This year was a great year for Roses for your Minnesota Garden, from the early spring, to the countless days of full sun we have received so far. With all the Hybrid Tea Roses we have sold, and the countless tips I have given out to people, the most asked question is how do I take care of my Rose in the fall.
Our Minnesota winters can be very harsh on your Roses and tipping is the only way your Hybrid Roses will survive. Some people will tell me that they have coned, pilled leaves, and mounded dirt around their Roses and that works. That might be true for them, but for me the ONLY WAY to keep your Hybrid Roses alive in a Minnesota winter is to tip them.
Having Hybrid Roses in your garden rather than shrub Roses is something that really stands out in a garden. The brilliant color of a Mr Lincoln Rose or the variegated white and red of a Love Rose is simply stunning. Yes putting them to bed for the winter takes a little work, but well worth the effort.
I start working on mine in the middle of October giving them a good watering to loosen up the soil a few days before tipping. Some people give them a good dormant spray such as a liquid lime-sulphur material, I myself don't, but many people do.
Don't do any pruning on them as that will open up the Rose for any fungus or problems with healing.
Get some nylon string and start tying up at the base and work your way up the canes to the top, leaving about 2 extra feet of string out. Leaving the extra string out will make it easier in the spring to pull your Rose up. There is no reason to cinch the string tight, the main reason is to make the Rose canes easier to handle.
Use a spade fork to loosen the soil around your Rose about 8 to 10 inches.
Start digging your trench away from the base of your Rose and work back, the length of your trench should be as long as the height of your Rose, dig down about 8 to 10 inches. The width of your trench should be able to handle the width of your Rose.
As you get closer to the base of your Rose you should be able to start tipping the Rose in. Cover the Rose with about 4 to 6 inches of soil, cover your soil with about 18 inches of leaves. I put chicken wire over the leaves to keep them in place.
Come late March start to uncover the Rose by taking the leaves off as the ground thaws. sometime around mid April you should have your Rose up. Clean off the Rose with your hose and give it a good watering and some fungicide.
So there you have it, a very easy way to take care of your Hybrid Tea Roses over our cold Minnesota winters.
