The days are so much shorter now it’s November, and are getting chillier. I still have a lot of color in my gardens for this late in the season. But, I am starting to make plans to tuck my gardens in for the winter. This coming Saturday, I will join our stalwart volunteers at Elizabeth Park. We will then cut back and hill up the roses there, and kiss them goodnight until Spring.

Now is a really good time to tell all of you about the American Rose Society and all the local rose societies all across this great nation. To my knowledge, the only state that doesn’t have a rose society is Vermont. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t grow roses there!! If you ever have a rose question for your particular part of the country, you can always contact the American Rose Society. They will help you locate your local society. Plus, they’ll let you know about the Consulting Rosarians and Master Rosarians in your area. CR’s and MR’s are dedicated rosarians who have tons of life experience growing and caring for roses. I guarantee there are some in your general area who would be more than happy to help you with any aspect of our rose growing hobby.

Rose Culture

The reason it’s good to know about these specialists is that rose culture is different in each area of the country. Late November is Connecticut’s time to winterize the garden. Conversely, rose shows are probably happening in the south! The ARS is there for all people interested in growing roses, and that means you! They publish a lovely bi-monthly magazine which is chock-full of great information. You can have a trial membership for $10. If you love growing roses, I am sure you will appreciate this great publication. I love the fact that there are CR’s and MR’s like myself that are there to help rose growers. When I began many years ago, there was no local rose society in Connecticut. I didn’t know anything about the ARS. Now, you know! And this tool is always available to you.

So now, I will fill you in about winterizing the garden in Connecticut in November. We are in zones 5b-6b. Because we regularly go below zero in our part of the country, it is a good idea to protect a good length of cane on our roses so we can get off to a good start in the spring. I start my winter protection program when I plant my roses. In our area, it is a good idea to plant the roses deep so the bud union (knot) is buried a few inches below soil level. All good things come from the bud union, and planting it deep protects it from summer’s heat and winter’s brutal winds.

Winterizing

We usually start winterizing around here just after Thanksgiving. Put your turkey soup on to simmer, bundle up, and grab your sharp bypass pruners and sharp loppers (yours are sharp, right???) and head out to the garden. Make sure you have heavy gloves to protect your hands. Mine are gauntlets, so they protect my forearms, too. I x so the plants don’t rock back and forth in the wicked winter winds. Also, rose canes are just as susceptible to wind chill and drying out as our tender skin is. I start with the hybrid teas and floribundas, and I cut them back to around knee-high.

Minis and mini-floras are cut back to around 8 inches. Climbers are not cut back at all, but any rogue canes should be tied up so they don’t whip around in the breeze. Shrubs can be left alone if you prefer, or cut back by a third to minimize wind damage. This is NOT rocket science!! I call this ‘gross pruning,’ and it is a relatively quick job. I pick up all the canes, rake any rose debris out of the garden, and put all the stuff in the back of the truck for my hubby to take to the dump. We don’t want to compost rose garbage on the outside chance that there might be a few fungus spores floating around…I know our gardens are spotless (!!), but we’d rather be safe than sorry!

November Roses

Now it’s November it is time to bury the roses for the winter. I know rosarians who bring in soil to bury their roses, but then they have to remove it in the spring. I’m too lazy a gardener for that! I usually dump compost or shredded pine bark mulch on them, and in the spring I can just spread out the stuff…and the first mulching is done! If the hose isn’t frozen yet, I will then water the hill of mulch. The mulch will freeze to the canes and will usually stay frozen for the rest of the winter…a good thing, because…

We winterize in the Northeast to get our roses cold in November and keep them cold until the real thaw next March or April!! We want to make sure they don’t sprout during a winter thaw.

Next time, we’ll talk about dormant roses in containers and what to do with them till Spring. Also, holiday gifts for gardeners!! Happy Thanksgiving to all, with love from your Rose Lady!