If you haven’t already winterized your roses, check out these tips from Lisa Slattery, Iowa State University Extension, Linn County Master Gardener:

With a pot of "All the Rage" roses in the foreground, Cassie and Brian Dohmen of Marion look over the selection of lilies at Green Endeavors Garden Center on Friday, Sept. 9, 2011, in Mount Vernon, Iowa. (SourceMedia Group News/Jim Slosiarek)

I’m really late with winterizing my roses this year, which is turning out to be OK since we have had a relatively mild December so far.  But it’s time to put my beautiful babies to bed and hope for snow.  Snow isn’t fun to drive in, but it’s an excellent protective layer for over-wintering roses and other perennials.  I have several varieties of roses in my gardens, each requiring slightly different techniques for winterizing.  The shrub roses or “Knock Out” rose is the easiest to care for since they are breed for hardiness.  Don’t trim them back before winter – in fact don’t trim any roses before winter as that can invite winter kill to the plant.  Since these are very hardy roses they don’t need much attention.  I do go ahead and place a mound of soil around the root crown of the plant to help protect the base from frigid temperatures.  Don’t dig up soil from around the roots, just pick up a bag or two of topsoil and place that over the root crown.  You could also use a good quality mulch.

Hybrid teas, grandiflora and floribunda roses can be severely injured or killed if left unprotected. Again, it’s best to mound soil over the base of each plant.  Remove any fallen foliage and debris.  Then loosely tie the canes together with twine to prevent them from being whipped by strong winds.  Cover the bottom 10 to 12 inches of the rose canes with soil.  For these roses it’s good to also add a layer of mulch such as straw or leaves and end with another layer of soil which will help keep the mulch in place.  A chicken wire fence around each rose bush will also help keep materials in place.  The best time to do this is after the plants go into dormancy after a few hard freezes, usually in late November but this year has been milder.

Climbing roses are a bit trickier due to their size.  If the rose is tied to a wall, trellis or fence, untie the climbing rose canes and wrap them loosely in insulating material like you’d wrap pipes to keep them from freezing.  I use burlap.  Then retie the canes to the wall, trellis or fence.  There are several varieties of climbers that are breed for hardiness, like the Henry Kelsey Rose I have. I don’t necessarily wrap this one but I do add soil and mulch to the base of the plant like you would for a floribunda.  Another option for sensitive climbers is to detach the canes from the trellis and lay the whole plant down on its side on the ground.  Stake it in place and cover the whole thing with a foot or so of soil and mulch.  When the weather warms in the spring, gently remove the soil/mulch mixture and retie the rose to its structure.

Hopefully we’ll also have a nice layer of snow this winter for additional protection.

While you’re tending to your roses don’t forget to winterize your garden chemicals. Keep them in their original containers and store them in a cool, dry location out of the reach of children and pets, preferably in a locked cabinet. Don’t allow granular materials to get wet or liquid products to freeze. Always read the product label for specific storage requirements.