Now, I really don’t have roses in January. My roses are not blooming. But, I have learned some rose care which may need to be done in January. Ideally, you should do this in December…but I didn’t know that.
Above is my January rose bush. I am a little embarrassed to share the picture lest any rose expert see and critique. All the same here it is. My rose bush still had leaves on it in January! This is unusual, folks. My other rose bushes had less leaves than this one, but they still had some. This is because I live in a mild climate. We have had below freezing temperatures, but not enough to frighten my roses into winter dormancy.
Roses Need Their Leaves Removed
Call it defoliating if you’d like to sound wise. Once the roses have ceased to bloom and winter has really set in (maybe after a week or two after the first freeze), it’s time to remove any remaining leaves and flowers from your rose bush. There are several reasons to take the leaves off the bush.
First, removing the leaves also removes lurking fungus and disease (or at least slows them down). Look at the picture below. You’ll see black and yellow spots on my rose bush’s leaves. That’s black spot, a bothersome fungus which causes a rose’s leaves to yellow and then fall. During the summer months, you will use other methods to fight black spot. In the winter, you work to prevent its presence by simply removing all appearance of it.
Another reason to defoliate your rose bush is that your dear rose needs a rest. Here in the South, the rose has had 9 and a half months of blooming work. It needs a rest! I discovered this tip in a book by my favorite rose expert, Mr Stephen Scanniello. He advises gardeners in Florida and other southern states to remove a rose’s leaves in the winter. This ensures that the rose will get a period of revitalizing dormancy. Your rose, like your 7 year old child, may not want to go to sleep, but it needs to do so.
Lastly, removing your roses leaves in the winter makes for a tidier winter garden. I didn’t realize the messy sight my garden held until I removed those weary, somewhat sad leaves from my rose bushes. Now, the remaining canes look neat and tidy.
My poor, shaggy winter garden. You can see that I have much to learn about around-year garden planning. But, the roses look tidier than they did! Except for that one dangling rose head. I should have cut that off, too.
A Last Word
Try to get rid of all the leaves. Not only those on the bushes themselves, but also any that have fallen under the bushes. I think I see some in the mid-left of the above picture. Black spot and other blights can harbor in those fallen leaves. Pick them up and throw them away. Do not compost them. Do not place them in a rubbish pile to slowly decompose. You simply do not want to keep that fungus around where it has any chance of survival or transmission.
There you have it! Hope for the gardener aching to get out into the garden in those brutally cold winter months! A task which really must be done at this dreary season. A little contemplation on the goodness of bedtime… Well, I admit, the brutal cold I faced was probably in the mid 50s. If you live where the cold is truly brutal, the weather will do the work for you.
Recent Comments