Knowing where you live and what kind of roses you have planted will make a major difference in the kind of advice you are offered.
I don't have to winter protect my roses even though during the winter months I do have night temps that stay below freezing. If you live in a colder zone than mine, more like Paul's, I would defer to him for advice because he has the hands on experience of preparing roses for colder winters.
My basic rule of thumb is to bring the roses into winter as healthy as possible.
I am gardening in an area where we are in our third year of extreme drought and it has been a very, very hot summer this year, so my plants are already stressed.
In normal years, I stop feeding the roses at the beginning of October to allow the plants to harden off for winter, but with the drought I may make some adjustments to that guideline because I have a hunch we are going to have another "dry" year and modern roses store their nutrients in their canes and never go completely dormant.
I guess what I am saying, the more information about what you are experiencing in your garden will allow ATP members with similar conditions to give you more specific advice.
to ATP.
Smiles,
Lyn
