Winter Rose Care

Roses go into a winter dormancy as the temperatures drop and at this time there are specific tasks for next year’s blooms. During winter dormancy, we prune our roses hard in order for a flush of new growth in the Spring.

Pruning Roses for Winter Dormancy

With all plants that we prune in the garden, we first start with the three “D’s”: dead, diseased and dying. Be sure to use clean, sharp pruners to start to remove the three D’s. The next branches or canes to prune are crossing branches. Ideally, you want a vase shape for your roses, which means about five canes that face outwards. Watch the video below to watch Audrey in action!

Fertilizer

Because the plants are not focusing their energy on growth at this time, it is NOT the correct time to fertilize. It’s better to fertilize in Spring when you start to see your roses leafing out. We recommend using Bumper Crop Rose and Flower Fertilizer Food for your roses. Fertilizing in Spring will help with the production of beautiful roses that we all strive for.

Learn more tips from Audrey in the video below. Happy pruning!