From our perspective, the shortening daylight hours and cooling soils are the primary signals that winter is approaching. This environmental change triggers a hormonal shift within us, moving us from active growth into a state of dormancy. This is not death; it is a deep, essential sleep. Our above-ground growth halts, but our roots remain alive, albeit slowed, protected by the insulating warmth of the earth. Your goal is to help us complete this process naturally and then protect us from the harsh elements that could disrupt our slumber and cause fatal damage.
One of the greatest threats we face in winter is desiccation, or drying out. When the ground freezes solid, our roots cannot take up water. However, winter winds and sun still pull moisture from our canes. Before the ground freezes, please provide us with a long, deep watering. This saturates the soil, ensuring our root systems enter winter fully hydrated. A well-hydrated plant is far more resilient to the freezing temperatures. Do not keep the soil constantly soggy, but ensure it is moist going into the freeze.
Our most vulnerable point is the graft union—that knobby bump near our base where the desirable rose variety is joined to the hardy rootstock. In many hybrid teas, floribundas, and grandifloras, this union is especially susceptible to winter kill. The repeated freezing and thawing cycles can shred our tissues. Please mound mulch, compost, or finely shredded bark around our base to a depth of 10-12 inches after a few hard freezes. This mound acts as a constant-temperature blanket, keeping the graft union and roots frozen and dormant, preventing damaging cycle. Do not use soil from around our base, as this can injure our surface roots.
Our canes are at risk of drying out and dying back. For taller bush roses and climbers, we may need additional protection beyond mounding. One effective method is to loosely tie our canes together to prevent them from whipping in the wind, which can cause damage at the base. For extreme cold, you can construct a simple frame around us and fill it with straw or leaves, or use a specialized rose cone. This protection buffers us from the drying wind and harsh winter sun, significantly reducing cane die-back and ensuring we have more living structure from which to regenerate in spring.
Our survival depends not just on how we are put to bed, but also on how we are woken up. As temperatures consistently warm in early spring and the threat of a hard freeze diminishes, you must gradually remove the protective mound and any other winter coverings. Do this too early, and a late freeze will damage our tender new growth. Do it too late, and the trapped moisture and heat can cause us to mold or break dormancy incorrectly. Gently remove the mulch and slowly let us acclimate to the increasing light and temperature, and we will reward you with vigorous new growth when the time is right.
