Choose Your Country
If you live in moderate to hot climates October can be a month of change in the garden. If your nights have started to turn cooler, the roses will be putting out new growth and starting to bud up for their fall display. In cold climates you will be expecting your first frost so it’s time to focus on putting the roses to bed.
Fertilizing. You should have stopped all fertilizing by now. Time to let the roses go dormant. Fertilizing just encourages new growth that is particularly vulnerable to cold temperatures.
Time to also stop deadheading. When you stop deadheading the roses will set hips (seed pods) and this to them means it’s time to shut down for the winter. Plus hips are great for the birds during the winter.
While you don’t want to start any pruning or heavy trimming, keep cutting out dead wood if you see it. That is an all season item.
After you’ve had a couple of hard freezes you can trim the roses back by about 1/3 to prevent damage from winds whipping them back and forth.
If you winter protect your roses the time to start is after those first couple of hard freezes to make sure the roses are fully dormant.
Don’t trim back perennials, grasses and other plants in the garden. Many insects overwinter in them. Particularly beneficial insects and native bees. Wait until spring when you’ve had a week of temperatures above 50 degrees both at night and during the day.
Shop the Cold Hardy Rose Collection
Fertilizing. Stop all fertilizing. Time to let the roses go dormant. Fertilizing just encourages new growth that is particularly vulnerable to cold temperatures.
Time to also stop deadheading. When you stop deadheading the roses will set hips (seed pods) and this to them means it’s time to shut down for the winter. Plus hips are great for the birds during the winter.
Check your mulch levels. If they are low top dress lightly to help keep the soil moist and the temperatures even during the winter.
While you don’t want to start any pruning or heavy trimming keep cutting out dead wood if you see it. That is an all season item.
After you’ve had a couple of hard freezes you can trim the roses back by about 1/3 to prevent damage from winds whipping them back and forth.
Don’t trim back perennials, grasses and other plants in the garden. Many insects overwinter in them. Particularly beneficial insects and native bees. Wait until spring when you’ve had a week of temperatures above 50 degrees both at night and during the day.
Fertilizing. You are heading into your fall, and in some cases winter, bloom. Roses are heavy feeders so use a granular like Rose Tone instead of a time release. And pick up the foliar again with a product like Sea Magic. Use them both as per directions on the package.
Keep deadheading. You are coming into your fall flush and in the hotter climates your fall and winter flowering can be outstanding.
Check your mulch levels. If they are low top dress lightly to help keep the soil moist and the temperatures even.
Keep an eye out for pests like aphids and the like. You can hose them off with water or use something mild like insecticidal soap.
If you see disease you can spray the infected areas with Bonide Captain Jack’s Copper Fungicide available from Jackson & Perkins.
Looking for heat tolerant roses? Find them here.
