Winter Rose Care

Garden centres will have lots of bare-rooted Rose varieties packed in small narrow plastic bags during winter. Potted roses may also be available. The Roses will be leafless and during this winter dormancy phase, it's a great time to plant as they suffer from less transplant shock. The plant tag will tell you about that variety and also which type of Rose it is. For example, a hybrid tea Rose or a Climbing Rose.

When you get your new bare-rooted Rose home, unwrap the plastic from around the roots and then place the plant in a bucket of diluted seaweed solution, so that all the roots are covered. It's important not to let the roots dry out. The rose can be left to soak in the seaweed solution for up to 24 hours.

For potted Roses, water them thoroughly to ensure the potting mix is moist.

Choose a well-drained, airy spot in the garden that receives at least six hours of sunshine a day. Roses growing in shady conditions will develop spindly growth and have fewer flowers. Lots of sunshine and good air flow also helps to reduce the incidence of disease. 

For both bare-rooted and potted Roses, dig a hole around 30 cm wide and deep. Mix some Yates Dynamic Lifter Soil Improver & Plant Fertiliser into the soil dug from the hole. The rich organic matter helps improve the structure and quality of the soil and provide the Rose with gentle slow-release organic nutrients as it establishes.

For bare-rooted Roses, create a pyramid-shaped mound of soil in the bottom of the planting hole. Place the Rose in the hole with its roots sitting on and around the mound of soil. Ensure that the graft union (bump on the stem) will be sitting around 5 cm above the final ground level. Gently backfill around the roots with the Dynamic-Lifter-enriched soil and then water in well to settle the soil around the roots.

For potted Roses, gently remove the plant from the pot. Place into the hole, ensuring that the level of soil around the plant is at the same level as the existing potting mix. Backfill around the root ball with the Dynamic-Lifter-enriched soil and then water in well to settle the soil around the roots.

For standard roses (roses that are grafted onto a tall stem and look similar to a lollipop), a stake may be required to support the plant, particularly in areas with strong winds.

If your new Rose hasn't been pruned, cut any long stems back so they're no longer than 20 cm. Where possible, cut just above a node (bump on the stem), where a new shoot will develop.

Keep the new Rose well-watered as it establishes. Apply a layer of organic mulch, like bark chips or pea straw, around the root zone, keeping the mulch a few centimetres away from the stem. The mulch will help to keep the soil moist and the roots protected.

New growth will start to emerge in spring. Keep the soil moist and start regular feeding with a specialised Rose food such as Yates Thrive Roses & Flowers Liquid Plant Food. It contains the right blend of nutrients to promote healthy green leaf and stem growth, a strong root system and lots of beautiful flowers.

The winter months are an ideal time to prune Roses. Roses benefit from winter pruning as it tidies up the plant and encourages fresh new growth and improved flowering.

Using sharp clean secateurs, first completely remove any dead wood, which is usually grey, and any crowded or overlapping stems in the middle of the plant. Then cut all the remaining healthy stems down to around knee height (apart from climbing or standard Roses). It's best to prune each stem to just above an outward-facing bud. This encourages new stems to grow outward, rather than into the centre of the bush, allowing in more flower-promoting sunlight.

Also, remove any stems that are growing below the graft.

If you live in a cold climate, delay pruning until late winter, as pruning can stimulate new leaf growth and make plants more susceptible to frost damage. If your Rose does produce vulnerable new shoots prematurely during winter, spray the entire plant with Yates Waterwise DroughtShield. It creates a thin flexible protective film over any new shoots, which helps reduce damage during a cold snap.

Roses are prone to a range of pests and diseases, including Powdery Mildew, Scale Insects and Mites. They are lying in wait on Rose stems during winter, ready to infect new spring foliage, stems and flower buds. Spraying Roses during winter with Yates Lime Sulfur can help break the pest and disease life cycle and give the plant a fresh start in spring. Winter spraying is often called a 'winter clean-up spray'. Spray all stems thoroughly with Yates Lime Sulfur, at the higher winter rate, to control Powdery Mildew, Scale Insects and Mites.

At the end of winter and early spring, Roses will start to wake from their winter slumber - then it's time to feed them with a specialised Rose food. Yates Thrive Natural Roses & Flowers Pelletised Organic Based Plant Food is a complete fertiliser that is specially formulated to provide Roses with the nutrients they need to grow healthy foliage and lots of beautiful blooms. Apply the pellets around the root zone and water in well.