Roses may remain green in the winter in parts of the Southwest. But that doesn’t mean you can ignore them. They have some very specific needs in the winter. Even the relatively warm winters in much of the Southwest. 

Rose care during their less active time of year can be boiled down to five easy care tips.

Five Tips for Roses in Winter

Rose Dormancy

The days got shorter, and, yes they are getting longer again, but roses have a genetic memory of frosty winters, and they are mainly dormant. Yes, they may have leaves still on them, but that does not mean that they are actively growing. Think of them as dormant for most of January in all growing zones across the Southwest. This will change by the end of January for some folks. Read on.

Dormancy is not sleep but a pause, a slowing of metabolic activity. There is some preparation going on deep within the rose. Not in Low Desert? Roses accept frost and snow with remarkable toughness. It’s in their genes. Centuries of human selection and plant breeding and plus aeons before that surviving harsher winters than most of us ever see. Allow them this pause. It is part of their nature.

Mulch Around the Base

Mulching in winter is one of the most generous acts you can offer your roses. A layer of mulch or compost around two to four inches deep protects the crown, the central portion, from sudden shifts in temperature. It also helps keep the soil temperature more stable, and thus the roots can better survive.  

Compost enriches the ground, slowly breaking down further over time and enriching the soil. The organic matter (OM) released into the soil supports moisture retention and can lead to less watering in the future. Over time, this layer breaks down and feeds the microbial life in the soil, creating conditions where roots thrive.

Mulching does more than keep roses warm. It is the basis for strong summer growth and encourages the deep rooting that keeps roses growing vigorously year after year.

Water Only if Needed

Roses require very little water during the colder months. Dormant remember? That said, do water if the weather has been unusually dry for an extended period – like over three or four weeks. Shorten this time frame if it is very windy for a few days or weeks. Even if your plant is mere bare stems, those stems have pores that will open daily and the plant loses water. When/if you do water, do water in the morning.

No Fertilizer when Dormant!

We all need to rest sometimes and roses are no different. Roses need to rest completely through winter, however long that may be where you live. Fertilizer in winter months would confuse the plant. Fertilizer would encourage soft, frost prone shoots.

Any money you spend to fertilize roses in winter is basically wasted. Save the minerals and “vitamins” offered by fertilizer for later, when the roots fully awaken and the plant is ready to draw upon it with purpose.

When is that? Ignore the things written for other regions. It may be February, or March, or April – depending on where you live. That’s why you might like my book – it lays out each month in each elevation in the Southwest. Or subscribe to my Substack newsletter.

Winter Pruning

My article Pruning Roses in the Southwest includes the time frames for pruning.  These are based on the Last Frost date in your area.  This is the part that those rose care guides written for “back east” are not good about – and it is why I keep producing these articles for you.

When the correct time arrives, (be it January, February, or even March) it is time to prune your rose bushes. Working on a rose bush in the dormancy phase of winter lets you to see its framework more clearly. Each branch is better revealed with little to no leaves to disguise the over all form.

When pruning rose bushes, the goal is simple: remove what is weak and shape what remains. This gives the plant a form that encourages light and healthy air movement throughout the coming year.

Winter Rest is Healthy

If you have seen some of my YouTube videos on roses, you know I favor the fragrant and classic looking David Austin roses. They do have a growing facility outside of Phoenix, so they can offer us some real tough roses. Let me close with this from their recent blog.

“Roses, perhaps more than anything else, reveal their strength (in winter). Their bare branches hold the memory of last season’s bloom, while beneath the soil they gather themselves for the next. Looking after them at this time of year becomes less a checklist of jobs and more a steady, reassuring conversation with the season ahead.”

More Rose Care Tips – pages of them for each month!

The Month By Month Guide offers tips for your landscape (yes even lawns and roses) in every month of the year.  I have a few copies left and am offering them to you – my loyal readers. When you buy from me you get a signed copy!

From the review:

“A great reference book is key to successful gardening in the region where you live. Arizona, Nevada & New Mexico Month-by-Month Gardening takes the guesswork out of gardening for anyone residing in the Southwest. With this book, you’ll know what to do each month to enjoy a thriving garden all year, from January to December. Chronologically organized, this guide is full of critical gardening when-to and how-to advice, along with illustrated step-by-step instructions.

The book’s author is Jacqueline Soule, a Tucson-based gardening expert. She knows this arid region inside and out, and she’s written several articles and books packed with her gardening advice. Arizona, Nevada & New Mexico Month-by-Month Gardening showcases Soule’s expertise in one easy-to-read guide.”

Profits from the sale of this book go to the Horticulture Therapy non-profit Tierra del Sol Institute. 

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