by Beverly Kane
While winter is the season of hibernation and dormancy for your roses, it can spell disaster, if you let it face the season with out taking any precaution.
The tougher varieties like old garden roses and own-root types normally survive through the bitter cold, but the more delicate varieties like hybrid teas and budded roses can wither easily, if left unprotected.
Preparation process for your rose bush, begins right at the time of selecting the roses for plantation. While browsing the net or printed catalogues, or even admiring the roses on display at your local garden store, be careful to choose only those types which are tough to glide through the harshness of winter, typical of the area in which you live in. consult the "hardiness zone maps", if necessary before you make that final selection.
The key to making your roses make it through the harsh winter is to deliberately make them hibernate or push them into dormancy. You can achieve this by stopping any fertilizing activity by mid August, ceasing all dead heading and pruning activities by the beginning of October. You must let hip formation to further ensure dormancy.
Be certain to keep your plants in a frozen condition, if you live in very cold areas. Prevent the freeze/thaw/freeze cycles to happen repeatedly. To ensure this, never put any early covers on your plants. Bide your time till the first hard frost hits and the leaves start falling. Remove all fallen leaves, diseased leaves and other debris from around your rose bush at this time, as these insects and fungi hibernate during winter and return to damage during spring.
Prune and trim the taller roses, before you put on any winter covering. Do not prune these too thoroughly, as you will have to prune again to remove dead and disease-infected canes in spring. You can tie the canes together - this will protect them from the cold and gusty winter winds.
One of the very popular and easy methods to protect your rose bush during winter months is called "hilling". This method involves piling a lot of moisture-free loose soil or compost around your rose bush. This piling should be around 10 to 12 inches in depth. This is a very good covering for the plants, provided it is dry.
You should cover the mound with hay, leaves or evergreen branches, once it has frozen completely.
With this type of dry covering, with moisture-free soil or compost, your rose bushes have the winter protection that they need so badly to survive.
After your have successfully put your rose garden to rest for the winter, take some time off to sharpen your garden maintenance tools, so that you can start afresh in spring.
Winter is the time for short days and long nights. As you sit and warm your heels by the fire side, browse through the websites and printed catalogues to order for next year's roses.
About the Author
Beverly Kane is a staff writer at Home Garden Enthusiast and is an occasional contributor to several othe websites, including The Shopping Gazette.
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Roses are one of the most popular garden shrubs, as well as the most popular and commonly sold florists' flowers.
