November Rose Care: Preparing Your Roses for Winter

November is a critical month for rose care as you start to prepare these lovely plants for the cold winter ahead. As the days shorten and temperatures start to dip, knowing how to winterize roses properly helps ensure they come back healthy and vibrant next spring. Here’s a guide on how to do it right, with a focus on timing, pruning, and protecting your plants from winter damage.

Why Timing Matters for Winter Rose Care

Winterizing roses isn’t just about pruning them back and covering them up; it’s about knowing when to start the process. In most climates, November is a transitional month for roses, and it’s essential not to rush into pruning before the plants are ready. Before you start cutting them back, wait for two or three consecutive nights when temperatures drop into the low 20s (Fahrenheit). These cold nights are crucial because they help harden the stems, slow down the plant’s water uptake, and essentially prepare the roses to enter dormancy.

Starting too soon, especially while temperatures are still fluctuating, can cause the plants to react as if it’s still growing season, which can lead to winter damage. Patience here can mean the difference between roses that survive the winter with strong, undamaged stems and those that suffer winter burn or even die back entirely.

Step 1: Removing the Leaves

While you’re waiting for those cold nights, you can start the preparation process by removing the leaves from the lower portions of the plant. This step helps reduce fungal diseases and clears away places for pests to overwinter. Roses are susceptible to diseases like black spot, and leaving the leaves on can allow these spores to overwinter, ready to infect fresh foliage in spring. For early fall tips, check out our post on mid-September rose care.

Wear gloves: Roses are thorny, and a good pair of garden gloves will help protect your hands from pricks and scratches.
Strip the leaves: Carefully strip the leaves off each rose cane to about 15 inches above the ground. You can do this by hand, or if your rose bushes are very thorny, use pruning shears to snip off the leaves.

Step 2: Prune for Structure

After removing the leaves, take a look at the structure of each plant. You want to leave only the five strongest stems on each rose. Look for any thin, weak, or spindly stems, and remove them. These smaller, weaker canes are more likely to break or sustain damage over winter, and they don’t contribute to the overall strength of the plant.

Leaving only strong, healthy canes ensures that the plant can focus its energy on its best growth when spring comes. The five canes you leave should be:

Sturdy and thick
Located in a way that gives the plant an open, vase-like shape
Free of any signs of disease or major damage

When you prune back weaker stems, cut close to the base of the plant, and make clean, sharp cuts. Jagged cuts can be a weak point for disease to enter, so use sharp, clean pruning shears for best results.

Step 3: The First Cut

Once the temperatures have consistently dropped to the low 20s and the plants have hardened off, it’s time to start winterizing your roses with a careful cutback. Cut back the stems to a height of about 15 inches, but leave a few extra inches if your area tends to get heavy snow; the extra height can help support snow accumulation without causing the plant to snap under pressure. This cutback allows the rose to survive the winter without expending energy on excessive cane growth, which will be pruned again come spring.

Cut each cane at a slight angle, just above a bud or node, which will encourage healthy growth in spring. Be careful not to cut too close to the bud, as this can cause dieback. The goal here is to reduce the plant’s size and get it ready for winter, but without the extensive pruning that you would typically do in spring.

Step 4: Mulching and Mounding

After your roses have been pruned, it’s time to protect them from winter’s harsh conditions by adding a layer of mulch or soil mound. This layer insulates the root zone, keeping the plants stable during freezing and thawing cycles.

Mound soil about 8-12 inches high around the base of each rose bush. The soil mound will act as a protective barrier, especially for grafted roses, which are more sensitive to winter cold.
Alternatively, add a thick layer of mulch (about 4-6 inches deep) around the base of the plant, focusing on covering the root area thoroughly.

Using organic material, like compost or wood chips, adds an extra layer of insulation and can decompose into the soil over winter, adding nutrients for the plant to use come spring.

Step 5: Wrapping and Covering

In areas where winters are particularly harsh, or if you’re caring for more tender rose varieties, you may want to add a further layer of protection.

Burlap Wrapping: After mounding, consider wrapping your rose bushes in burlap to protect them from winter winds. Wrap the burlap loosely around the canes, securing it with garden twine, but leave a little breathing room at the top to prevent moisture buildup, which can cause mildew.
Rose Cones: Rose cones, which are pre-made winter coverings, can also be used, especially for smaller rose varieties. Make sure to cut holes in the top for ventilation to prevent moisture buildup. Remember, proper ventilation is essential to avoid rot over winter.
Protect from Heavy Snow: If your area gets heavy snow, you can add extra burlap or a lightweight cloth over your roses. Avoid using plastic, which can trap too much moisture inside.

Step 6: Final Winter Checks

With your roses now safely winterized, they should be able to withstand the worst of the cold. As winter progresses, you can keep an eye on them during any significant cold snaps or winter storms. If you notice that the soil mound or mulch has shifted, especially after windy days, add a little more mulch as needed.

Tips for Specific Rose Varieties

Some roses are more sensitive to cold and require specific attention:

Hybrid Tea Roses: These roses are especially sensitive to freezing temperatures and benefit most from mounding and burlap wrapping.
Climbing Roses: Prune these minimally, focusing on cutting back any weak or diseased wood. Lay the canes down and cover with soil if you can, or wrap them gently in burlap.
Shrub Roses: Many shrub roses are hardy and don’t require as much protection. A simple layer of mulch is often sufficient unless you’re in an area with particularly harsh winters.

For more detailed guidance on caring for different rose types, visit the American Rose Society, a trusted resource for rose enthusiasts.

Don’t Forget to Mark Your Roses

It can be helpful to mark each rose bush with a small plant marker. When spring arrives, this can help you identify where each bush is located, especially if they’ve been cut down to a short height. This also helps you remember which varieties are where, which can be useful for planning your spring care routine.

Wrapping Up

Preparing your roses for winter is an essential task that will reward you with healthier, more vigorous growth in spring. By waiting for those few critical cold nights, removing leaves, pruning thoughtfully, and protecting your plants with mulch and wrapping, you’ll give your roses the best chance to survive—and thrive—through winter.

Winterizing may feel like an extra step, but roses are resilient plants. A little extra care now will ensure that they greet you in spring, ready to bloom beautifully once again.