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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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