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Roses can be delicate creatures in winter.
Someclimbing rosesand miniature roses can be injured in winter as well.
Should You Cover Roses In Winter?
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Southerners may not need to cover their roses in winter depending on where they live.
In Zone 8, cover roses if severe weather is in the forecast.
Wait until after the first frost or two causes leaves to begin dropping.
Depending on how far South you live, this could be as late as November or December.
Steps To Prepare Your Roses For Winter
Begin toprepare your roses for winterin the fall months.
Allowing the flowers to form rose hips also encourages the plants to enter dormancy.
Most roses should be cut back to 36 inches from the ground with sharp pruners.
Climbing roses should only be cut back to half their height.
Remove dead or diseased canes while pruning.
Then rake up fallen leaves from the ground to prevent diseases from overwintering.
In colder climates, use well-draining soil and straw to insulate your plants.
In Zone 7 or 8, pine bark or hardwood mulch will suffice.
Leaves andpine straware not as insulating and won’t provide adequate protection.
You may need to use less material with miniature roses so that you don’t smother the plants.
If you live on a windy site, loosely tie canes together with twine to prevent wind damage.
Cover the base of climbing roses with 6 inches of soil.
Wrap climbing roses with burlap and tie the canes together with twine to help keep stems from breaking.
Tree roses are more difficult to protect because the graft union is high up on the main stem.
Dig out one side of the rose’s root ball down to about 12 inches deep.
Then shift the plant onto its side and cover it with well-draining soil.
Add an insulating layer of straw on top.
verify the graft union is covered by mulch.
Climbing roses may be tied with twine to help keep the stems from breaking over winter.
The second approach is to move containers to a more protected spot.
The space must be cool enough to keep the plants from breaking dormancy.
Water lightly throughout winter and then bring containers back outdoors in spring.
You’ll know the plants are waking up when buds begin to swell in response to warming temperatures.
Leave graft unions covered until the danger of frost has passed.
Jackson & Perkins.Fall and Winter Care of Roses.
