Winter Care for Roses

For grafted climbing roses use the Minnesota Tip Method from the University of Minnesota Extension to protect plants over winter. It is a reliable method to save climbers. Other methods to protect roses include using rose cones or by mounding organic material.

Protect roses with cones by following these steps:

-Cover roses after a week of freezing temperature.
-Tie and prune back canes.
-Cover the base of the plant with eight to ten inches of soil.
-After this freezes, cover rose with rose cone, add a layer of straw between plant and cone for additional insulation.
-Cover the edge of the cone with soil.
-Use cones with removable vents or add vents by punching holes near the top on sides that face away from wind.
-In spring, gradually remove mulch as temperatures increase.

The mounding soil method is another way to save roses:

-Surround the rose plant with hardware cloth and sink into soil, starting after a week of freezing temperatures.
-Loosely tie canes, prune very long canes.
-Mound eight to ten inches of soil around the base.
-After soil freezes, mulch base of plant with evergreen boughs or straw.

Visit northern botanical gardens with hardy rose collections. Kingwood Center grows a selection of roses hardy for the region.