Certain
roses, most
notably
hybrid tea roses, have root systems and
sometimes stems that will not tolerate long exposure
to freezing temperatures. Therefore, they need to be
protected during the winter months to prevent
partial or total death of the plant.
Winter protection
involves two distinct decision points. One is to
determine WHEN TO COVER the roses. The trick is that
it must be cold enough for all active growth to have
stopped on the plant but not so cold that the cane
tissue would be killed. Generally, once all the
leaves have dropped off the plant, it is time to
cover them. However, you need to be familiar with
your local climate to fine tune this technique. You
do not want to cover the plants and then have warm
weather which will encourage growth inside the
covering. This is not good for the plant.
The second decision
is WHEN TO UNCOVER the plants. The problem here is
that, if you leave the covering on too long, new
growth will begin inside the covering resulting in
weak, artificially long growth. If you take the
covering off too soon in the spring, the tender new
growth might still be killed by a frost. Again, get
to know your local climate and uncover the roses
when other shrubs start their active growth. Keep
the covering material nearby in case of a sudden,
severe drop in temperatures.
