The hormones and enzymes naturally present in a ripening hip will start the rose toward dormancy. From Hallowe'en on just pull off the old petals and let the hips develop. As late December and January sets in, strip off the old leaves so the bush is forced to go to sleep until Spring.
The rose will then go into a hibernation-type state where it will slow down its metabolic systems, and reserve vital nutrients to flush out when fair weather returns in spring. This is very similar to the way that dormancy works in other plants, such as hydrangeas or Crape Myrtles.
The Scrape Test
Scrape the bark away gently to see what the underneath layer looks like. If the bark peels away easy and you're left with green filament under it, your plant is alive and well! It's dormant, ready to spring up next year. If, however, the interior is brown, black or brittle, your plant is in trouble.
Most modern varietals of rose will bloom continuously, meaning that they can have a number of bloom cycles over the course of a season, which is typically May through October, depending on the climate.
Many rosarians will tell you that subsequent to spring, their favorite bloom cycle is the one in mid-October. In order to make this happen in your garden, there are some steps you need to take in late August or early September.
Roses occasionally bloom as early as April and as late as November, but the big display takes place around Father's Day and again in mid-September. And there are always roses in bloom to enjoy all summer.
If your roses need covering in winter – typically if you live in zones 1 to 4 – then wait until temperatures have dropped consistently to 20 degrees Fahrenheit during the day. 'Wait for a week of freezing temperatures in fall or early winter before starting to cover the plants. This way they are entering dormancy.
Fall is one of the best blooming seasons for roses. As the weather cools, the plants get back in “flower machine” mode. Make sure you get the most bang for your buck in a few weeks, by giving them a little extra care now. Remove faded flowers, cutting back to at least the first leaf with five leaflets.
A rose shrub's bloom period can vary by species. But in general, roses bloom from late spring all the way into early fall.
Can I cut my rose bush to the ground? Yes, but it's not usually necessary. The only reason for cutting rose bushes to the ground is if all of the canes are either severely damaged or dead. It's better to follow the steps above to give them a heavy pruning, rather than just cutting them down to the ground.
Overnight, florists recommend refrigerating your roses or placing them in the coolest, dark spot you can find. With the proper care, the florists at Bouqs say cut roses should last 7 to 10 days. For more tips and old Wive's tales on keeping cut flowers fresh, check out these 9 fresh-cut flower secrets.
Dormant plants such as blueberries, lilacs, photinia, dog woods, roses, fruit trees, or anything that tend to develop fungal issues, will need Copper Fungicide and Horticultural Oil before they leaf out.
Watch out for particularly prolonged dry spells. Newly planted roses – water every two or three days. Established roses – water once or twice a week as needed to keep the soil moist around your roses.
Avoid pruning roses in the fall. Because pruning spurs more growth, stop deadheading or cutting blooms for bouquets a few weeks before your area's first frost date. As the weather gets colder, your roses will begin to go dormant, moving their energy reserves into their roots to help them survive the winter.
If you want to do any cutting of your roses in autumn, wait until after the first hard frost (temperature below 25 degrees Fahrenheit overnight). If you cut back before the first hard frost, it may send a signal to the roses to grow when they should be going dormant.
Winter protection is often necessary for most types of garden roses. The extent of protection depends on the type of rose and its location in the garden. Choose only types hardy enough to survive the coldest average winter temperatures in your growing zone.
If your roses aren't planted in the correct location, under the right conditions, they will be more likely to experience dieback. "Roses perform poorly in shady or wet locations, so put them in a spot that receives at least six hours of sun and has well-drained soil," he says.
The more severe winters you experience in your location, the more important it is to cover the base of the rose bush. Since roses go dormant in the winter, there's not much damage that frost will do to the rose canes. Of course, you can prune any damage from the canes in springtime.
In early November, prune the top third out of plants to reduce and eliminate snow damage if we receive an early, wet snow. Do the finish pruning in the spring while the roses are still dormant but the chances of a hard frost are behind us (about late February). Leave until spring.
In fall roses instinctively send their sap down into the roots so there is no danger of that. Deadheading interferes with that process and you run the risk of damaging the roses.