I need advice on when I should cover my rose bush for the winter. Also, should I trim it back or not?
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Rose bush advice
- Thread starter luvmy2cats
- Start Date
There are lots of opinions on how to do this so I'll just offer mine.
You don't want to over prune a rose bush in the fall, as pruning stimulates growth and you don't want it to try to grow once it gets cold. Some books will recommend that you cut off the top 1/3 - 1/2 of the bush as you cover it, and others tell you to leave them alone. I used to prune away the really leggy branches.
I would cover the center of the plant at the base with a few inches of dirt or mulch. You want to protect the Bud Union, which is the roundish ball at the base of the plant. In more northern climates, you plant the rose bush with the Bud Union close to the soil. The warmer the climate, the higher the Bud Union will be. This is where all the nutrients are created to feed the plant during the year. If that dies back, the rose bush won't produce.
Then I build a cage for the bottom of the rose bush (about 18" tall) out of some type of wire material (I used chicken wire but anything sturdy will do). Then I cram the leaves from my lawn into the wire base to give it more insulation. You can use mulch or other materials as long as its insulated from the cold. When I've used mulch, come spring I simply pull it out from the bush and cover the ground around it to use as mulch during the warm months.
They do sell the cones to cover a rose bush, but I've heard that they tend to rot out the bush as they add too much moisture to it over the winter.
You don't want to over prune a rose bush in the fall, as pruning stimulates growth and you don't want it to try to grow once it gets cold. Some books will recommend that you cut off the top 1/3 - 1/2 of the bush as you cover it, and others tell you to leave them alone. I used to prune away the really leggy branches.
I would cover the center of the plant at the base with a few inches of dirt or mulch. You want to protect the Bud Union, which is the roundish ball at the base of the plant. In more northern climates, you plant the rose bush with the Bud Union close to the soil. The warmer the climate, the higher the Bud Union will be. This is where all the nutrients are created to feed the plant during the year. If that dies back, the rose bush won't produce.
Then I build a cage for the bottom of the rose bush (about 18" tall) out of some type of wire material (I used chicken wire but anything sturdy will do). Then I cram the leaves from my lawn into the wire base to give it more insulation. You can use mulch or other materials as long as its insulated from the cold. When I've used mulch, come spring I simply pull it out from the bush and cover the ground around it to use as mulch during the warm months.
They do sell the cones to cover a rose bush, but I've heard that they tend to rot out the bush as they add too much moisture to it over the winter.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
Ok but how cold should it get before I mulch it in. I've heard that if you do it to soon the roots will get too hot and burn up.
Have you ever checked out www.verdantforums.com ??? It's another site of Anne's and it's a gardening forum. They have a lot of useful info on there!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #5
Thanks, mybabyphx. I asked my question there.Originally Posted by mybabyphx
Have you ever checked out www.verdantforums.com ??? It's another site of Anne's and it's a gardening forum. They have a lot of useful info on there!
When I lived up in Chicago, I usually waited until mid November to cover them, sometimes later if you have an Indian Summer. You just don't want the plant to experience a deep freeze.
Get the materials ready to cover them and watch the weather. If you are about to get a hard cold snap, run out and cover them. The good thing about this type of cover is that you can uncover them if it warms up for a long period of time.
I grow about 25 roses.
I took a rose class from the person who introduced shrub roses into NE Wisconsin and is a test grower for all the large rose producers-Jackson and Perkins, Weeks, etc....
Anyhow go here www.ars.org which is the american rose society's website.
What I have been taught and do:
Do not do ANY PRUNING this time of year and the new growth will not harden off.
What type of rose?? Hybrid tea, floribunda, grandiflora or shrub rose???? How far is the graft buried??? Or on own rootstock??? Do not fertilize either!!
DO NOT BUY THOSE STYROFOAM CONES-a big waste of $$ and there is no air circulation and your plant will rot!!!
I do not do anything until I have three 28F degree nights. You then should be able to either mound soil or bark mulch up around base of rose you may need to add about a foot of material!! Here is WI I do this around Thanksgiving
Come spring you will reverse waiting for days 28F degrees and warmer to uncover graft/roots. Timing for me is mid April.
Hope this helps!!
I took a rose class from the person who introduced shrub roses into NE Wisconsin and is a test grower for all the large rose producers-Jackson and Perkins, Weeks, etc....
Anyhow go here www.ars.org which is the american rose society's website.
What I have been taught and do:
Do not do ANY PRUNING this time of year and the new growth will not harden off.
What type of rose?? Hybrid tea, floribunda, grandiflora or shrub rose???? How far is the graft buried??? Or on own rootstock??? Do not fertilize either!!
DO NOT BUY THOSE STYROFOAM CONES-a big waste of $$ and there is no air circulation and your plant will rot!!!
I do not do anything until I have three 28F degree nights. You then should be able to either mound soil or bark mulch up around base of rose you may need to add about a foot of material!! Here is WI I do this around Thanksgiving
Come spring you will reverse waiting for days 28F degrees and warmer to uncover graft/roots. Timing for me is mid April.
Hope this helps!!
