What Do I Need to Do to Prepare My Rose Bushes for Winter?

How you winterize your roses will depend on your area’s coldest temperatures, as well as the varieties of roses you have in your garden. Regardless of variety, a good soaking of water in the fall before the ground freezes will help them through the cold months.

Preparing Roses for Winter in Cold Climates

In areas with mild winter temperatures but cold enough to freeze the ground, generally Zones 6 and above, follow these steps for proper winter protection of your roses:

You should cease deadheading your roses in early fall. Let them form hips (seedpods), this helps them acclimatize to winter. Hipping when it’s warm may cause the plant to produce soft new shoots that may not withstand cold snaps.

Once autumn has seen its first frost and temperatures at night are in the 20’s, mound soil against the base of young roses to protect them from freeze-thaw heaving.

For grafted roses, be careful to include the graft union, which is that thick knobby area on the main stem of the rose, covering it completely as well as 12 inches or so of the plant. Use fresh top soil or compost instead of soil from around the plant, and cover it with dry shredded leaves or bark chips.

On bush roses, prune away canes that are too long to reduce wind damage. Prune these back to one-third, ensuring cuts are made just above an outward-facing bud, which will result in new growth during the spring. There may be some cold-killed back stems, which would not leaf out in the Spring. Dead canes should be removed during early spring when they are brown in color as opposed to healthy green canes.

During spring, remove the soil and mulch excess from around the base of the plant. Disperse the leaves and bark in the garden.

What Is a Grafted Rose?

Most hybrid tea, grandiflora and many hybrid floribunda roses are grafted. Grafting is the method of creating a rose by joining the stem of one rose variety to the strong and more disease resistant root system of another.

The graft union is also more susceptible to freezing temperatures and thus requires additional protection. If not maintained, the grafted growth would die out and the plant would re-sprout “from the roots” which often do not display the requested characteristics.

Protecting Roses in Extra-Cold Climates

For less hardy roses, it also requires some extra protection in the north where winters go to sub-zeros and winds become icy and drying:

• After the first frost, strip all the leaves from the remaining stems and prune the stems so that three to five of the healthiest are left, and are about a foot tall.
• Trench the area next to the rose, large enough to accommodate the whole plant.
• Gently loosen the roots of the plant with a garden fork so that you can place the rose in the trench on its side.
• Cover the rose with soil and a 2 inch layer of shredded leaves.
• When spring comes gently expose and replant the rose.

Tree Rose Winter Protection

Tree roses have their graft union a couple feet above the ground whereas standard roses have theirs near the soil so it is easier to protect. Here’s how to protect them:

• For mild winters, plant tree roses covered with straw. In colder climates, straw can be substituted for soil in order to provide better insulation.
• Frame the tree rose with wooden stakes.
• Wrap the burlap around the stakes and tie it securely with twine or wire.
• Pack the area that was staked with dry leaves or straw. In very cold winter areas, tree roses should be interred in trenches like other roses for winter protection.

Winter Protection for Potted Roses

If you overwinter your potted roses, bring them to a cool, unheated garage, or a sheltered area on the south side of your house.

For cold climates place each plant, pot and all, into a large cardboard box with shredded newspaper or dry leaves. For additional insulation, hay bales can be placed around these boxes

If you want to avoid damage in your roses due to the freezing/ thawing cycles in winter, make plans for protection ahead of time. A little preparation in advance will help your plants endure the most frigid months of the year.