Roses and Winter Prep
- Monica Sabella
- Apr 16, 2023
- 3 min read
By Monica Sabella, Horticulturist and Journalist
I work as a rosarian and horticulturalist at a beautiful estate in southeast Michigan. One of my main duties is to care for the breathtaking and fragrant rose gardens on the property. They date back to the 1920’s so it’s a big responsibility. Winter is coming, so to ensure that our roses survive to next year there are a few things I have to do.
Different varieties of roses require different care. Some are hardier than others. Due to the fact that the property’s rose garden houses dozens of tea roses, the University of New Hampshire recommends to delay heavy pruning until the spring. Overly long canes can be trimmed to prevent the winter wind from whipping and damaging the rest of the bush. Prudent pruning can also be conducted to allow sufficient room for winter coverings, around 12”-18” height.
Next clean off old diseased, damaged, or dead leaves with a sharp pair of pruners. Pulling them can cause rips and injury to the stem, ergo an entryway to disease. Clean away any old debris without raking away soil from the base of the rose. Removing rogue leaves and branches will reduce the risk of fungal diseases overwintering. Preserving soil around the base ensures your fragrant bevy will sleep soundly and safely throughout the winter.
Moving on, it’s time to mulch. Professionals recommend anywhere from eight to 12 inches of mulch around the plant. Some use chicken wire to build a cage around the bush to keep it insulated. While others stick to the tried and true mulching with a burlap rap. Regardless of your covering of choice, it’s important to heavily mulch especially around the crown and lower cane section. This will insulate it from extreme cold and warm temperatures or partial thawing. This can transform and reveal to cold damage in the spring. The goal is to keep the plant at an equal temperature all around.
The University of Illinois Extension office writes: “Wet and cold is far more damaging than dry and cold. Also, the decisions that are made when preparing the site for roses really governs what kind of success you will have in winter survival. A rose that is planted in poorly drained soil will suffer and often not survive the winter when that same rose, planted in a well-drained site, will flourish.”
The midwest horticulture professionals recommended mounding roughly ten to 12 inches of soil around the plant. Once the soil was frozen to return and cover the rose bushes with an additional ten to 12 inches of hay or evergreen for additional protection.
Illinois University cautions gardeners: “Don't begin covering plants too early. Wait until a hard killing frost has caused most of the leaves to fall. You may also want to wait until the temperature has dropped into the teens for several nights.”
Climbing roses can be a little more particular. There are two methods which can be exercised for winter protection. The first option entails carefully removing the roses from their trellis and bending them down to the ground to be covered with soil and mulch mediums. However, cooler temperatures and the age of the plant can make it difficult to bend canes without breaking them. So, another option is while still attached to the trellis, pack the rose canes and stems with straw and then wind burlap around the whole contraption. In this way, there is no detangling canes and insulation will stay in place.
And that, my friends, is how I’ll be tucking away my rosettes to sleep this fall. I hope your ventures are as successful and keep your roses safe and warm until spring.
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