Now’s the Time to Put Roses to Bed

Whether you’re growing hybrid teas, heirlooms, floribundas, shrub roses or climbers, all roses will benefit from some attention this time of year. Preparing your roses for winter includes some light pruning, a thorough clean-up, deep watering and adding mulch. Doing these tasks now will help ensure healthier, more productive roses next spring. Begin with a light pruning. For floribundas and hybrid teas, this involves removing any damaged or diseased canes and any canes that have experienced excess growth. These canes need to be cut back to between 24" and 30". Reducing the rose's profile will help prevent damage and desiccation by winter winds.  Prune to the outward bud, so that future growth is toward the outside, away from the center of the bush.  

Remove any spent flowers at this time. Rose hips can be left in place and removed in the spring along with any hard pruning that may be necessary. Next, clean up fallen leaves, petals and any debris that’s gathered around the base of each rose bush. This is done to prevent black spot fungus, powdery mildew and other diseases from wintering over. Once clean-up is finished, give your rose bushes a deep, thorough watering. Roses with well hydrated roots are better prepared for winter than those with dry roots. Plan to water your roses every four to five weeks through the winter season.

Now you’re ready to add mulch. All roses will benefit from mounding mulch up around the canes. Mulch serves to keep the ground stable and to prevent damage to the rose as the ground freezes and thaws during the course of the winter. Mulching roses will also help retain moisture through the season. Choose a wood-based mulch such as Shredded Cedar or Soil Pep. Plan to cover each rose bush base with eight to ten-inches of mulch. Rose Collars can be used to help keep the mulch in place through the winter. Mulch should be applied when the ground is cold, usually around Thanksgiving. Don’t prune climbing roses at this time. Secure the canes to the trellis and spray with Wilt-Pruf® to prevent the winter winds from drying out and damaging the canes. 

Now's the Time to Mulch

Applying mulch is one of the best things you can do for your garden and perennial beds, this time of year. The right mulch will help conserve moisture, reduce plant damage and protect and improve the soil, through the course of the winter.  Garden and landscape mulches are available in two types, organic and inorganic. Organic mulches include shredded wood, bark nuggets, straw, leaves, even grass clippings in season. Inorganic mulches include rock, gravel and artificial products such as shredded rubber.  

Technically, both types of mulch will work. Inorganic materials such as stone and river rock don’t break down, so they typically don’t need to be reapplied every year.  Inorganic mulches are generally applied with a fabric barrier to discourage weeds from growing, as well as keep the mulch in place. While this helps to reduce maintenance, it also hinders adding nutrients and making soil amendments. Long term, your plants don’t do as well. If you want the most effective mulch in terms of winter plant protection, moisture conservation and soil stabilization and enrichment, choose organic mulch. 

For perennial beds, shredded bark and bark nuggets work well and provide a natural look. The goal is to apply a three to four-inch layer of mulch to your perennial beds.  A two cubic foot bag of bark will cover eight square feet three inches deep. A two cubic foot bag of shredded cedar or Gorilla Hair mulch will cover six square feet three inches deep. You may have read that using bark mulches will lock up the nitrogen in the soil. While true, the advantages of using biodegradable material as mulch far outweighs the loss of a small amount of nitrogen. For your vegetable garden, use organic compost as mulch. If you have access to straw or leaves, spread them out evenly over the bed, then cover with three inches of organic compost. Through the course of the winter this mulch layer will protect the soil structure and micro biome. Come spring, work what’s left into the soil and you’re ready to plant.