You Should Mulch Your Roses Now to Guarantee Gorgeous Spring Blooms — Here's How

Cold temperatures alone doesn't necessarily damage roses, but rather the freeze-and-thaw cycles throughout the winter. Mulching keeps temperatures around the plant more consistent during the winter, protecting the crown (the knot-like spot at the base where roots and canes emerge) and the lower portion of the canes.

Here, find explanations as to why mulching is important, which roses to mulch and when, and how to best do so from prep to removal.

Which Roses Need Mulching

Before purchasing a rose, always check its hardiness range. Although mulching helps to insulate roses against cold, you should only plant roses that are hardy enough to survive the coldest average winter temperatures in your USDA Plant Hardiness Zone.

Depending on where you live, most hybrid tea roses, grandiflora roses, floribunda roses, and other modern rose varieties require protection during the winter. Roses native to North America, such as the Virginia rose, as well as most shrub and landscape rose bushes do not require heavy mulching but benefit from a layer of mulch at their base during the winter.

Due to their growth habit, climbing roses are difficult to protect against the cold. If you would like to plant a climbing rose in your yard, ensure that it is reliably winter-hardy in your zone.

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Before Mulching Roses 

Fertilizing

Fertilizing only applies to late-blooming roses or repeat bloomers that flower in late summer or early fall.

To ensure a continued bloom, fertilize the rose in August or September with a low-nitrogen fertilizer, such as 2-4-1. High nitrogen produces shoots growth late in the season, which will succumb to the first frost.

Alternatively, use a foliar spray on leaves as fertilizer, which is absorbed only by existing leaves and gives the plants a nutrient boost to produces a lusher bush late in the season.

Pruning

Stop deadheading your roses in mid to late September and let spent flowers turn into rose hips, which helps protect the roses in cold weather.

Once the rose has gone dormant and has lost its leaves, do some light pruning. Cut long canes back to a height between 18 and 24 inches. If canes remain longer, they will move around in the wind and risk breaking or loosening the mulch around the rose.

Mulching Roses

While the recommended mulches and the timing of mulching are the same for all roses, how much mulch you should use depends on the type of rose.

When To Mulch

To mulch properly, wait until the plant has gone completely dormant and the ground has started to cool. Apply mulch after the first hard frost (when temperatures sit below 28°F for four consecutive hours), or when the ground starts to freeze, if that happens in your area.

Which Mulch to Use

Only use organic mulch for your roses, such as bark, straw, shredded leaves, compost, or manure.

Finely shredded bark is ideal because it creates a thick layer without forming large clumps. Straw is lightweight and effective, offers excellent insulation, allows for good airflow, and does not let moisture build up.

Shredded leaves from your lawn are another good option, and compost or aged manure creates highly effective insulation with the extra benefit of improving soil structure and adding nutrients. All of these materials serve as good protectors from the cold.

How to Mulch

Before mulching your roses, thoroughly clear the area around the rose of old leaves and weeds.

For roses that only need moderate winter protection—such as native roses and shrub roses—place mulch around the base of the rose to a depth of 6 to 8 inches. In a warm climate where the ground does not freeze, a layer of 2 to 4 inches should work.

All other roses—hybrid tea, Grandiflora, or Floribunda—need more protection as these roses are typically grafted, and the graft union is particularly sensitive to cold damage. Loosely tie the canes together with soft twine, making it easier to work around the plants and preventing them from moving in the wind. Build a mound of mulch 10 to 12 inches high around the canes.

Regardless of the thickness, always make sure to spread the mulch around the base of the plant to cover its root zone. If you are using a lightweight mulch such as shredded leaves or straw, you can surround the rose with a cylinder made of chicken wire to hold the mulch in place. 

Removing Mulch After Winter

In late winter or early spring, around six weeks before the last frost date, check if the mulch has thawed.

If so, remove all but a couple of inches of the mulch. After about two weeks, remove the rest of the mulch when you see new growing tips.

Check for yellow, bright green, or reddish cane tips emerging from the soil at the base of the plant. If you don’t see any, leave the remaining mulch for a few more days; this should trigger the plant to break dormancy and send up new growth. The new growth is very fragile so be extra careful when removing mulch.