenly around cone.

7. Carefully add prepared soil and firm it around roots.

8. Continue to add soil and firm it until the soil is within 1 inch of the top.

9. Water slowly and thoroughly.

10. After soaking, finish filling the hole with soil.

11. Make a basin around the plant to contain water for future irrigations.

Linn Mills writes a gardening column each Thursday. You can reach him at linn.mills@lvspringspreserve.org or at the Gardens at the Springs Preserve at 822-8325.