Winter protection is more then just covering your roses in the winter. It is actually a year round activity. It is common sense that healthy roses are more able to survive cold. But how do we insure the health of our roses? The following suggestions will get you started on the right track.

1.       Choose the most winter hardy roses available to plant in your rose bed.

2.       Planted your roses in well-drained sites with at least six hours of sunlight.

3.       Fertilize them regularly and watered throughout the growing season with added attention during drought periods.

4.       Make sure that your roses go fully dormant.

5.       Do not apply fertilizer after August 15. You want to ensure that the plants growth will slow before going dormant.

6.       Stop deadheading or cutting flowers after September 1 and allow them to form rose hips. Do not cut off the hips. The formation of hips--even though they do not fully mature--along with shorter and cooler days signal the plant that the time has arrived to start preparing for dormancy. This is the plant's way of protecting itself during the winter.

When we are looking at winterizing our roses it helps to know what type or group of roses we are dealing with. Generally we are dealing with hybrid tea roses (which include grandifloras, floribundas and miniatures) and shrub roses.

The shrub roses are the least fussy in terms of their winter care.  These plants for the most part are very winter hardy, and little or no mulching for protection is needed. They generally do not need to be covered.  Good soil moisture during winter is very important for success.  Water the plants thoroughly and remove dead /diseased canes and the plants are ready for a winter’s rest. I would not prune them in the fall but would wait until spring. Waiting to prune in the spring allows you to deal with any cane breakage from snow pack or damage from rabbit/mice. Shrub roses may be low maintenance but not maintenance free!  

Hybrid tea roses are not as durable as shrub roses and they need to have their roots and canes protected. Just like the shrub types, hybrid tea roses also require good soil moisture. Mulching of hybrid tea roses for winter protection is a must for good growth next year. Mulching tea roses involves protecting the graft union of the rootstock and named rose variety. This graft is normally just at, or below, the soil level. If the plant is killed at this junction then the desirable rose is lost.

A common mistake that people make is applying winter protection too early. We need to wait until a hard killing frost has caused most of the leaves to fall off. You probably should also wait until the temperature has dropped into the teens for several nights. The general rule of thumb is to wait until Thanksgiving to winterize roses. This was especially true for this year since we had some unseasonably high fall temperatures. Also remember to remove any fallen leaves as this will help to prevent disease problems next year.

So how do you go about protecting your roses? Well, there are probably as many ways to protect roses, as they are rose growers. If you have a method that works for you, then don't change! However, if you are new at growing roses or if you have been unsuccessful in the past, then you may want to try the “hilling” method. The most common way to provide protection is to pile or "hill up" loose, well-drained soil/compost mixture around the grafted part of the plant. The hilled soil should cover the center of the plant and should form a broad rounded mound at least 12 inches high and 12 inches wide.

Just a word of caution when using soil for hilling, don't scrape soil from around the plant for mounding purposes. Doing this will disturb the roots near the surface and subject them to winter weather peril. You will need to haul in extra soil/compost to hill your roses. Once you have hilled your roses, cover the soil mounds with a mulch of leaves, straw, boughs, or some similar material.

When you are hilling your roses remove any diseased /dead canes and remove all dead or fallen rose leaves. At this time you will also want to prune back the canes. Severe pruning in the fall is not recommended. To reduce breakage of tall canes by winter winds, cut them back to 30 to 36 inches and tie the tips together with soft twine or old nylon stockings. If the canes are left to whip around in the wind, the soil around the graft could loosen, exposing the graft to cold, drying winter winds. Most of the winter damage that will happen to our roses is because of the cold blustery winter conditions.

If you don’t have enough soil/compost mixture for hilling, the next best method is to construct some type of barrier around the bush and to fill the interior with leaves. The barrier can be made from various materials. Newspaper can be used, or plastic (fiberglass) collars are available for the purpose. The easiest method is to use 12-inch "chicken wire" or wire mesh held in place with 1/4" to 3/8" sticks woven through the mesh and stuck into the ground. Make sure the length of the stakes will accommodate the 12" mesh and will allow a few more inches to be pushed into the ground.  I would still recommend mounding soil around the graft union before applying the barrier and filling it with leaves.

When using leaves you don’t want to compact them too tight or allow then matt together. Compaction and matting tends to hold water close to the crown and can cause rotting of the canes where they emerge from the crown. Oak leaves work great if you have them as they tend to retain their shape better, dry faster, and preserve air spaces between the leaves, thus lessening lower cane rot which would have to be pruned away in the spring.

You can also use Styrofoam rose cones to protect your roses, but you need to be used them correctly. If using Styrofoam cones don't cover the plants too early. The cones should be well ventilated to prevent heat build up during sunny winter days. Remember to cut 4 to 5 one inch holes around the top and bottom of the cone. Even when using cones it is advisable to mound some soil around the bud union. Also be sure to weigh the cone with brick or rock.

If you have climbing roses you can winterize then by removing them from their support. Lay them on the ground and cover with 3 to 4 inches of soil. If this cannot be done, gather the tips of the stems together, tie them, and wrap in straw with a wrapping of burlap over that. The base of the climber should be covered with 10 inches of soil.

When severe winter weather conditions have subsided, which is typically mid-March or early April, remove most of the mulch and soil from around the bases of plants.

Remember the single most important activity for rose gardeners is to protect one's roses from the very cold and windy months of winter, especially January and February. This may sound like a lot of work, but next year when the see and smell your roses you will know it was worth all the effort.

You can learn more about rose care during the Extension Master Gardener training this spring in Yankton. Watch for more details on Master Gardener training or call the Yankton County Extension Office at 665-3387.