Winter Rose Care & Pruning
Although major rose pruning is not done until late February into early March, there are a few things I do to get roses settled in for the winter. First, I wait until the first frost has occurred before I do anything. That happened on December 1 this year, a little later than normal. If you do any pruning prior to that, new growth will be encouraged, and it will just be nipped later. I will then do minimal pruning, about 1/3 of the plant or to about waist-high. It does not matter how you make the cuts. More precise pruning will be done in late winter. Giving roses a slight pruning at this time will decrease the damage from strong winter winds. Roses are not deeply rooted, and any long canes can spell trouble. Pick off any remaining leaves, if possible. I know that can be a big job if there are still many leaves left on the plant but you don't want leaves, especially diseased leaves, left to fall and harbor spores for next season. Clean the area around the base of the rose. Rake out ...
That's a LOT in my view! All very pretty too.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I have David Austin roses. What is your favorite.
ReplyDeleteI would probably saw "Lady Emma Hamilton' but 'Lady of Shallot' gets high marks too.
DeleteBeautiful, I'd love to stick my nose in the middle of the red 'coffee bean' - lol, looks like it has a lovely fragrance?
ReplyDeleteThat is actually a miniature rose and I just got it this year. I haven't noticed how fragrant it is. I will check!
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