Rose Cultivation: Preparing for Winter

Winter care of roses is every bit as important as summer care. Fortunately, it is even easier to do:

The first step in preparing your roses for winter is to stop feeding them when the last week of August rolls around, as outlined in the previous section. This will allow any new growth to harden before first frost sets in. From here, continue to care for them by removing spent blooms, etc. When November comes, it is time to apply a protective mulch. Simply pile up mulch over the base of the plant to a height of 12 inches. This will protect the canes from the cold, drying winds of winter. This is a very important step, because if roses aren't mulched, the cold winter weather will almost always kill the canes right down to the ground. With climbing roses, remove the canes from the trellis supports, and lay them on the ground. Cover the entire length of the canes with mulch.

I do not recommend cutting roses back until spring. While many reference books advocate the cutting-back of roses before winter, it has been my experience that doing so will simply allow frost into the cut ends of the canes, thereby making die-back of the canes more likely. Leave the plants unpruned until spring.

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