Blog Author
Pinkiered
(view profile)
Recent Entries to this Blog My new life is shapping up nicely
Posted: 23 Dec 2006
Busy busy Pinkie
Posted: 29 Oct 2006
Ohhhhhhh Im so sick
Posted: 09 Oct 2006
My space
Posted: 27 Sep 2006
Winterizing your roses
Posted: 25 Sep 2006

All Entries
 

You are in Blogs / Pinkiered's Blog / Roses /

Winterizing your roses




Category: Roses | Posted: Mon Sep 25, 2006 4:49 pm

Its that time of the year. I walked outside this morning and saw my breath...where did summer go?

Well, its time to get the roses ready for winter.

To do that is simple if you live here in the South. We dont have to bury our roses to keep them safe.

All you have to do, is prune them back and mulch well.
See my pruning and transplanting blog to see how to prune them back. If you are jsut pruning, just skip the transplant part. You want all the leaves and branches gone. Any branch that are growing off a main branch (which grows off the crown). Any stems or branches that are damaged, rubbing each other or growing against another.

I have a rule of thumb when pruning for winter....I heard it somewhere...not sure where but I used it last winter and my rose looked beautiful early spring. I leave three branches coming off the crown if possible. A thick older stem, a thinner stem and a new smaller stem. If its not growing off the crown, prune it off. See pruning and transplanting blog on the measurements to prune back.

When mulching for winter, clean out the older mulch and replace it with fresh mulch. I make sure its a inch thick when they are in the ground but when its in a pot, I mulch it 2 inches thick and place the pot on a piece of heavy duty plastic and raise the edges of the plastic with large stones to keep the edges off the ground. This does two things...it keeps a majority of the dew off the plastic so when it freezes, the frost stays away from the pot and it keeps the ground under the pot from freezing which in turns keeps the roots of the rose from getting damaged from frozen ground. My mom goes one step farther by actually placing a thick layer of mulch on top of the plastic and sets the pot on top. It works well for those who lives near water or gets alot of rain in the winter as North Florida does.

This is also the time to stop feeding your roses and to cut back on the watering.

Being here in the Deep South, we dont get many long freezes. Usually, as soon as the sun comes up, the ice melts away. So, if my rose is in the ground, I dont have to water as much in the winter. Ill water maybe once every 2 to 3 weeks, depending on the temps(the lower the temps, the longer I wait to water)...unless it rains during those weeks. Dont over water and dont drown it. Just about a inch of water will do. Now if its in a pot, I will shallow water it once a weeks. Meaning about a half a inch once a week. You dont want to water it until it comes out the bottom. Count to 5 and stop watering.

Now, if you live in the North or the "frozen" south(where you get snow or it does freeze reg), as I call it, You will have to find a site to help you prepare your roses for winter if they are in the ground. If they arent ,Just place them inside near a window to get its daily dose of sun. I know nothing about overwintering roses where it snows or freezes on a reg basis. Sorry.


This blog entry has been viewed 6211 times
You're reading one of many blogs on GardenStew.com.
Register for free and start your own blog today.


Comments

 

wannabe wrote on Mon Sep 25, 2006 5:29 pm:


We live in the snow frozen area. We know we have to prune them back, pack mulch or leaves around and over them and put a styroform rose cone over them. But I forget how to prune them back. Wannabe




 

Gardenstew wrote on Mon Sep 25, 2006 6:34 pm:


Great tutorial Denee. Would it be possible to get a photo of a pot on plastic with the raised edges? Just not 100% sure what that should look like.

Oh yeah I have added links to your pruning and transplanting blog entry into the above entry :)

Thanks.




pondlady wrote on Mon Sep 25, 2006 10:06 pm:


Thanks, Denee. Maybe I will dare try a real rose. I have discovered knock out roses and they seem to do just fine in the New Orleans heat no matter what. I dunno what will happen when it freezes. I have become an advocate of the plant makes it on its own or not no matter what I do or don't do.

Jan, on the road




 

Pinkiered wrote on Tue Sep 26, 2006 1:27 am:


Ill get a pic of it tomorrow and post it up.

Wannabe, you can check out my blog that Frank linked up in here. Theres step by step pics on pruning. Weither Im transplanting or winterizing my roses, I prune them the same way.

Pondlady, I have a knockout rose too. I dont think its possible to kill one! LOL With you living in NO I dont think the freezes last long enough to do any real damage to a rose. In north Fl, we would get freezes for just a few hours, usually just before dawn. When the sun came up, it would raise the temps. That kind of freeze if it doesnt happen every night, doesnt do a whole lot of damage if the rose is mulched thick enough.




 

reggaefan wrote on Tue Sep 26, 2006 6:44 pm:


Great tip Denee we have our roses sheltered on our south side and they do well here in Louisiana but good information is one thing you can never have too much of.




 

Pinkiered wrote on Wed Sep 27, 2006 3:44 am:


Your roses are wonderful reggae! I dont think you need help with them!


Sorry I wasnt able to get a pic today..I was so busy! Ill get it as soon as I get a second to spare.





Leave a Comment


Login or register to leave a comment.






You are in Blogs / Pinkiered's Blog / Roses /



Archives All Entries
March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006