9 Ways To Prepare Rose Bushes for Winter Dormancy Now

To set our roses up for success in surviving winter conditions and come out thriving, there are a few steps we can take in late summer and into fall to prepare a rose for dormancy.

A healthy, stress-free rose stands the best chance of resilience against seasonal fluctuations and brings a robust spring and summer to follow. With late-season care now, they’ll be able to enter dormancy with strong roots and stems to endure seasonal conditions.

Roses have a reputation for being delicate beauties, but they actually have hearty constitutions. They withstand winter conditions across growing zones and climates. Even the hardiest benefit from winter protection in areas with frigid temperatures and high winds, but with the right rose in the right place, the shrubs are long-lived garden performers.

A little preventative maintenance now means easier care during the growing season. Prepare your rose for dormancy, and the extra effort will reward you with years of beauty.

Stop Fertilizing

One of the first tasks we can do to prepare a rose for dormancy is to adjust our fertilizer schedules. Stop fertilizing about six to eight weeks before the first anticipated frost date. As the active growing season winds down, there’s no need to push new leafy growth. 

Quick growth this time of year is susceptible to winter damage, and it draws energy that could otherwise go into developing sturdy roots. A rose with an extensive root system is more resilient against seasonal fluctuations, whether cold temperatures in winter or high heat and dry spells in the summer.

If the rose is a reblooming variety, a final round of fertilizer now boosts a final show in the fall. If you choose to fertilize in September, opt for a low-nitrogen rate like a 2-4-1 blend, or a specialized rose fertilizer with higher phosphorus (P) than nitrogen or potassium in the N-P-K ratio. Foliar feeds, too, applied to leaves, result in quick absorption for ready use by the plant late in the season. 

Stop Deadheading

For repeat-flowering roses, stop deadheading in late summer as you stop fertilizing, six to eight weeks before the anticipated frost date. Labor Day is a marker for many gardeners to stop.

Deadheading encourages growth and flowering. But to prepare a rose for dormancy, they need to redirect energy stores. Let the remaining flowers fade on the stem, tidying up after a hard frost or after the hips drop.

A key benefit of not deadheading beyond early September is the potential for showy rose hips. This late-season timeframe gives hip-bearing roses a chance to set fruit for the cool season. Some roses don’t develop interesting fruits, but others produce hips in red, orange, yellow, and purple.

Rose hips extend the shrub’s seasonal interest well into fall and even winter. Songbirds and wildlife forage on the fruits as a valuable cool-season food source.

Prune Selectively

Late summer and early fall aren’t the time for heavy pruning, but targeted cutback protects healthy stems. As with fertilizing and deadheading, aim to stop four to six weeks before the first heavy frost to prevent cold damage.

Preventative pruning now lessens winter damage, reduces dieback and disease spread, and increases airflow. It also promotes strong central stems and lessens wound incidences.

Late winter and early spring are generally the best times to prune roses for shaping, fostering and directing growth, and removing winter dieback. As pruning stimulates new growth, heavy pruning in fall is challenging as the shrubs prepare to overwinter. Energy should go toward root development rather than leafy production, and new growth in a warm spell will experience freeze damage as temperatures drop.

Selective pruning to prepare for dormancy includes:

• Cutting out dead, damaged, and crossing branches. Crossing stems may rub and expose healthy tissues to cold damage and disease issues. To prune declining or dead canes, cut them back to the first section of healthy, green growth. Dead canes are brown and brittle, while healthy stems are green or white and pithy. This removal lessens crowding and promotes air circulation.

• Cut off weak or spindly shoots and any suckers, especially in the interior sections.

• Remove long, whippy stems from climbers and tall specimens. These may blow, break, or crack in winter winds. Cut out lateral offshoots of ramblers and climbers (they can cause crowding, poor form, reversion, and take resources from the primary canes).

Clean Up Debris

Debris cleanup is an essential late-season task to prepare a rose for dormancy. As flowers drop, and with selective trimming, tidying up the beds is good garden sanitation. The flowering shrubs transmit diseases like black spot easily, and fungal, bacterial, and viral pathogens can overwinter in dropped plant material. Pests like spider mites can also survive to reemerge in spring.

Do a clean sweep to rid the bed of dropped leaves and petals (this is good practice year-round). Removing the material gets rid of diseased parts and prevents future spread. It also minimizes damp conditions among unhealthy leaves at the soil level.

Bag up the clippings to throw away, or burn them. Avoid adding them to the compost pile, where pathogens can overwinter and spread to other plants through the amendment.

Water Through Frost

One of the best measures we can take to prepare a rose for dormancy is to continue watering through frost. They rely on moisture leading into winter for hardy roots and less stress entering the cool season. Fall is prime for developing robust roots and a healthy foundation for survival. The season brings a reprieve from summer heat and active production of upper growth.

Water is beneficial as conditions turn frosty. Roots absorb water as they continue to grow until the ground freezes. Once heavy frosts set in and the soil freezes, they stop actively growing and uptaking moisture. Water until the ground freezes, with a deep, soaking application every two to three weeks. The moisture supports turgidity (water-filled roots and stems) and strengthens tissues against frost damage.

Transplant if Needed

Fall is optimal for adding to our rose collection with new additions (and also for transplanting). If your specimen is in too much shade, is outgrowing its space, or is in poor soil, moving it to a better location may be the solution for improved vigor.

The ideal time to transplant roses is during frost-free soil conditions in moderate to cool temperatures. Transplanting in the fall, six to eight weeks before your anticipated first frost, allows roots to establish before winter extremes.

To transplant, cut back the canes by one-third (and as low as twelve inches above the ground for dormant roses) so the shrub can focus on root development rather than sustaining existing upper growth. Water deeply the day before digging and transplanting.

To remove the rose, dig a wide berth to keep as many roots as possible intact. Lift the entire plant. If the rose is large and mature, place it on a tarp or drop cloth and pull it to its new home.

Situate the specimen in its newly prepped site with amended soil and a hole twice as big as its root ball. Install and water deeply. Don’t fertilize until new growth emerges in the spring to prepare the rose for dormancy.

Mulch for Protection

Mulch insulates roots by regulating soil temperature and aids in moisture retention. In the winter, it protects against cold extremes and icy situations. Mulching helps protect roots during frost heaving as soils naturally freeze and thaw due to temperature and moisture changes.

A two-to-three-inch layer offers the best protection. Leaf mulch, leaf mold, weed-free straw, compost, bark, and aged wood chips are good options. Take advantage of autumn’s natural leaf drop as a valuable resource across the garden bed. In addition to protection, leaves support soil health and provide nutrition as they decompose, among other ecological benefits.

Add Insulation in Cold Weather

Roses that are borderline hardy in our growing zone benefit from extra mulch around their dormant crowns. Wait until after the first frost. As the soil cools, apply extra insulation to those that need it to prepare your rose for dormancy. 

Protect the roots and crown with eight to 12 inches of mulch, covering the lower stems and roots in a mound of soil, compost, shredded leaves, or other preferred material. Evergreen boughs work well as a blanket of insulation, too.

A wire cage filled with leaves (chicken wire or similar) forms a cylindrical frame and an insulating cushion to last all season. Wrapping with burlap or frost cloth can help during temperature extremes and cold snaps.

Pots and Containers

Roses in pots and containers may need extra protection in cold climates. A good rule of thumb is to leave those that are two zones lower than your growing zone (for example, a zone 7 gardener could opt to leave a variety hardy to zone 5 outdoors in a pot).