Garden Mastery Tips
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January/February 2007 |
Winter and Roses
Do you have to winter-protect your roses? No, of course not. Quite a few rose growers develop the philosophy that they don't want to bother growing a rose that won't survive our generally mild winters. Also, most of us have experienced those winters when we took the time to do all the "right" things - covered the roses well in December, waited until March to uncover them, and pruned them carefully - only to have a mid-April killer frost! Some growers winter-protect only roses they know to be winter-tender and/or absolutely don't want to lose. Others simply treat these roses as annuals, planning ahead of time to replace any tender roses that don't survive the winter, and being happily surprised by any that do make it.
Reprinted with permission from the Fort Vancouver Rose Society Newsletter, Ring Around the Roses, November 1999.
For Information on Winter Rose Care:
- Winter Care For Roses, Jackson & Perkins
- Fertilizing, Pruning and Winterizing Roses, Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet