Winter Care of Other Roses
Protecting roses for the winter begins with the work you do during the summer. Bringing your roses into the fall season in the best of health is the first step in winter protection. All roses will benefit from some pre-winter maintenance which includes:
- Water thoroughly one or two days prior to covering.
- The day before covering, give your plants a good dormant spray such as a liquid lime-sulpher to prevent gray mold and other funguses.
- Avoid pruning the bushes because open wounds on the canes may not heal properly, as cold weather can inhibit the formation of a protective callus.
English Roses:
English roses require a moderate amount of protection in our climate. In mid-November construct a cylinder out of chicken wire and fill with mulch to completely cover all of the canes.
Climbing Roses:
To make wintering easier we suggest that when planting a climbing rose, attach a panel of chicken wire to your trellis and train the rose up the wire panel. To winter a climbing rose, detach the wire panel and lay it on the ground. In mid-November, mulch heavily with 8 to 10 inches of marsh hay. Do not prune canes until spring.
Garden Shrubs & Mini Roses:
These roses need winter protection. In mid November, cover the shrub as high as you can with a good mulch such as marsh hay. The more of the cane you cover, the less die back there will be.
Own-root Roses:
Own-root roses are grown on their own roots so that if the rose dies back, new growth will still come from the root stock (or crown). They require winter protection (they need to be covered heavily with marsh hay or they will die back to the ground). Prune off any dead wood in the spring when you can see where the new growth is occurring.
Hardy Shrub & Hardy Climbing Roses:
Very easy roses to care for! They need some winter protection as we now have winters with little to no snow cover for insulation. Linders recommends covering hardy shrub roses with marsh hay for winter protection/insulation