The better to insulate roses. How to properly prepare roses for winter and protect them from frost
The way roses are sheltered for the winter depends on what kind of this plant you are growing. We will start the conversation with the most common type of roses among Russian summer residents - spray roses.
Before covering, you need to remove all the shoots, the tops of which have not matured, with the help of a secateurs, and also rid the branches of the bush from the leaves. This is necessary in order to protect the rose from the attack of pests or diseases. After pruning, the maximum height of the shoots should be no more than 50 cm.
Another necessary procedure that immediately precedes the covering of the rose is its hilling, which allows protecting the basal branches of the bush from frost. After hilling, the roses are sprinkled on a too thick layer of a mixture of peat and sand.
Do not rush and cover the roses before the onset of stable cold weather. But as soon as the temperature stabilizes within 5-7 degrees, the roses need to be insulated immediately.
A big controversy lately raises the question of how to cover spray roses for the winter. Supporters of natural covering materials insist on spruce branches or fallen leaves.
In our opinion, this method has the advantage of good ventilation, which allows the plants to breathe freely. However, there are serious disadvantages. The main one is that foliage and spruce branches are a very good refuge for all kinds of pests and diseases. Therefore, by using them to shelter roses, we expose them to the danger of infection.
In this regard, in recent years, gardeners increasingly prefer artificial insulation materials. On the one hand, they are safer, but at the same time, their use entails a lot of additional trouble. So, for example, without fail, you will have to arrange a solid frame on which the material will fit.
But the main difficulties arise with the onset of sudden thaws. In this case, the temperature under the covering material rises significantly and the plant can deteriorate as a result of damping. To prevent this from happening, you will have to constantly take measures for additional airing of the roses covered in this way.
In addition, when the snow melts during thaws, the covering material can get wet, and then, with further cooling, the wet material will freeze and become covered with an ice crust through which oxygen will not penetrate. To avoid such cases, cover the top with cellophane.
They begin to remove the shelter from roses around mid-April. This is done gradually and the last layer is removed only after the first shoots appear on the bushes.
If you grow bush roses in containers, then sheltering them for the winter is carried out using the same technology, but before that, the container must be buried in the ground. The most important thing in this case is to prepare a pit, the depth and dimensions of which will exactly correspond to the dimensions of the container.
You can also use the covering material when insulating climbing roses. This avoids the hassle of removing the thorny branches from the supports. Most often, burlap is used for this, the use of denser materials causes difficulties.
Another way to insulate roses - more laborious, but also more reliable - involves removing them from the supports and laying them on the ground, after which wooden supports are laid on the branches, on top of which spruce branches are laid.
The shoots of standard roses are tied with insulation, then a thick canvas bag is put on top, which is wrapped with a rope. It is especially important to securely fasten the neck of the bag, which will be close to the ground. After that, the bole is spud up as high as possible. The final event is the laying of spruce branches.
Many home fans are deeply convinced that with the onset of cold weather every bush needs insulation, and in the spring they complain about poor material and dead plants.
What is the reason for the dysfunctional, how and how they are better - you will learn about all this further from the article.
And also for you, we have prepared a selection of tips for choosing a covering and protection technique for hybrids.
Rose and winter hardiness
Did you know? The oldest, and therefore winter-hardy, is considered a rose bush growing in the German town of Hildesheim, near Hanover. Local old-timers say that the settlement grew up around this plant. This was foretold by the relics of the Virgin Mary on the branches of a blossoming rose, left during the hunt by the son of Charles the Great, Louis I. All attempts to remove them were crowned with failure. Therefore, it was decided to build a temple in that place, which has survived to this day. But the whips of the flower have already caught up with the roof of the cathedral. Until now, they riot with lush buds and are a memorial of the city.
The preparation of the rosary should be done at the end of summer. But first, experts advise to determine the winter-hardy characteristics of those growing in the bushes. After all, each of them requires special conditions for wintering. Remember that young seedlings that have not yet wintered, regardless of their genetic predisposition, need outside help. It consists in special pruning, insulation of the trunk circle and branches. Mature plants that have increased resistance to low temperatures do not need these procedures at all. They will only harm.
The most winter-hardy professionals call park roses, as well as with the everyday name "Ostinki". They are not afraid of cold weather and tolerate severe weather conditions well. Therefore, they are not needed at all.But the most sensitive to temperature changes are considered and. If there are such specimens in your garden, then without special preparation they will not survive until spring. 
If you find it difficult to define a specific group on your own, do not despair. In such situations, experienced florists are advised to take care of or around the trunk of the plant and provide a tissue shelter for the aboveground part of the roses for the winter.
Such measures will help protect the culture from excess moisture and contribute to the formation of a suitable microclimate. The main thing is to guess with the period when the need for insulation arises. After all, too early structures will harm as much as belated ones. 
Choosing a covering material
The most common mistake many novice florists make is wrapping the flower stems very tightly in a covering material. Although on the forums, newcomers, without even knowing about their mistake, often complain precisely about the quality of the purchased insulation.
But experts say that these beautiful flowers do not need additional costs for successful wintering. Covering roses for the winter can be done with improvised means. Let's analyze in more detail which of the materials is better to prefer.
Did you know?In England, the tradition of giving 2 yellow roses as a sign of love is still preserved, and white buds are symbols of eternal love. That is why brides all over the world prefer to see these flowers in their wedding bouquets.
Purchased
Suitable from the store range for preparing plants for winter. It is the most common and affordable insulation. Experts advise this material for more sensitive varieties, since when loosely wrapped, it retains the inner layer of air and does not interfere with oxygen exchange processes. 
A similar effect can be achieved from geotextiles. The only drawback of these substances is the financial cost of purchasing them.
Improvised means
When preparing for the winter, many rose growers, in order to save money, resort to an improvised covering material for plants. In this case, spruce branches, fallen leaves, sand, rags, worn burlap are used.
And for hybrids that are very afraid of cold weather, they often use old blankets, plywood and wooden houses, and foam. The main task of housewives is to reliably protect the root system and stems from adverse weather conditions. For resistant varieties, it is enough to bend the branches and insulate them with scraps. But sissies will need a thicker "fur coat".
Shelter types
Experts identify several technologies for warming plants to cold weather, but in all cases they focus on the need to leave an air cushion between the stems and the insulation. Let's consider the main features of each type.
Air dry
Experts advise this method for those who are not winter-hardy and Floribunda. Its advantages are stable temperature and excellent ventilation. Under the material, the thermometer never drops below 4 degrees of frost. In addition, the chances of root loss are low. Let's take a look at how to air dry.
In practice, everything turns out to be very simple: you need to prepare a frame from metal rods and some kind of insulation. Its role can be played by glassine, and even ordinary cardboard. So that the wind does not open your structure, it is advisable to securely fix the material with twine. And the house will save from moisture, who need to cover it from above. Be sure to sprinkle the lower edges of the shelter with earth. 
Did you know? The famous Egyptian queen Cleopatra went down in history not only as an indescribable beauty, but also as an ardent admirer. For all the solemn events that took place with her participation, banquet halls were prepared, where the floors were densely covered with petals of these flowers. In special cases, the decks reached a height of half a meter. Moreover, the queen, while walking on the gallery, loved to enjoy the buds swaying on the waves.
Shield
There is nothing more suitable for. Compared to other groups of flowers, they are the last to shed their leaves and require special attention before the onset of cold weather. During this period, it is important to cut off the remaining cuttings with leaf plates, as well as young shoots, remove the lashes from the supports and tie them. Then, on a ball of spruce branches spread near the bush, you need to put the formed bundle and securely pin it to the ground with a bent rod.
When the plant is fixed in a lying position, it is covered with wooden shields on top on both sides to form a triangle. The dimensions of the structure must correspond to the length of the branches and be at least 85 cm wide. 
The lower edges of this house must be fixed with wooden pegs, otherwise it will corrode over time. The structure is covered from above, including from the end sides. Before the onset of frost, its edges must be raised, which will provide good ventilation and will not allow the roots to dry out. And before the first frosts, do not forget to lower the polyethylene and sprinkle it with soil from below.
Important! When preparing for wintering, pink whips should be tilted in the direction of their growth. In some cases, it is recommended to supply oval non-metallic supports at the base of the shoots, which will allow the branches to bend smoothly.
This technology is very convenient for insulating curly varieties arranged in rows. But in the case of warm winters, it is important to control the temperature and air flow inside the house.
Some growers talk about the impracticality of the shield type of plant insulation, explaining their position by the lack of space in a small one.For such situations, experts advise fixing the connected pink branches with a column to the wooden supports stuck into the soil. 
Some owners make special pyramidal frames from metal rods, but in such cases it is better to avoid their direct contact with the lashes of the bush. From above, the structure is wrapped in fiberglass, spond, or ordinary burlap, fixing the canvas with bundles. And then they cover it with plastic wrap. In this case, the ventilation ducts should be left, otherwise the flower will die from overheating.
Ecology of consumption. Farmstead: Even before planting the bushes, you need to think about how to place roses on the site so that it is convenient to cover them in autumn ...
Often, having removed the shelter from the roses in the spring, amateur flower growers experience a sense of bitterness - their pets have turned black and covered with mold. But so much effort was spent, the bushes were so diligently insulated for the winter, but all efforts were in vain. The owners often associate such a failure only with the weak vitality of roses in central Russia and are convinced that their favorites are freezing out.
In fact, the reasons for failure lie elsewhere. Successful overwintering of roses is determined by the mandatory implementation of a number of agrotechnical measures throughout the summer, since preparation for winter begins long before the onset of cold weather.
Even before planting the bushes, you need to think about how to place the roses on the site so that it is convenient to cover them in the fall. In particular, it is necessary to leave a free approach to plantings, provide for a place where the shoots of climbing roses will be laid and where a shelter will be placed.
It is undesirable to plant other crops nearby that can be damaged when working with roses. It is especially important to take this into account for standard and climbing roses. Their shoots must be preserved, as they will bloom next year. The place chosen for laying the shoots should not be below the level of the plantings themselves, roadside grooves are not suitable either - after all, water will accumulate there in the spring, which is destructive for roses. In extreme cases, the lowlands can be raised by adding sand.
Roses are photophilous and it must be remembered that bushes that have grown in the shade hibernate worse, since during the summer they do not have enough light for normal photosynthesis. As a result, the processes of accumulation of nutrients in the plant slow down.
If we proceed from the principle of convenience, then roses (Tea Hybrid, Polyanthus and Floribunda) are best placed in rows 30-40 cm apart, taking into account the age of the plant and the growth rate of the selected variety.
Small-flowered Polyanthus, Miniature or Groundcover roses are best planted with a continuous border with a distance of 20-30 cm between the bushes, if the area is damp, it is more dense. Then, during autumn waterlogging, moisture is absorbed faster.
Weak plants overwinter badly. This means that you should carefully take care that the roses form well during the summer and build up a healthy leaf mass. This can be achieved subject to timely control of pests and diseases, and roses have a lot of them.
You often hear from amateurs that they begin to take action when signs of illness appear on the bushes. If this happens in the second half of summer, then during the winter the plant often dies. Diseased roses shed their leaves, which stimulates the awakening of new buds. This phenomenon is extremely undesirable in the second half of summer, since in late August - early September, measures should already be taken to slow down and stop the growth of shoots, otherwise they do not have time to ripen, and as a result, the bushes overwinter badly.
Disease control must be preventative. In the spring, after removing the shelter and throughout the growing season, it is necessary to regularly (once every 10 days) spray roses with Bordeaux liquid against various fungal diseases.
You can use more effective modern fungicides, their use will significantly reduce the number of treatments. They are sprayed on bushes when the bulk of shoots and leaves grow. The treatment must be repeated every 10 days.
Good results for the prevention of powdery mildew are obtained two or three times a season in a hot time of the day with a 0.3% solution of soda ash.
Pest control also needs to be done on a regular basis. During the summer, you should carefully collect and burn fallen leaves, cut off shoots, regularly destroy weeds. It is necessary not to be lazy to cover all the cuts on the branches with garden pitch, disinfect the cutting tool in a solution of potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate).
Only with proper and regular nutrition of roses throughout the growing season can their resistance to diseases and pests be achieved.Therefore, it is so important to pay attention to feeding. They are carried out approximately once every 2 weeks.
In the spring, when the active growth of shoots begins, fertilizer is applied with a predominance of nitrogen. At this time, ammonium nitrate is used in solution (20 g per 10 l of water) or embedded in the soil in dry form (40 g per 1 m2).
For summer dressing, it is better to use fermented manure (1:10) - one bucket of infusion for 4 plants. Foliar dressing with microelements is useful. In August, they begin to apply phosphorus-potassium fertilizers (30 g of sulfuric-acid potassium and 40 g of superphosphate per 10 liters of water). They contribute to the timely ripening of the shoots. Physiologically active substances (sodium humate, albumin, epin) that stimulate growth can be used only in the first half of summer.
From mid-August, all agrotechnical measures should be aimed at slowing down and stopping the growing season. To do this, reduce or completely stop, depending on the weather, watering.
Sometimes, in a too rainy autumn, a plastic wrap is stretched over the bushes in order to somehow reduce the flow of moisture.
You can make grooves to drain water from the rose garden. If individual shoots continue to develop intensively, their ends must be pinched, which will inhibit growth and accelerate ripening. Otherwise, such shoots die during the winter.
Too abundant flowering in late autumn can also lead to weakening of plants due to the expenditure of large amounts of nutrients. To suspend this process, the shoot at the base of the bud is bent. As a result, apical growth is inhibited, and the lateral buds do not wake up.
Roses do not have a pronounced dormant period, so even a temporary increase in temperature to 0 ° C in winter stimulates growth. That is why it is very important to choose the optimal timing for sheltering the bushes.
If you start too early, you will have to remove the leaves, which will stop photosynthesis. Delay can cause damage to the shoots from early frost.
When the temperature drops to minus 3 °, the water in the stems freezes and ruptures the conducting vessels. Frost holes are formed, into which pathogens, for example, fungal spores, enter. Subsequently, such shoots have to be cut into a ring.
It is very difficult to treat frost cracks, and the loss of a shoot weakens the bush.
Sometimes the first frosts happen early, back in September, and then the weather is warm for a long time. If, after such frosts, the roses thaw slowly, then the cells of the conducting vessels return to their normal state.
To slow down thawing, the bushes can be covered with paper, cloth, sprinkled with water.
It is impossible to determine in advance when and what force the early cold snap will be. To hedge against the first frosts in the autumn, I recommend using a phased rose cover.
To do this, you first need to prepare them: gently sleep the leaves from the bottom of the bush, very carefully moisten it and the ground around it from a watering can with a 3% solution of ferrous sulfate (the drug burns the leaves, so they are removed). Then the bases of the shoots are sprinkled with sand (2 shovels per bush).
At temperatures slightly above 0 °, roses stop growing, nutrients are no longer consumed, but begin to be deposited in the bark, core, buds and roots. As a result, natural hardening occurs, which allows the roses to survive in the winter. The accumulated nutrients will go a long way in spring awakening plants. These processes take place only in the light, which is why too early shelter is still undesirable.
Further hardening of roses occurs in late autumn, when the temperature is set within minus 2-8 °. At this time, the shoots lose a significant amount of water. The starch begins to turn into sugars, which prevents the rose cells from freezing. No light is required for the second phase, and the absence of leaves does not affect the process.
It is at this moment that you need to carry out the final stage of the shelter. It usually falls in the first ten days of November. All remaining leaves are removed, the roses are cut to a height of 40-45 cm, the upper part of the shoots is sprayed with a 2% nitrophene solution and the bushes are covered with insulating material: sawdust (3 buckets per bush), earth, dry leaf or peat.
When using the land as a shelter, it is harvested and dried in advance.
Coniferous sawdust is preferred.
Peat is mixed with a small amount of sand so that it does not cake and allows air to pass through.
Sawdust and peat are very moisture-consuming material, they have the ability to freeze quickly and thaw slowly. Considering that winters in central Russia are unstable and often alternate with thaws, this property of peat and sawdust allows maintaining a constant temperature under the shelter.
To scare away mice, you can put spruce branches on the insulation material or use naphthalene tablets, lumps of sawdust soaked in strong-smelling substances (kerosene, creolin).
In winter, you need to make sure that the wind does not blow away the snow. To arrest him, you can install shields, put branches on top.
In the conditions of central Russia, such a phased cover of roses can be considered the best option.
This method has one drawback - the bushes must be cut off, since it is impossible to completely cover them. Of course, we must strive to preserve the shoots as much as possible, then in the new season the roses will bloom well. For this, if possible, they are bent down.
There are other hideouts as well. Air-dry is considered reliable protection. It is a frame with a height of 50-60 cm, which is made in the form of a low greenhouse from a metal rod, bent pipes, etc., connected with a wire.
The frame is installed over the roses in early October, until the ground is frozen. The bushes are freed from the lower leaves, treated with a 3% solution of ferrous sulfate and covered with sand. Before the onset of frost, they are tied. In this case, only synthetic twine is used, which does not absorb moisture and does not grow moldy. The connected shoots gradually begin to bend to the ground.
This work is carried out before frost, until the branches have lost their flexibility, otherwise they can be broken or the bark will crack on them. Too thick stiff shoots are cut to such a height that a space of 10-25 cm remains between them and the roof of the shelter.
With the onset of the first frost, the remaining leaves are cut off. This operation must be performed without fail, otherwise the roses with leaves in the shelter will continue to "breathe", creating high humidity and provoking the formation of mold. Roofing material is laid on the frame, leaving the ends open until the onset of constant frosts (minus 8 °). Then they are closed. A film is pulled over the roofing material to completely prevent moisture from getting inside, its edges are well strengthened. The entire structure must be reliable so that it can withstand a thick snow cover.
In a damp area, where groundwater is close, an air-dry shelter cannot be used. Condensation will accumulate under it and the roses will begin to grow out in a humid environment.
Before the onset of the first frost, climbing roses are removed from the supports, the leaves are removed, treated with iron vitriol, tied and laid on a piece of roofing material. Then the shoots are covered with sand, and with the onset of stable frosts, they are covered with another piece of roofing material, which is fixed with the help of improvised means.
Do not use materials for shelter that quickly rot and absorb moisture, such as hay, straw, moss.
Of the rest of the groups, the more winter-hardy Climbing and Polyantovye.
Grafted roses tolerate winter better than self-rooted ones. published by
Often, fans of growing roses have little idea of how to care for these flowers in the winter. How to cover roses for the winter is easy to answer, but in fact there are enough subtleties in this process. Just wrapping each bush is not an option, as this will lead to the death of plants, and if not all, then many. It's time to familiarize yourself with the recommendations for insulation and the selection of materials for your rose garden.
Winter hardiness of flowers
What do people face in spring? Their roses are either frozen or they've gotten out ... Experts explain these oversights by several factors:
- incorrectly selected material for insulation;
- careless or too diligent hilling of already hardy flowers;
- attempts to insulate absolutely all types of plants, including frost-resistant ones.
There is one curious story about the most ancient and frost-hardy rose bush. It is located in the city of Hildesheim. Legends say that it appeared during the reign of Charlemagne. Once upon a time, sacred relics were hung on this bush, but people who tried to remove them failed. And then it was decided to leave the roses alone and build a temple next to them. Now the climbing bush is equal in height to the temple, and it is one of the main historical values of its city.
But it's time to get back to pressing problems. It is necessary to prepare the conditions for flowers at the end of summer, just before that it is important to find out all the individual characteristics of the plants located in your rose garden.
For example, seedlings that have not yet survived a single winter require additional help, despite all their frost-resistant characteristics. This assistance consists in pruning, insulating the near-trunk zone and branches.
But mature plants that are resistant to cold weather do not expect anything like this. It is necessary to cover roses for the winter only when they really need it.
The most persistent type of roses is called park... There is also a product of the efforts of English breeders, in everyday life called "Ostinka". Both of these types are so severe that they do not even need to be covered with insulation material. They will spend the winter calmly.
But hybrid tea and climbing rose varieties are extremely sensitive to temperature changes.
Material selection
The most common mistake made by novice gardeners is trying to wrap the stems of flowers tightly in covering materials. You can constantly see how another newcomer, after wintering, complains about the poor quality of the insulation, unaware of his own fault. And some of them do not even know at what temperature to cover roses for the winter.
And again, experts help us out by explaining that roses can make do with covering materials that are widespread in everyday life.
How to cover roses for the winter, except for spruce branches:
One of the most important conditions for warming any plants is to always leave an oxygen cushion between the material and the flower. Otherwise, the plant will simply die, despite the outstretched helping hand.
Shelter types
Each type of shelter has its own purpose. Each of them is used for a specific purpose. There are several such types in total:
- The air-dry type is most suitable for hybrid flowers. Its main advantages are temperature stability and excellent ventilation. In this case, the thermometer never drops below 4 degrees below zero. The likelihood of root loss is noticeably reduced. All that is needed for it is a strong frame and polyethylene. The lower edges of the greenhouse should be covered with earth.
- You can't think of a better shield method for climbing roses. The peculiarity of these flowers is in the late shedding of leaves, which is why they require the most close attention from the gardener. The essence of the preparation is to cut off the remnants of the leaf plates, fix the lashes on the ground, on a thick layer of spruce branches. After that, the bush must be covered with shields on both sides. The structure looks like a tent or a roof of a house.
- Jute bags are suitable for standard plants. You need to put on a canvas without a bottom on the crown. Snap it at the base of the growing branches. Then the top of the bag is tightly packed with insulation. It should be closed. If we are talking about roses growing in tubs, then they should be sent to the basement before the onset of cold weather, and not covered with something, leaving them outside.
Fundamental rules
How to warm roses for the winter is already clear, but one cannot fail to mention a few general rules. The very first of them is the rigorous implementation of preparatory work at the moment when leaf fall begins.
The first step is to cut dry and damaged branches.... Be sure to get rid of the remnants of the foliage, since pathogenic bacteria multiply in the cuttings that have not rotted. It makes sense to spray the bush with Fundazol.
It is important to pay attention to the hygiene of the stem wells. All weeds, residues of mulch and leaves must be removed from them. Only when this is done, you can begin the process of warming the root system.
By correctly distributing your care and attention between different varieties of the queen of flowers, it is easy to achieve an excellent result in warming roses for the winter.
Roots of roses, at the end of September, it is necessary to insulate them by sprinkling a layer of earth 30 centimeters on them. From above, the roots of roses need to be covered:
- fallen leaves;
- snow.
Fallen leaves will serve as protection and additional nutrients. And snow preserves the body very well. This will protect the plant from freezing the roots and stems themselves.
If the frost is not great, up to -5 ° C, you do not need to cover the roots of the roses. Such frost is not terrible, but even useful. It will serve as a kind of hardening for the plant. And it will be more resistant to frost.
When to insulate rose bushes for the winter. A few weeks later, towards the end of October, it is already necessary to clear the bush of all young shoots, leaves, and buds. Autumn pruning of roses and shelter for the winter are necessary procedures when growing roses in the climate of Russia.
Young shoots of roses must be pruned. Otherwise, in the spring, they can start to rot and ruin the whole plant. When the bush is cleared of all that is superfluous, it would be nice to treat it with special means from pests and fungi.
5 easy steps to cover your roses for the winter.
Step 1. Pruning roses for the winter. Prune roses long before they need to be covered. The best time to prune roses for the winter is the end of September - October, when stable frosts come.
Step 2. Hilling and warming the roots for the winter. Cover the roots of roses covered with soil to a height of 10 cm with a layer of weathered peat, dry sand, shavings or sawdust.
Step 3. Making the frame. We create a reliable, airy dry shelter in which roses will feel great in winter. To do this, you need to make a frame low to 0.5 meters from metal arcs, which are used for summer cottages. Set the frame over the rose bushes. If any rose stems go beyond the frame, then they need to be cut.
Step 4. Insulation. Pull the insulation material over the frame. There are several options for how to cover roses for the winter with what material:
Step 5. Fasten the edges of the covering material so that they are not flapped by the wind, thrown back or blown into the shelter of roses. 
