Hi Mary Ann. I am in Colorado and I prefer to wait until the middle of May to prune the my roses but the weather sometimes makes them grow enough that I have to prune them back in mid to late April. But that is all I do at such early times as I do not want them to get ideas of going full on into growth mode just yet. Those sneaky late freezes can kill a full on growing rosebush. I like Gro Rich Rose and perennial food but if you cannot get it there, look for an organic rose food or one that is organic based. The organic feeds not only feed the rosebush but also feed and build up the soils home of the rosebush. If you cannot find an organic or organic based rose fertilizer, I would get some alfalfa meal and kelp meal and give a cup of each to the each of the roses at the time you feed them with the fertilizer you can find. That gives them some good organic base to feed the roses and their soils home.
