What should I do to prepare my roses for the winter?
Not being much of a rose person, I have to admit that when I inherited a couple of mature rose bushes with a house I once owned, my way of preparing them for the winter was to ignore them. The hope was they wouldn't make it through the winter and I could then justify yanking them out of the ground and replacing them with something that I really liked. It goes without saying that year after year they thrived.
As a general rule, the hardier the rose, the less winter protection it requires. There is an unruly swath of native shrub roses growing in the ditch in front of my house and they make it through winter after endless winter without getting any special attention whatsoever. On the other hand, many of the cultivated roses - hybrid teas in particular - require at least some protection to make it through the desolate winter months.
There is a good reason for this. Most of the roses grown in gardens today are the result of a desirable rose variety being grafted onto a hardy rootstock. Grafting makes it possible for northern gardeners to grow many types of roses that simply aren't hardy in our cold climate and would die if allowed to grow on their natural roots. However, the point at which the desirable plant unites with the hardy rootstock (known as the graft union and usually located at or just above the soil surface) is much more susceptible to cold damage than the rest of the plant. It needs to be protected or the above-ground parts of your rosebush could die. Protecting the graft is as simple as hilling compost or garden soil up around the base of the plant to a depth of about eighteen centimetres.
If your roses have a history of dieback over the winter months, you should also consider surrounding them with either a rose collar or a homemade wire cage stuffed with leaves. This will insulate your roses from the cold temperatures and harsh winds that torment them in the winter.
As soon as the weather warms up next spring – and preferably before any new growth appears - dismantle the cages and pull the compost away from the base of the plant.
If you've been growing roses for a few years, you've likely already noticed that they are highly susceptible to disease and insect infestations. Because of this, it's critical that you take the time to remove any debris from the base of your roses each autumn. Decaying plant material provides a cozy home where insects and diseases can overwinter and the minute the warm weather arrives, a host of problems will suddenly spring to life.
If you have any questions or comments, please send them to me at vanessa@gardenmuse.ca.
