Gardeners in colder climates must prepare their roses for the winter. The best time to make these preparations is late autumn.
Frost, wind, snow and freezing days aren’t enough to stop this blooming beauty, so if you’re putting your garden to bed, wait to tuck your roses in until nights in your area are consistently 26 degrees F. Until then, they’ll continue to bloom even though the weather has us shivering. The growing season has come to an end, but the winter hibernation period for your roses has not yet begun either. Your roses are in a kind of slowing down, holding pattern. If you are a rose gardener, you can wonder what to do with yourself during the months of November and December.
Deadheading blooms in October – where old, spent flowers are removed – should be done without stimulating the plant to grow new shoots. By clipping the blossoms just below the flower, but well above the leaves, you’ll get rid of decaying petals without getting new growth.