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Winterizing Observation
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Posted by karenforroses z5 NorthernMI (My Page) on Fri, Oct 23, 09 at 6:15
| Last fall I tried wrapping one of my climbers (St. Swiften) with three layers or burlap, after doing the usual 12" mounding of shredded pine bark. I was going to wrap more of them the following day, to see if that would prevent some of the cane loss I see each winter, but a heavy snowstorm hit that night and winter arrived early. This past spring, when I took off the burlap, I was amazed to see how much healthy cane survived (about 90%). I had to cut all of my other climbers down to the snow line except for my Canadian Explorers. I've always had to cut St Swiften back as well, so I know it was the burlap and not the basic hardiness of the rose that resulted in little cane loss. As a result, St. Swiften bloomed way earlier and way more than any of my other climbers - what a treat! Needless to say, all of my climbers in the lower garden will be wrapped this fall. I hope I'll see equally good results for many of them as well come spring. |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Winterizing Observation
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| cool thinking there I was reading info on clmiber winter stuff and read if one adds leaffy material it helps to keep em even more warmer guess its a bit harder to fill them wrapes in with leaves with your early snows I am certain it will be harder. myth or not I am certainly doing it loads of leaves and no snow here yet |
RE: Winterizing Observation
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Karen,
Much of the winter damage is caused by drying and whipping of the canes exposed to winter winds. The burlap helps prevent some of that.
Burlaped canes stay rigid so the don't whip in the wind.
This could get quite time consuming and expensive if one has a lot of bushes to wrap.
Am happy you've found something that works for you. |
RE: Winterizing Observation
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| Karen, thanks for the tip. Do you leave the canes up on the arbor and just wrap the burlap around the whole thing, canes AND arbor together? I think I will try that with my Dr. Van Fleet, since I often lose a lot of cane, and also with my REAL New Dawn, grown from a cutting. Is it not, though, really difficult to remove the burlap in the spring, with everything stuck in the thorns? Mind you, that won't stop me from doing it - there'll just be a lot more cursing going on come April.... Judith |
RE: Winterizing Observation
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| My New Dawn and Eden climbers are wrapped in burlap, also. I just secure the burlap to the trellis or wrought iron fence all the way up the structure, about 6-7 feet.anchor the cloth with bag ties that poke easily thru the cloth. They are monsters in the spring with very little die back. I have used this technique on the HT's and found it to be less effective. Think I will try this on alchymist this year. |
RE: Winterizing Observation
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| Karl, you're absolutely right! I only have about 10 climbers to wrap - I don't wrap my other roses - just mound them with about 10-12" of shredded bark. It is a tad picky getting the burlap off in the spring, but all that green cane will be my encouragement. We had such a terrible winter last year (hopefully not again this year) so I am extra excited by how well St. Swiften did. Hopefully I'll see the same results next spring on all or most of my climbers. I always feel so badly when I have to chop off all those canes! |
RE: Winterizing Observation
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A healthy rose with a mature root system, will grow back quickly each spring even if it requires severe pruning. Except on once blooming roses, I never feel bad about removing winter damaged and dead canes. My once bloomers tend to be the hardiest in my garden so lost canes are not a problem with them.
Like I said, modern repeat blooming roses bloom on new growth. Live, over wintered canes bloom on new laterals or new growth at the ends of old canes. Most of my bushes require severe pruning each spring but that doesn't bother me. Each year I see all my roses blooming normally no matter how hard they were pruned. Severe pruning doesn't seem to make any difference when they bloom either.
You may find you're doing a lot of unnecessary winter protection in attempting to save those canes. But on really tender varieties, you may have no other choice but to wrap the canes. |
RE: Winterizing Observation
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- Posted by seil z6 MI (My Page) on
Tue, Oct 27, 09 at 20:12
| Sounds great, Karen! I grow roses in pots and winter them outside mulched in leaves and wrapped in burlap. The potted roses always have more healthy cane length in the spring than the ones in the beds that don't get the burlap wrap. As for deep pruning, I've found that after mild winters when I've suffered less cane loss my roses bloom much sooner than after harsh winters when I've had to cut to the ground. If you want to get more bloom on those climbers, and lower down on them, when the canes are growing and still pliable bend them down and "peg" (tie or pin) them to the ground or the trellis (I've occasionall tied them to another cane but you have to be very careful not to tie to tightly or you'll damaged the cane). They'll send off more laterals and you'll get more blooms! |
RE: Winterizing Observation
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| Hi Karen--we wrap the Super Excelsa ramblers on our arbor with white plant row covers--we got a huge sheet at White Flower Farm spring sale for a few dollars--looks a lot better than burlap. Without cane dieback, we get a fabulous Spring display off all the new laterals. We do wrap our HTs and other winter tender roses with burlap--last year we didn't fill it with mulch and I think they did even better, despite the subzero weather. It is great to have all the tender roses come through winter and get bigger each year. |
RE: Winterizing Observation
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| Thanks for all your helpful comments folks. You guys always come through! |
RE: Winterizing Observation
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- Posted by jont1 Midwest 5b/6a (My Page) on
Wed, Nov 4, 09 at 2:23
If I may make a suggestion on overwintering roses. I always spray very late in the season with a healthy mix of Wilt-Pruf which is a dessicant that coats the stems and canes and leaves if any are still there with a coating that seems to help contin moisture loss during the winter. I have found this to be an exceptionally good thing for my roses and I very rarely lose any roses to winter even though I don't add any protection other than what leaves fall from a large oak and maple tree in my yard. I just leave them be until Spring when I blow them out with the leaf blower.
What I said about not winter protecting my roses isn't 100% true as I do use a newspaper collar filled with finely chopped leaves or cotton burr compost about 10" high on the bush. I do this to a very few supposedly winter tender roses--Heart 'O Gold, Color Magic, St. Patrick, Marilyn Monroe, etc..or roses I am particularly fond of or hard to find and don't want to take ANY chance of losing like my Lucille Ball.
This year I am going to use burlap on my climbers by wrapping them head to toe while still on the trellis. I have Salita, Roberta Bondar, Harlekin, and New Dawn which is huge this year. I will spray them first with the Wilt-Pruf before wrapping with the burlap.
The most important thing is that your roses go into winter in top-top health so they have the best chance of surviving. That includes getting rid of all the fungal infections as possible before they go into dormancy and then spray with the Lime Sulfur mixed with the Wilt Pruf. Be sure to spray the ground around your roses with the Lime Sulfur to that you kill any spores living down there just waiting for Spring rains to splash them back up on your roses lower limbs beginning next year and getting the whole mess started up again.
Just my two cents.
Karl, I would appreciate any answers you can impart to the queries I posed above.
John |
RE: Winterizing Observation
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| Jontl, you mention that you spray with Wilt Pruf very late in the season - what is the coldest temperature you can use the Wilt Pruf with? Thanks! You're absolutely right about the fact that the best winterizing strategy is to cultivate your roses so they are healthy in the fall. |
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