Fall Rose Care

Putting roses to bed for the winter is a critical factor in their survival here in the Seacoast Area. If the following simple steps are followed, the gardener should achieve 90% success with average winter conditions.

1. Do not feed roses after mid-August.
2. Prune in the fall only those stems which you feel will be lost to snow and ice.
3. During the first week in November bank the roses up with a mixture of ½ dirt & ½ peat moss, or ½ dirt & ¼ peat moss & ¼ composted cow manure. The pile should be 18” high.
4. After the pile freezes in November or early December, then bank that pile with straw, salt hay or evergreen boughs – fully shading the pile.
5. Uncover the pile in very early April in two stages – two weeks apart. Then prune.

Dodge’s Agway