5 Things To Do For Your Roses Before Winter

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Country Living’s seasonal rose-care report recommends five jobs before winter: leave some blooms to form hips, clear fallen leaves, tidy loose stems, mulch without feeding, and secure or shelter vulnerable roses. The guidance is attributed to horticulturist Gail Pabst and garden designer Oliver Burgess; it is practical advice, not a report of a new scientific finding.

Country Living has published an October checklist of five jobs gardeners can do to prepare roses for winter, including clearing fallen leaves, shortening vulnerable stems and adding mulch around the roots. The advice, attributed to horticulturist Gail Pabst and garden designer Oliver Burgess, also cautions against hard pruning and feeding roses at this point in the season.

The first task is to leave some spent flowers on the plant rather than deadheading every bloom. These can develop into rose hips, which add color through autumn and winter. Pabst, marketing director for the National Garden Bureau, says hips also provide birds with a source of vitamin C and signal the rose to enter dormancy.

Gardeners should then remove fallen leaves and other debris from around the base of the plants, taking particular care with leaves showing black spot. Pabst advises clearing diseased leaves because fungal disease may persist in the garden over winter. The guidance does not specify a treatment for black spot; its recommendation here is to remove affected fallen foliage.

For the plants themselves, Burgess recommends shortening long or loose stems that could move in strong winds, and removing snapped or damaged growth back to healthy tissue. He advises cutting above an outward-facing bud. This is a limited seasonal tidy, not the main prune: Burgess says to wait until February or March for that work, since pruning earlier can prompt soft growth vulnerable to frost.

Protecting Roses Without Early Pruning

The checklist focuses on reducing avoidable winter problems while allowing roses to enter dormancy. Clearing diseased leaves removes debris that may carry fungal disease into the next season, while shortening exposed stems can reduce movement in strong winds. Mulch can help buffer the roots from cold and retain soil moisture.

The advice also draws a distinction between preparation and growth-promoting care. Burgess recommends holding off on fertilizer so roses are not encouraged to produce tender new growth before spring. For gardeners, the practical takeaway is to clean, secure and protect plants now, while leaving major pruning and feeding until later in the growing cycle.

These steps are presented as general seasonal guidance rather than a guarantee that plants will avoid winter damage. Local weather, rose variety and growing conditions can affect what protection a particular plant needs.

October Care Before Dormancy

The report frames October as a shift in the rose garden: temperatures fall, daylight shortens and flowering declines. Its recommendations are intended for this period before winter, when roses are winding down rather than actively producing summer growth.

After clearing debris and tidying stems, gardeners can spread well-rotted manure or compost around the base. The report says mulch can protect roots from cold, retain moisture and improve soil over winter. It advises keeping the material away from the stems, which should not be left damp.

Wind protection is especially relevant to climbing and rambling roses, which Burgess describes as more exposed to winter winds. He recommends tying them in securely. For roses growing in pots, his advice is to move them beside a sheltered wall, wrap them and raise the pots on feet so they are less likely to freeze at the base.

“Don’t do the main prune until Feb or March, otherwise you’ll push out soft growth which the frost will hurt.”

— Oliver Burgess, director of Oliver Burgess Garden Design

Advice Depends on Local Conditions

The report gives general seasonal recommendations, not a rose-by-rose assessment. It does not set out exact mulch depths, wrapping materials, or thresholds for deciding when a potted rose needs shelter. Those choices may depend on a plant’s variety, pot size, exposure and local winter conditions.

The material also does not provide research data showing how much each task reduces winter damage or disease. Its specific recommendations are attributed to Pabst and Burgess, and should be read as gardening guidance rather than a guarantee. The report does not specify pesticide use or recommend a chemical treatment for diseased foliage.

Later Pruning and Spring Growth

For October, the next steps are to complete the cleanup, tie in exposed climbers and ramblers, and add compost or well-rotted manure while keeping it clear of stems. Gardeners with container roses can move and raise the pots in a sheltered spot.

The main pruning can wait until February or March, according to Burgess. The report does not give a specific date for resuming feeding; it says to avoid feeding now to prevent soft growth before spring.

Key Questions

Should I deadhead all my roses before winter?

No, not every spent bloom. The report recommends leaving some flowers to form rose hips, which can add winter color and provide food for birds.

What should I do with fallen rose leaves?

Remove fallen leaves and debris from around the plants, especially leaves showing black spot or other signs of disease. Pabst says fungal disease can overwinter in garden debris.

Should I prune roses in October?

The advice is to shorten long, loose stems and remove broken or damaged growth, but not to do the main prune. Burgess recommends waiting until February or March.

Should I feed or mulch roses before winter?

The report recommends adding well-rotted manure or compost around the base, while keeping it away from the stems. It advises against feeding roses now because fertilizer could encourage soft growth before spring.

How should I protect potted climbing roses?

Burgess advises moving potted roses to a sheltered wall, wrapping them and raising the pots on feet to reduce the risk of the pot freezing. Climbers and ramblers should also be tied in securely against strong winds.

Source: rss