I love my roses to bits, but every winter I get that little pang of panic when the forecast starts muttering about “the big freeze.” And honestly? There’s only one thing that’s ever made a real difference: mounding the base of each plant with a big, cozy pile of compost.
The idea is simple enough. If you pile up 6-10 inches of rich compost or soil around the base of each tied-up rose, that little mound? That will work its magic as it protects the crown and upper roots from freeze-thaw damage (aka the real killer of roses over winter; it’s rarely just down to cold temperatures themselves).
Still, while mulching is key to keeping our roses alive over the winter, it all hinges on the type of mulch you use. Thankfully, the one and only Martha Stewart – who grows roses en masse at her current estate in Bedford, NY – knows exactly which product we should all be using, and how best to apply it, too.
The Best Mulch for Winterizing Roses
Before we get into that all-important product, there’s a bit more work to winterizing roses than just mulching. As Martha Stewart puts it in her blog on winter garden prep, these classic blooms ‘need a thorough clean-up before winter'.
'Cut off any dead or diseased canes and remove leaves and weeds around the base of the plant. Check climbers to make sure that long canes are securely tied,' she adds, noting that this is the point you should cover them in fresh compost if you want to keep them safe during extreme low temperatures and even occasional thaws..
Of course, if you don’t have wheelbarrows of homemade brown gold sitting around, you can follow mine and Martha's lead; start using Miracle-Gro Performance Organics All-Purpose In-Ground Garden Soil for the job instead.
Happily, you can buy this one in bulk via Amazon, which feels reassuring when you’ve got half a dozen roses giving you the side-eye. That being said, there are other options; most rosarians, including the geniuses at David Austin Roses, will recommend any good quality soil improver as your mulch material.
'Alternatively, you can use a good quality garden compost, composted straw or bark, or well rotted manure from a local farm,' they add.
If you opt for the latter, though, be sure to only (and I really do mean only) do so if the manure is at least two years old. Fresh manure runs hot, that can cause all sorts of problems for your precious dormant roses. Play it safe, then, when caring for roses in winter, and use a product that comes with the Martha Stewart seal of approval, I say!
Winterizing Roses: Your Essential Shopping List
Use these pruners to cut off any dead or diseased canes.
Tie and secure long canes to protect them from strong winds.
... and don't forget to protect your hands from pesky thorns!
It’s one of those ridiculously easy tricks that pays off long-term. That's why bulk-buying this Miracle-Gro soil off Amazon during the Black Friday sales – and using it to dump a generous winter 'quilt' around my roses, obviously – has become my favourite tiny act of winter garden prep.
It’s quick, it’s strangely satisfying, and it basically guarantees I won’t be out here in March mourning a bunch of shrivelled sticks where my favorite flowers once stood. Hurray!
