Fall and winter rose care
By John
Fulton
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[October 20, 2010]
With scattered frost and cooler temperatures
behind us, many are beginning to look at preparing for the winter,
and roses are one plant that needs special preparation. Many of the
roses that are classified as old garden roses are extremely tolerant
of cold temperatures, while others like hybrid teas experience
considerable damage. Also, budded roses stand a greater chance of
injury or death due to severe cold than do own-root roses.
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When selecting roses, always select cultivars that are able to
tolerate the coldest temperatures in your area, based on USDA
hardiness zone maps.One of the ways to protect roses for the
winter is to be sure they go completely dormant. To accomplish
this, stop fertilizing early enough so growth slows down. No
fertilizer should be applied after Aug. 15. To further encourage
dormancy, stop dead-heading or cutting flowers after Oct. 1 and
allow the plant to form hips.
There are many methods to provide winter protection for
roses. The whole idea of winter protection is to keep the plant
uniformly cold and frozen all winter and prevent the damaging
effects of alternate freezing and thawing. Whatever the method,
don't begin covering plants too early. Wait until a hard,
killing frost has caused most of the leaves to fall and the
temperature has dropped into the teens for several nights.
![Misc](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2008/Jan/02/images/ads/current/bright%20idea%20bca%20020207.png)
Prior to covering, remove any foliage or other debris that
might harbor disease for the next season. Before covering, some
tall roses may also need minor pruning to reduce their height,
and tie canes together to prevent wind whipping. Pruning at this
point should be kept to a minimum, though. Most pruning will be
done in the spring to remove dead and diseased canes.
The most common way to provide winter protection is to pile
or "hill-up" a loose soil and compost mix around and over the
plant, about 10-12 inches deep. A variety of hilling materials
can be used, but the key is to be sure that the material is well
drained. Wet and cold is far more damaging than dry and cold.
Soil that is used to hill-up plants should be brought in from
outside the rose garden. After the soil mound has frozen, the
mound can be covered with evergreen boughs, hardwood leaves or
straw to help insulate and keep the soil frozen.
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![Nursing Homes](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2010/Oct/20/images/ads/current/st_clara_lda091007.png) A variation of the "hilling" method is one using collars. An
18-inch-high circle of hardware cloth or chicken wire is placed
around the plant. The collar is filled with soil, allowed to freeze,
then mulched with straw. The benefit of the collar is that it holds
the soil in place all winter and prevents it from being washed or
eroded away.
Another popular method of winter protection for roses is the use
of styrofoam rose cones. If these are used, they need to be used
properly. First, don't cover the plants too early. Follow the
general timing guidelines. Second, cones need to be well ventilated
by cutting holes around the top and bottom of the cones. This helps
prevent heat buildup on the inside during sunny winter days. It is
also advisable to mound soil around the crown of the plant before
putting the cone in place. For extremely tender varieties, some rose
growers cut the top off the cone and stuff it full of straw for
added protection. It is also a good idea to weight the cone down
with a brick or stone to keep it from blowing away.
Climbing roses offer more challenges. For marginal varieties,
climbers may need to be removed from their supports and bent to the
ground, then covered with 6 inches of soil and mulched. When laying
climbers on the ground for covering, one needs to be very careful
not to injure or crack the stems. As the weather gets colder, their
long stems are more rigid, and they are easily broken.
Another method that can be used is to physically pack straw
around the canes while they are still attached to the trellis or
support. The straw is held in place with twine to keep it in place
over the winter.
[By
JOHN FULTON,
University of Illinois Extension, Logan County] |