Protect Your Roses In Winter

Roses need to be nudged into a dormant stage in order to make it through the winter.

Around the end of October, stop cutting roses from your bushes, stop dead heading, let rose hips form and stop applying fertilizer.

All of these steps will give your roses the little push into a dormant stage they need to survive.

If your winter temperatures almost drop off of the thermometer, your roses will fair better if you keep them frozen all winter long. The vicious cycle of freezing and thawing will damage your plants beyond repair. If you have your roses in containers, simply take them indoors.

Your roses should stay uncovered until your area has gotten a hard frost. Now you can cover them, but before you do clean the ground around them thoroughly. Remove and dead debris or leaves that can attract insects and do even more damage to your prized roses during the winter.

You will also want to trim off some of the taller stems, just don't trim anymore than necessary. A through pruning can stimulate your roses into a growth spurt in any season and you don't want them to grow during the winter months, they need their rest.

One last step before covering your roses is to completely surround the bush with a pile of dry, cold, clean soil. Heap the soil up about a foot high all the way around the plant, let it freeze hard and then cover the soil with some leaves gathered from the trees in your yard or even hay.

Rugosas Roses
Griffith Buck Roses
Morden Roses
Centifolias Roses

In general the shrub type roses will be more tolerant to cold winter climates than others. If you live in an area that experiences cold winters you should avoid Hybrid Tea Roses (Unless you can bring them indoors for the winter months) as they are some of the least cold-weather tolerant.

You should also keep in mind that roses which are naturally tolerant to cold weather will still fare much better if you take steps to protect them from the cold.

I also write for Associated Content. For more about plant care check out these articles:

Protecting Your Rose Garden Through the Winter

Houseplants that Help Improve Your Indoor Air Quality