While “old garden roses” and own-root species are generally hardy enough to make it through the winter unscathed, the more fragile varieties, such as hybrid teas and budded roses, can have a rough time if they aren’t well protected.

Preparing for the ravages of winter should start way back during the rose selection process. When you’re browsing online and printed catalogs, or admiring the selection in your local home and garden store, be sure to select varieties that are capable of withstanding the coldest winter temperatures that your geographic region is capable of dishing out. If possible, refer to your area “hardiness zone maps” before you buy.

The key to having your roses survive the cold of winter is to force them into total dormancy. Stop applying fertilizer by mid August, and stop dead heading and cutting flowers after the beginning of October. Allow hips to form to further promote dormancy.

In extreme cold areas, your goal is to keep the plant frozen throughout the winter and to prevent them from entering freeze/thaw/freeze cycles repeatedly.

• With that in mind, don’t cover your plants too early.
• Wait until the first hard frost has struck and the leaves begin to wither and fall.
• This is a good time to remove ground foliage and other garden debris from around the plants that may contain diseases and insects that will hibernate during the winter and return to feed on your roses in the spring.

Take a few minutes to prune back the taller roses before you begin covering the plants for the winter. Avoid doing a thorough pruning as you’ll want to cut back the dead and diseased canes come spring. This is also a good time to tie the canes together to protect them from being damaged by the howling winds of winter.

“Hilling” is a very common winter protection method. You simply pile a loose and well-drained soil or compost around and over the rose bush until you reach a depth of approximately 10-12 inches. Be sure that whatever soil or compost material you use has no excess moisture in it. You want to have only cold and dry soil for a winter covering.

Once the soil mound has frozen completely, you can cover it with leaves or hay, or evergreen branches.

Healthy roses, protected by clean and well-drained soli or compost, have a very good chance of surviving the winter season if you take the time to properly prepare them.

Once you have put your garden to bed for the winter, take some time to clean and sharpen your tools and put your shed or garage back in order so you’ll be ready for spring.

As the days grow shorter and the nights grow longer, you’ll be ready to sit back in front of the roaring fire and start ordering next year’s roses from your favorite catalogs and web sites.

The months of November and December can be an awkward time for many rosarians. While the growing season is coming to an end, the winter hibernation season has not yet begun.  Some of us just don’t know what to do with ourselves or our rose bushes during this period of time.

Because your bushes are not yet in hibernation they still require some attention from you.

• Water continues to be a prime need, so make sure that the soil around their roots continues to remain moist. Give them a good soaking as need be, but, as always, don’t over-water.

  Water is an important part of your roses’ winter survival requirements and properly hydrated roots will help them stay protected when the cold weather arrives.

• Stop all pruning and deadheading activity so you do not encourage new growth. You should have stopped applying organics last month, and you don’t want to apply any more fertilizer now either. Your goal is to keep your roses healthy while, at the same time, encouraging them to begin the process of going into dormancy.
• Continue spraying at least once each month to combat black spot. Spider mites are still active during late autumn so keep your eye out for them. Spritz your blooms and foliage with water whenever you see signs of infestation. Aphids are also active now, so have a bottle of soapy water ready to send them packing.
• Pick off any diseased leaves and rake away any fallen leaves from your rose beds. This not only improves the appearance of your garden, it also removes any disease residue which may be still on the leaves.
• This is also a good time to prepare your new rose holes and rose beds for next year’s growing season. They will have time to “mellow” over the winter season and will be ready to accept new bushes in spring.
• Begin the process of piling mulch around your more delicate varieties such as “St. Patrick”, “Color Magic”, “Oklahoma” and “Signature”. Your hardier varieties can wait until next month. See our “Winter Gardening” article for mulching tips.

You worked hard all season to keep your roses healthy and beautiful. If you did everything right, you were probably rewarded with waves and waves of beautiful blooms. Your hard work is almost over for the year, but don’t neglect your roses during these important final months.

Heat is one of the worst enemies that roses face, and the months of July and August can be scorchers. Not only are your roses at risk of heat damage, but the accompanying humidity breeds insects and fungal diseases.

Here’s a look at what we can do to keep our roses beautiful and healthy until the cooling days of autumn arrive.

• Make sure that your roses have all the water that they need. Remember to water from the roots and not from the top to avoid fungus development and to make sure that your bushes can drink their full.

• Water daily when the temperature is at or above 90F. Pot-grown roses may need to be watered twice per day. Avoid watering during the hottest times of day to guard against excessive evaporation.
• Spray fungicide on a weekly basis to keep these humidity-born diseases at bay, and cut back canes and foliage which show any signs of infection.
• Apply light feedings of fertilizer at least three times per week. Don’t over-fertilize as this will cause burning.

  Apply 2 to 3 cups of organics weekly, and stop applying your organics during the last week of August.

• July and August are prime times for spider mites who thrive in the heat and humidity. Spritz your foliage and buds with water on a regular basis to show these pests that they are not welcome on your roses.

Pruning and Recycling

Now is not the time to fall behind on your deadheading chores. Your canes need all of their strength to support new growth, so pay careful attention.

Start cutting back your roses in the latter part of August so they will be ready to produce those huge autumn blooms which are right around the corner.

Trim the stems and branches that are trying to grow toward the center of the bush. This not only increases air circulation, but it removes prime breeding grounds for spider mites and helps to reduce the appearance of fungus infections that thrive in hot, moist areas within your bushes.

If you are planning to exhibit your roses in any of the fall shows, you’ll need to carefully time your cane pruning activities in order to allow enough time for recycling to occur.

Here is a chart of the most common recycling times for selected species. Soil condition, temperature, bush health and other planting and growing conditions may cause these times to vary widely, so use this chart only as a guideline.

• Slow recycling roses, such as “Uncle Joe”, “New Zealand” and “Touch of Class” require 50 to 60 days to recycle.

• Medium slow roses, including “Crystalline”, “Elizabeth Taylor”, “Peace”, and “Olympiad” will require 50 to 54 days.
• Average varieties, which include “Color Magic”, “Double Delight”, “Gold Medal”, “Nicole”, and “French Lace” only require 45 to 49 days.
• Fast varieties, like “Altissimo”, “First Prize”, and “Fragrant Cloud”, will need 40 to 44 days.
• Very fast varieties, like ”Dainty Bess”, “Playboy”, “Playgirl”, and the other will recycle in just 35 to 39 days.

Begin your deep watering program

In early May, heavy rains could still be left over from April. If that’s so, then adjust your watering schedule accordingly. Otherwise, maintaining the correct moisture level is an absolute necessity.

Although Roses don’t need as much water as other plants do, they prefer a root soaking rather than watering their blooms and leaves. Of course, over-watering can cause mildew and related fungal diseases to appear so be careful.

Start your deadheading program

Deadheading your rose plants results in an extended blooming season. Simply cut back a few branches with outward-facing buds that have more than five leaflets.

This is also a good time to enhance the overall appearance of your bushes by removing any faded blooms.

May is the start of the organics season

Once your roses have produced their first flush, it’s time to apply the organics. Organics, including blood, fish, alfalfa, and cottonseed meal are an excellent food source for roses as is seaweed and wood ashes. Rinse seaweed in fresh water before using.

This is also the right time to start working on your soil amendments by applying compost and manure, shredded leaves, and grass clippings freely and abundantly.

Summer Pest Control Issues

Insects and diseases will be trying to get off to a good start this time of year as well. You can nip them in the bud, no pun intended, by recognizing and counteracting the effects of these common rose threats.

• Aphids: These green or brown-colored insects form small colonies and suck the fluids from your roses. While their presence is often fatal to your roses, treatment is simple and effective. Just spray them with a mild soapy water solution.

• Black Spot: This fungal disease can be recognized by the black spots that appear on the foliage. This condition is caused by incorrect watering. First prune away the affected foliage and discard the clippings in a trash can. Do not leave them on the ground around your roses. Next, start soaking your roses at the roots rather than watering from overhead.
• Canker: This fungal disease causes the canes to turn black or brown before dying. Canker usually forms while the rose bush is under winter protection. Prune back affected canes to below the canker spots and discard the canes in a trash can.
• Midge: These are maggots which bore into your roses and cause the buds to turn black. Prune out and discard the affected buds in a trash can.
• Rust: This fungus disease can only be treated with a commercial fungicide. Symptoms include an orange-color powder which gives the disease its name. Rust is usually the result of mild, wet winters which allow the fungus to thrive when it would normally be killed.
• Spider Mites: Initial infestation becomes evident when the foliage starts to turn a dull red color. As the infestation increases you will begin to notice small webs. Treatment is as easy as spritz the mites, as well as the affected areas, with plain water.

Early spring is a time of great activity in the rose garden as you prepare for the beautiful buds that will be sprouting almost any day. Here’s a summary of what needs to be done in order to prepare your roses for the tough growing season that lies ahead.

1. If you covered your roses with dirt or other protective winter coverings, your first step is to gently remove the protective materials so you can introduce your dormant bushes to the warming spring sun and gentle rains that lie ahead.

2. Before beginning your spring pruning activities, cut back any dead and damaged canes that did not survive the winter. Be sure to clear away any debris and residue from around the bushes as well.
3. Prepare the soil to nurture your plants by adding some organic compounds. You can either buy pre-packaged organics from your favorite garden supplier, or you can mix up your own recipe using composted manure or mushroom compost, or any of the usual meal blends which can include alfalfa, cottonseed, fish or blood meal.
4. Work your soil with a spade or other tool if it has become too compacted during the winter or if you notice standing water after watering your plants. Roses require well-drained soil to thrive.
5. After soil preparation is done you can plant any new additions to your garden including container-grown roses.
6. Next it is time to begin your fungicide spraying regimen either immediately or, if you prefer to wait, approximately 14 days after you complete your pruning.  Opinions on the best time differ. The choice is yours.

   Remember to rotate through different fungicides during the year to prevent any fungi from becoming immune to any one product.

   Don’t use any pesticides unless you see evidence of damage, but remember to keep a sharp eye out for aphids which are as much a sign of spring as April showers are. Hit them with a blast of water to remove them, or apply insecticide in a mister to the affected areas.

Imagine how hungry you’d be if you just woke up from a long winter hibernation! Well, your Roses are hungry too. The best way to coax them from dormancy to budding is to feed their little bellies now and every other week through the remainder of the growing season. Water well after feeding!

There! Your rose garden is ready for spring, but your work is far from over. If spring is near then summer can’t be far behind. Read our article to learn how to prepare your roses for the coming heat.