Recommended fall rose care to help prevent plants from breaking dormancy during winter warm spells:
-
Stop deadheading in early or mid-autumn. Pull the petals off remaining
flowers and let hips develop. This signals the plant to start reserving
its energy for winter.
-
Quit pruning, except for dead canes, until the first signs of spring. In northern zones: -
When leaves begin to change
color, wind the rose canes together with twine. This will keep them
from breaking under winter wind and snow. Use an 8-foot-long strand,
start at the bottom of the plant and wind upward.
-
When the ground is too cold and hard to make a footprint, and more cold weather is forecasted, pile soil around the plant base. After the mounded ground freezes, pile salt marsh hay on
top of the layer of soil. This locks sunlight from thawing the soil and
making the plant break dormancy too early. This layer is crucial in
winters without snow. Wait until the last possible day to cover the
plants with soil (and later with hay). In the fall, mice, voles and moles
are looking for a warm place to spend the winter. If you cover your
rose bushes too soon, they will burrow in and chew the canes all
winter. Waiting until the ground starts to freeze and forces varmints
to find other winter quarters. | 
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