Rose Care Tips for the Fall and Winter

As cold weather sets in, reduce water, but do not allow roses, especially those that have recently been planted, to dry out completely. Plants need water during dry spells, even during the winter months. Roses should be grown in a well-drained location. These plants will not tolerate “wet feet,” especially during the winter months.

Lelia Kelly

Rose plants should go into the winter in a vigorous state for best survival--in particular, those roses that were planted this past spring. Plants that have been stressed by drought or lack of fertility, or those defoliated by pests, are more inclined to succumb to cold than robust plants are.

Own-rooted roses are varieties grown from cuttings. Old garden roses are typically grown on their own roots, as are some modern roses. Own-rooted roses offer an advantage in the areas where winters are very cold. If the top is lost to winter cold, but the rootstock survives, the variety won’t be lost. New growth will arise from the roots. When you lose the top of a grafted rose, what’s left is a rootstock that is durable but not particularly beautiful.

There is still time to move and plant roses. Water them thoroughly and mulch to keep them from freezing. Roses that form hips (fruit) are signaling the onset of dormancy. Some rose shrubs do not form fruit.

It’s not necessary to prune back roses to make them attractive in winter. If you do this before a freeze, you may awaken dormant buds, which will produce new growth that will only be killed by freezing temperatures. Even gardeners along the warmer coast should wait until January (at the earliest) to begin pruning roses. If a rose’s height will put it in peril of being damaged by strong winters winds, prune back only after a freeze.