Hi guys,I put 2 roses in this year as climbers. and i'm looking for your help on how i should prep them for winter. my current plans are. rose 1. "nicole" its still pretty low about 2 feet, so plan to cover with leaves and put a polystyrene rose cover over it. then when the snow comes cover it with snow. rose 2. "don juan" has one main 6ft stem and the rest at 2 feet i was thinking of covering the main bush the same as rose 1. but for the main stem wrapping it in some carpet and burying it, then putting bags of leaves over the top. i most worried about the don juan, as i don't totally trust the nursery i got it from who said it will be fine in zone 5... my first winter with roses so appreciate any help
The polystyrene cover could trap dampness in case of a thaw. Mulching well around the base of Nicole, and then heaping leaves over her ought to be sufficient until the snow finishes your protection. Don Juan is rated for zones 5 to 9, so you are on the lower edge of its range. Again, mulch the base heavily, bend the 6' cane down and peg it with bent wire (a couple of upside down U shapes)and cover the whole thing with leaves and snow. I wouldn't do the carpet thing. Even though I am now in Texas, I gardened in upstate NY for 25 years, and had lots of roses. Just so you'll trust me!
A few thoughts: Covering the base is the first thought. You could remove the canes from the trellis( a prickly thought), lay them down on the ground and cover with soil. You could cover the canes with burlap and stuff the burlap with leaves or straw. Jerry
thanks guys. i hoped you would reply netty as were in similar zones. do you do anything else? i.e. pile the snow up on them etc? when do you add the mulch? i was planning on doing it when the leaves started falling and using them mixed with some grass cuttings.
I usually wait until the frost has hit and the leaves are all off the plant. I make sure to pick the leaves all up (I'm battling blackspot and don't want to have infected leaves under the mulch) I pile the mulch up so the roots are covered well. I do not prune until spring and I do not bend and cover canes. I do not add extra snow as there is usually sufficient snow cover here.
So I think both my roses survived the winter thanks to everyone for their advice. Next rose advice i need is spring pruning. These are new roses, but my don juan, has one main stem that is 8ft with the rest at 2 ft. It has reached the top of my rose frame and i want to train it to go horizontally across. Am i better off to prune the top and train the side shoots to go across the frame? thanks for the help
