Best Winter Rose Mulching Method?

[GardenGeisha]

As you recall, several of my roses were badly sunburned last summer, and I am hoping they will make it through the winter, weakened as they are. We have had an abnormally warm December here-- some days in the 60s, instead of the usual 30 degree days. So I was afraid to winter mulch them, until now, when it has become colder, fearing heaving and such. I always winter mulch my roses with Christmas tree branches, but this year I did not get to Lowe's for the cut off tree branches, since it was so warm and hectic with Christmas chores. Now very cold weather is predicted ahead-- maybe down to 6 F this coming week. We had one or two freakishly cold nights back in November-- down to 12 F. We do finally have a bit of snow on the ground here now with more coming Sunday. It has been a very dry fall/winter so far. Should I just let the snow we now have serve as winter mulch on the roses until it has melted, or should I go ahead and put down other mulch atop the snow? And what sort of mulch should I use, since I don't have tree branches? Soil? wood chips? Hay (I don't know where I'd get any loose hay). Do you think the city would have a supply of chopped Christmas tree parts from residents' discarded Christmas trees? I wonder what department I would need to call to try to get some from the city/county, or would they be too finely ground up to make a good winter mulch for roses? The intact fir branches were good for air flow around the roses and easy to remove in the spring. All winter mulching suggestions for roses will be appreciated. I should have collected the Christmas tree branches and just stacked them to the side, while it was warm weather, but I didn't think of that. I guess I had hoped it would stay abnormally warm all winter. I'm in Zone 5 or 6 or 7, Salt Lake City, Utah.

 

[digitS']

All winter mulching suggestions for roses will be appreciated.

Funny, I was just out mulching my roses ...

It will also be down in the single digitS' here, the Weather Service says -- by Tuesday morning, @GardenGeisha . We will have 4" of snow before then and that will be my mulch.

You should know that I have very few roses and they are all at the intersection of two walkways. I have just shoveled about half of the snow that has collected on those 2 concrete walks onto the roses. There should be enough snow very soon that the rose bed will be completely covered. Hopefully, it will stay that way - it isn't the best method because snow melts off during the winter, at times.

When I wasn't so lazy, I'd have pine needles. I did go to a nearby park and rake pine needles several weeks ago. They didn't go quite far enough for there to be some for the roses.

Snow makes a good mulch IF it stays in place and is deep enough. My roses are pruned to about 24" and I really shouldn't have trouble keeping those ~15 square feet covered if there's any snow around.

Steve

 

[journey11]

I got around to mulching mine today too. I never had to before, since winter here has been unusually warm for something like 17 years they say. But last winter was bitterly cold and broke that streak. The canes died back to the ground and I almost lost a couple of them. So, I should have been doing it just in case all along, especially on those grafted roses.

Anything that lets them breathe should be fine, even snow as long as it stays on. Deep freezes and wind chill are what I worry about. If mine were in a more sheltered spot, I'd worry less. I used straw and pinned it in place with pieces of woven wire I had lying around.

 

[so lucky]

I don't mulch mine at all. In my defense, they are on the east side of the house, and have a warmer micro-climate.

 

[digitS']

GardenGeisha has to be concerned about an arid climate and protection against dehydration in the cold.

Tea roses are originally from southern China. It probably wasn't the part that borders on Tibet ... but, we are talking about Utah and not Wyoming .

Steve
someday, i hope TEG will have a Wyoming gardener.

 

[so lucky]

@digitS', I don't think anyone in Wyoming gardens. They just eat beef.
And look at the wildflowers.

 

[canesisters]

mulch..... ?

 

[Lavender2]

I'm afraid I'm about that much help when it comes to roses.
I just use leaves, rake 'em in, walk away, then it snows... goodnight roses, see you in Spring.

I do have to catch myself from deadheading late in the season so they can do their hips thing.

 

[GardenGeisha]

It's been abnormally warm here in Utah this winter. Don't know whether that was good or bad for fragile roses which were made frail by a bad sunburn last summer... We haven't gotten much moisture or snow for insulation. And all the roses are budded out with new red canes, very scary, should we have a bitter cold snap... They usually don't bud out the way they are budded out like they are now, until mid-April. I did run around and get some Christmas trees around New Year's and mulch them.

 

[catjac1975]

If you can get peat at this time of year, you can hill up a giant mound on the heart of the canes. Or leaves.