Protecting Your Roses During Winter: Is It Necessary?

It's advisable to shield your roses during winter months.

Roses in winter can be fragile entities, especially those like tea, grandiflora, and floribunda, which are bred for beauty rather than resilience. Even some climbing roses and miniature variants can fall prey to harsh winter conditions, such as hard freezes, ice, and snow, which can damage or snap canes, making them more susceptible to pests and diseases. Most contemporary roses are also grafted onto a different type of rootstock, meaning the entire plant could be lost if the graft union is compromised.

By covering roses in winter, you can safeguard them, ensuring their fascinating perfume continues to delight you for years to come. We'll delve into when and where in the South you should safeguard your roses during winter, as well as the necessary steps to winterize your rose garden.

Should You Cover Roses In Winter?

Depending on where you reside in the South, covering your roses may not be necessary. According to rose breeder Jackson & Perkins, winterizing roses is recommended in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 7 and cooler, which includes the Middle and Upper South. In Zone 8, cover roses when severe weather is predicted. For those residing in the Coastal and Tropical South (Zones 9 to 11), roses typically don't go into complete dormancy in winter, hence no need for covering.

To determine which type of rose you are growing and if it requires winter protection:

Old garden roses: Also known as antique roses, these shrubs typically grow large and only bloom once a year. They are exceptionally hardy and usually don't require winter protection in the South.
Wild roses: Simple, five-petaled flowers adorn wild or species roses, which are usually pink. These plants don't need special care in winter.
Climbing roses: These ramblers boast long canes and can include both grandiflora and floribunda types. Though many are hardy to Zone 5, climbing roses benefit from winter protection.
Hybrid tea roses: Each long stem of a hybrid tea rose bears a solitary flower, making it a popular choice for bouquets. They are grafted roses and should be covered in winter.
Grandiflora and floribunda roses: These roses produce showy clusters of flowers that can bloom for weeks. Cover these grafted roses in winter.
Miniature roses: Some miniature roses may need winter protection, but be cautious not to smother the plants.
Landscape and shrub roses: These hardy and low-maintenance roses are either ground-hugging or form hedges around 5 feet tall. They don't require much winter protection beyond a thick layer of mulch.

When To Cover Roses In Winter

Roses should not be covered until the plants have begun their dormancy period. Wait until after the first frost or two causes leaves to fall before covering your roses. Depending on your location, this could be as late as November or December.

Steps To Prepare Your Roses For Winter

Start preparing your roses for winter in the fall months by ceasing fertilization and deadheading plants around early fall, preventing the plants from developing tender new growth late in the season. Allowing flowers to form rose hips helps encourage the plants to enter dormancy.

Wait for a couple of frosts and for leaves to start dropping before pruning your plants back for winter. Most roses should be cut back to 36 inches from the ground using sharp pruners. Climbing roses should only be cut back to half their height. Remove dead or diseased canes while pruning. Then, rake up fallen leaves from the ground to prevent diseases from overwintering.

If you live in a frost-free climate, you can wait until January or February to prune your rose plants as you won't be covering the plants.

How To Cover Roses In Winter

Now that you've pruned your roses and cleaned up fallen leaves, it's time to cover the plants. In colder climates, use well-draining soil and straw to insulate your plants. In Zone 7 or 8, pine bark or hardwood mulch will suffice. Leaves and pine straw are not as insulating and won't provide adequate protection.

Zone 6

In Zone 6, cover the crown of hybrid tea, floribunda, and other grafted roses with 6 inches of well-draining soil, then add an insulating layer of straw on top. Use less material when covering miniature roses to prevent smothering the plants. If you live on a windy site, loosely tie canes together with twine to prevent wind damage.

Cover the base of climbing roses with 6 inches of soil. Wrap climbing roses with burlap and tie the canes together with twine to help keep stems from breaking.

Tree roses can be more challenging to protect since the graft union is typically high on the main stem. Dig out one side of the rose's root ball to around 12 inches deep, then shift the plant onto its side and cover it with well-draining soil. Add an insulating layer of straw on top.

Zones 7-8

In Zone 7 or 8, skip the soil and cover the crown of your roses with 6 to 8 inches of pine bark or hardwood mulch instead. Ensure the graft union is covered by the mulch. Climbing roses may be tied with twine to help keep the stems from breaking during winter.

Container roses, being susceptible to winter damage due to their exposed roots, require special care. One method to safeguard them is by burying the pots underground, followed by covering the graft union with soil or mulch. Another approach involves relocating containers to a less vulnerable area. Aim to carry out this shift when the roses are dormant, and transfer them to a chilly, secure location such as a garage or shed. Ensure the site is sufficiently cool to prevent the plants from emerging from dormancy. Maintain minimal watering during winter, and move the containers back outdoors in spring.

When to Remove Winter Protection's Counterpart

Eliminate surplus mulch, straw, and earth when roses start to emerge from dormancy in spring. Identify the awakening of plants by observing swollen buds in response to increasing temperatures. However, before doing so, review the weather forecast to keep insulation intact if a cold spell is forecasted. Preserve graft unions' coverage until the risk of frost has subsided.

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For those living in USDA Plant Hardiness Zones 7 and cooler, Gardening Landscaping Ideas suggest covering Roses during winter to protect them from harsh conditions, as they are more susceptible to pests and diseases after damage.
When it comes to Gardening Flowers, Hybrid tea and Floribunda Roses, known for their showy clusters of flowers, are grafted roses that require winter protection, as discussed in SouthernLiving's Seasonal Gardening guide.
If you're looking for Gardening Ideas, it's essential to determine the type of Roses you're growing and their winter protection requirements, as outlined in Gardening Flowers and SouthernLiving's articles.