Clear DayI am in the Dallas Texas area. I think this is zone 7. I wanted some help with what is best for me to do with my roses for the winter. My large buses have done well through the summer, although I neglected them due to illness. However the miniature roses have been munched on by the rabbbits. They have stripped the leaves off the canes, but I still got a few blooms just before the freeze in December.

I feel horrible for negelcting them and want to do what is best for them through the winter so that they will have a better spring/summer next year.

Thanks in advance for your help.

--

Melodie Bond




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"Melodie Bond" wrote in message
...
Clear DayI am in the Dallas Texas area. I think this is zone 7. I wanted
some help with what is best for me to do with my roses for the winter. My
large buses have done well through the summer, although I neglected them due
to illness. However the miniature roses have been munched on by the
rabbbits. They have stripped the leaves off the canes, but I still got a
few blooms just before the freeze in December.

I feel horrible for negelcting them and want to do what is best for them
through the winter so that they will have a better spring/summer next year.

Thanks in advance for your help.

--

Melodie Bond

=========
Hi Melodie -
I'm quite a bit south of you, near San Antonio, so
normally I don't do anything to my roses except
keep them watered (as needed) and put on an
extra layer of mulch before it gets too cold.

I have lost roses to late freezes, but almost never
minis, which tend to be more cold tolerant.
Local conditions are also very important. Roses
near your house (or other heated structures) are
going to stay warmer because the house is warmer.
Container plants need more protection, usually.
I have several container roses that live on my front
porch and unless we're expecting temps below 20
(rare around here), they stay on the front porch and
do fine. Otherwise I can bring them inside the
house overnight. The other 130+ roses are in the
ground and are on their own!

Anyhoo, for more detailed/specific help, maybe
you could post the kinds of roses you have,
especially the bush roses.

Also, a good link for articles on winter care is:
http://www.ars.org/About_Roses/rose_care_articles.htm

Go to the Winter Care link.

Good luck!

Gail
near San Antonio TX Zone 8