Garden Talks October 13

We love your Gardening Questions at the Garden Log! If you have any gardening questions, just email us at skillins@maine.rr.com and we will respond!

Another question about wintering roses, this time from customer RS:

"I want to know how to best protect some rose bushes I purchased this spring from you. I planted them at the end of my deck, so they are a bit exposed to wind and other elements. One is a climber and the others are bushes. Should I wrap them in burlap or something to protect them for the winter ? I have had lots of roses when I lived in NJ but these are first I have planted here in Maine and I want to make sure I treat them right !"

Our answer:

"Roses in Maine should be well protected in the winter time. The best protection you can give is a good heavy mulching or covering of the base of your rose bushes. I would do this in late November when the ground has started to freeze up. The key is to bury the base or grafted area of your rose bush in at least 3 or 4 inches of top soil or compost. Then I finish off the cover with some cut fir boughs or straw to keep the cover in place.

It makes sense to try and wrap at least the bottom couple of feet of your climber in burlap. This will reduce the amount of stem that is killed off by the winter. So you may want to prune down to that point and wrap the rest of your climber. Do this pruning or wrapping in late November or even December so as not to spur any new growth from your plant.

The non climbers really do not have to be pruned until late winter or early Spring when you do your uncovering. It is crucial in late March or early April to sweep away all the cover around the base of your roses and prune out any growth that is dead or dying.

It has been dry the last couple of weeks. I would recommend giving your roses regular waterings a couple of times per week from now until the ground freezes.

If you have time we will for sure be covering winter rose bush care in our Beds to Rest class on Saturday the 25th of October at either 9 AM or 1 PM at any Skillin’s location. Let us know if you would like us to sign you up—the time and the location is all we need! The class is free of charge but full of great gardening advice!"