As we head into November,
here are some tips for caring for your roses. Keep watering, stop fertilizing
and stop deadheading. Deadheading is the act of snipping off the rose bloom as
it begins to fade.
We do this so the rose is encouraged to bloom again. As the
rose begins to fade and petals fall, the seed pod, called a hip begins to form.
Like any other plant, roses flower in order to reproduce. We want them to bloom
again, so we prune the flowers off. When we leave the hips alone, the rose
stops flowering. It’s another clue to the plant to slow down and go dormant,
which is what we want to happen, this time of year. After our first hard frost,
prune the canes down to about 24" to 30".
In late November, after the
ground is frozen, apply rose collars around the base of the rose and fill with
Soil Pep.
The idea is to keep the ground cold and stable. We can get some warm
winter days, warm enough to thaw the soil around the rose. As the temperature
cools at night, the ground freezes again. This thaw/freeze cycle can damage the
rose to the point it doesn’t come back in the spring.
Mulching will help keep the ground stable and
protect the rose. Water your dormant roses every 4-5 weeks during the winter.
If you have questions about pruning and mulching roses, stop in and see us.
We’ll be glad to answer your questions and show you how to take care of your
roses this winter.
