PREPARING ROSES FOR WINTER IN AUGUST

I start preparing roses for winter in August, the only way to leave them to spend the winter with a clear conscience. We will definitely not affect the weather, but we can prepare roses for a difficult test. Therefore, I decided to share simple but necessary tricks that will help plants to more easily endure our unpredictable winters.

Beginning in August, the rose garden begins its "winter" work. The first thing to do is to stop feeding the bushes with nitrogen fertilizers. This macronutrient stimulates the growth of plants, but we need, on the contrary, to calm the roses, and not to enhance their growth. It is possible and even necessary to treat bushes with potassium and phosphorus - these elements contribute to the ripening of shoots.

Pinch the top of the head

At the end of August, all roses need to pinch the tops of young shoots. Such a procedure will help stop further growth and contribute to the fact that all the necessary nutrients will accumulate in the buds and shoots.

WATERING CANCEL

From mid-August, watering and loosening the soil around the bushes should be stopped. If there is a prolonged drought, you can water the plants lightly, just so that they do not dry out. Rains, excess moisture will significantly reduce the protective properties of the bush.

REMOVE BUDS

From the end of August, only those buds that are smaller than a pea should be cut. The rest is better to leave - let them bloom. If you cut off all the buds, there is a high probability that a new wave of shoot growth will begin.

These simple steps at the first stage of preparing roses for winter will be enough.

WHAT TO HIDE, WHAT TO LEAVE

In central Russia, almost all varieties of roses need shelter for the winter, except for park and species roses (the so-called wild roses). The latter perfectly withstand even harsh winters. Their secret is simple: they bloom only once a season, usually in June. Before winter, they have plenty of time for the shoots to become woody, and for the plants themselves to store enough nutrients.

Those varieties that bloom almost all summer must be covered without fail, because their continuous flowering is accompanied by a constant growth of shoots. Plants simply do not have time to properly prepare for the winter, all their forces are directed to the formation of new buds.

Therefore, it is easy to remember: they bloom once - we do not cover, they bloom all summer - we cover.

© Author: Irina Vorobieva, gardener, Nagornoye village, Moscow region.

NOTE: ROSES MUSK, WHITE AND AROMATIC…

In recent years, musk roses have been very popular. The smell of musk is very rich, floral-fruity, comparable to the aroma of honey.

In the musk rose, the stamens exude the smell, so the fragrance is more intense and spreads over a greater distance. In other roses, essential oil is exuded by microscopic glands that are located on the outside of the petals.

Musk roses are also known for their abundant blooms. Some of the best recognized varieties of white color:

1. Prosperity (Prosperity) - creamy white, terry, with sprawling bushes;
2. Sally Holmes (Sally Holmes) - creamy white, non-double, fragrant, resistant variety;
3. Waterloo (Waterloo) - creamy white, small, abundant flowering;
4. Guirlande dAmour (Garland Damour) - creamy white, with a strong aroma, for vertical gardening.

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PREPARING ROSES FOR WINTERING - TIPS AND REVIEWS

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HOW TO HELP OVERWINTER A ROSE?

Roses are the undisputed queens of my flower garden, and there are quite a few valuable and rare specimens, so I prepare them thoroughly and according to plan for wintering.

1. Trimming

In hybrid tea roses and representatives of the floribunda group, I leave shoots no more than 20 cm long. I don’t cut climbing, scrub, or ground-growing roses short - I only get rid of soft (not woody), broken and diseased shoots. After cutting, I treat all the bushes with a solution of iron sulfate (30 g per 1 liter of water).

2. Removal from support

Climbing roses have pliable, elastic shoots that are easy to remove from the support and bend to the ground. But tall branches of other species can be broken. Therefore, from the end of September, in warm, dry weather, I gradually bend such shoots lower and lower, securing them in the right places. By the way, I always treat the supports themselves with a solution of potassium permanganate (1 g per 1 liter of water). If any structure becomes unusable, I get rid of it. I'll install a new one in the spring.

3. Additional fertilizing

At the end of September and beginning of October, I retreat 15 cm from the bush and carefully, so as not to damage the roots, make a deep furrow around it. I pour granular phosphorus-potassium fertilizer into it (according to the instructions). This way the plant will receive nutrients gradually.

4. Hilling

I hill up with peat or garden soil to a height of 20 cm (no more than a third of the bush), otherwise the roses may be supported during the thaw. This procedure is mandatory for self-rooted specimens grown from cuttings, as they are afraid of cold weather.

5. Shelter

Most often, I install arcs over the roses or build a frame from boards and throw on agrofabric with a density of 60 g/sq.m. This “cocoon” reliably protects plants from cold and snow.

© Author: Tamara GOLTSEVA, florist

TIP: STILL GROWING? PINCH!

If in mid-autumn the young growth of roses is colored reddish, then the bushes are still actively growing and are not thinking about wintering. To help the branches ripen, feed the plants with phosphorus fertilizer (according to the instructions). And to be safe, pinch the growth point.

© Author: Maria MOROZOVA, agronomist, Smolensk

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Reference by topic: Is it necessary to spud roses before wintering + other answers about their preparation for frost

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© Author: Lyubov Bumbeeva, curator of the GBS RAS rose collection

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