Dreaming of Roses or Winter Rose Care at Hidden Bluff (year 1)

“Where, you tend a rose, my lad, a thistle cannot grow.” – Frances Hodgson Burnett

Dreaming of Roses or Winter Rose Care at Hidden Bluff (year 1), January 6, 2023.

It was time to check the lovelies. They had disappeared from mind as the Christmas festivities took over, the last of their foliage withering away. But now the New Year has begun, signaling the need for their winter beauty ritual. Finally, a break came from the wild winds that had surrounded our home on the bluff for days. So, I grabbed my opportunity and headed out with a brand-new bottle of rose spray. My evolution from easy-going rose grower to more involved rose grower was showing. A lot of time, energy, and money had been invested into these roses, and that investment needed to be protected. In the last year, only one was lost. The rest of our roses were thriving and producing in the first year. However, now they were dormant, and it was time to acquaint myself with the mysterious process behind winter rose care.

Research on rose care revealed several things that serious rose growers do around January, and none of it is complicated. The very words winter rose care may seem daunting, but in fact, ten rose bushes took me about an hour to prepare for Spring. The following list is comprised of five things your roses need at the start of the New Year although check your garden zone info and what it says.

Winter Rose Care at Hidden Bluff (year 1)

• Remove dead and diseased growth.
• Prune rose bush to half of its original height.
• Clean up leaves and debris around the base.
• Spray with Rose spray to prevent fungicide and insecticide. I used a neem oil-based organic spray for this.
• Dig compost into the soil. For year one I am trying chicken manure. From what I have read it is excellent for roses, but to be sure and dig it a few inches into the soil, so the nitrogen doesn’t run off. Make sure to get aged manure and read instructions on how much to add.

The roses don’t look pretty right now although they are neat and tidy. And actually, winterizing the roses makes me excited for how this year’s roses will be. Will the Generous Gardener be generous with its blooms? Would I get enough Cabbage roses for a bouquet? Or perhaps there will be enough LaVille De Bruxelle roses to make rose water? However, the Charles Darwin was looking a bit shaky in its location, so I will be keeping an eye on it. And the good old Alnwick comforted me with its reliability. Even in winter in looks healthy and cheerful. It will blossom profusely this next year, I am sure….

Have a beautiful day!