PREPARING ROSES FOR WINTER

Virtually any discussion of how to help roses survive the vagaries of winter is sure to initiate a lot of different thoughts ranging from "do nothing" to "bury plants completely" or "it can not be done! " Personally, I think many roses--namely shrub roses--can make it through in cold climates with a little winter safeguard.

Roses can be murdered or injured during winter in several ways: immediate injury to tops or roots from extreme chilly; rapid temperature changes; basic injury from dry-out because of this of plants being heaved by alternate freezing and thawing; injury caused by mice under snow; and snow or ice break.

Injury from extreme freezing can be ignored only by selecting hardy types. As a rule, carnations with small blossoms have a tendency to be hardier than the most significant flowering types. Most hybrid tea types are less hardy than the grandifloras or floribundas. In addition, some ascending roses and many out-dated bush varieties tend to be hardy as are some series such as "Explorer" out of Canada. Hardiness will depend on variety and type. However, this is based more on remark than actual hardiness studies, so gardeners must be willing to take chances and experiment with different varieties. However the good reports is that proper winter protection can help crops survive.

For bush kinds, start by mounding ground 10 to 12 inches wide throughout the base of the plants. Then add another 12 to 16 ins of mulching material such as leaf mold, hay, hay, or pine fine needles above the mound to help stabilize soil temperatures. This kind of extra protection means less freezing, thawing, and following heaving. If you have many rodents around, you may want to miss the mulch materials as they provide a winter home for unwanted animals. Ideally, mounding should be used in mid to late November. Earlier program may slow development of stem maturity and hardiness.

You may need to prune the canes again to the top of mulch for ease of covering, but don't lower back further. Wait until spring, so you are able to see which canes or elements of canes have died, then cut them back. In the event the winter is mild, or your mulching thick, you might have to cut back very little.

Climbing roses make it through the winter best when you remove the canes from the fence or trellis and fasten them to the earth. Snow cover will keep them safe from extremely low temperature ranges. Where snow cover is undependable, mound snow or mulch over the canes on the floor. Remove the mulch as plants learn to expand. Earlier removal may cause the rose stems to dry out. The common practice of wrapping comes and trellises with hay and paper or burlap provides, at most, a few examples of safety on cold nights. That is less trustworthy than protecting stems with garden soil on the ground. You can also make a frame to catch snow if snow cover is reliable in your area.

Remember, these precautions will not always ensure endurance and prevent injury. Nevertheless , they usually will permit northern gardeners to expand several of the less heavy roses.