How to Overwinter Potted Roses 101 (Part 3) - Everything you NEED to Know

[@laurashewell6700]

How about planting roses in bottomless pots? I am a new rose gardener in zone 5, started two years ago but now I'm addicted to roses. The only sunny area in my garden is a lower ground that collects moisture from the rain, and that's the reason why I grow mine in large bottomless planters and leave them out all winter. In the fall after the first frost or so, I normally wrap the planters only with several layers of burlap, and heavily mulch around the plant, thankfully my roses have done well:) This time I will use plastic rose collars, fill them up with mulch and wrap the planters in black plastic as you recommended:) Thank you so much for sharing the information. Love your beautiful large garden! Laura

[@MiriamGrutz-m8l]

You are the best I love roses, only thing i live in Florida and hard to keep them beautiful 😊😊

[@violettawlodkowska4190]

Great ideas! Thank you Olga. I successfully overwinter my potted rose bushes on my balcony in Chicago area zone 5b in a pop up 4' by 6' green house. Have one in a garden for the babies too. Also use bubble wrap and burlap to insulate the roots and put straw on top 😊

[@cindiblazer8621]

I so enjoy your tutorials. Thankyou

[@OlgaCarmody]

You are so welcome!

[@KathyBacso]

Thank You very much. I got answers today from Dear Olga.I am thankful.🌹

[@OlgaCarmody]

You're welcome 😊

[@melissaboerman3354]

I plant my potted roses in large 5 or 10gal fabric bags with handles & then plant them into a decorative ceramic pot. In autumn, I can lift the rose by the bag handles & plant in the garden, winterizing the same as my other in-ground roses. The fabric bags prevent the roots from circling & prevents the roots from being disturbed when they are transplanted to & from their ceramic pots in fall & again in spring. Planting in bags also makes it easier to upgrade to a larger fabric bag as needed as the rose matures. This is the first year growing & winterizing 2 tree roses. Again, I planted them in 10gal fabric bags with handles. I removed them from the decorative pots by lifting them out by the handles & pruned back. I placed the fabric bags in large plastic tubs tucked in with wool felt, with 2x4’s underneath. I sprayed with Wilt-Pruf. Then I wrapped the trunk, the graft union, & all the canes with plumbers foam & then strips of wool felt. I can still access the soil for watering, as needed. For right now they are in my unheated garage, but will be moving to a friends garage that stays above freezing, but below 50°F. This is probably overkill, but I do not want to lose them. The proof will be in the pudding, as they say. There is no one in my area who has grown tree roses, so I do not have a local resource to draw from. I do not have room in the garden to apply the ‘Minnesota Tip’ method you described using burying/trenching, & frankly, sounds like too much work & risk. Who knows, maybe I’ll become an expert at growing tree roses in zone 5, with an average 250” of snowfall. Gotta start somewhere!

[@OlgaCarmody]

Wow, I commend you for trying to grow tree roses in zone 5! And bag idea is a great one! I tried growing plants in fabric pots for the first time this year and it was a failure. Fabric will just sit tight on the ground and prevent water from escaping from bottom holes. I will try next year, make fabric pots with holes for water on sides. Best of luck with your tree roses!

[@melissaboerman3354]

@@OlgaCarmody I could see how having a fabric pot sitting directly on the ground would effect drainage. The bags for my container roses are slightly smaller than the ceramic pot, & so there is soil/compost along all sides & the bottom of the fabric bag. There is a nice drainage hole at the bottom of the ceramic pot + I place the pots on ceramic pot lifters so that I can see that they are draining properly.

[@pamellasmith2503]

You’re so delightful to watch 🪴🌹

[@lovewithnature7183]

You explain very nice,, huge love 💚💚

[@francapernasilici4425]

Hi Olga I have two standard knockout roses growing in a wine barrels. I've insulated the inside wine barrels with foam before I planted the roses. They're up against the back fence. They're gorgeous and huge. Can't bring them in. Wanting to know if I should wrap the crown with some foam insulation or wrap them in burlap or insulate the wine barrels further? Any tips would be appreciated. Thank you, franca

[@OlgaCarmody]

It all depends where you live. If zone 6 and lover, your standards will not survive the winter, especially if we have a funny weather, with dips and highs in temperature. If you are in zone 7, I would go ahead and insulate pot and plant as well. I would wrap the rose in burlap or some sort of moving blanket. Pots - any insulation will be great, foam is good too. Very wind protected spot in the garden is best.

[@penelopestewartartist1914]

Dear Olga, I have several David Austin shrub roses…Vanessa Bell, Emily Brontë, Lark Ascending and Benjamin Brittan. They have all in the past month grown very large huge canes 6-7ft. Should I cut these now while they are getting ready for dormancy? I was worried about disease getting into the cuts? I am in zone 6 a by Lake Erie… my climbing roses I just usually stabilize by tying back into the trellis. Thank you so much for your advice.

[@OlgaCarmody]

Hi, don't cut those canes, you will promote new growth, which we don't need now. Wait for the first strong frost in your area, temp going freezing for several hours and then go ahead and winterize your roses. I think video is needed here to explain all the details. Thank you!

[@penelopestewartartist1914]

@@OlgaCarmody thank you Olga.

[@vickimiracle5077]

Hello, thank you for answering questions? I was wondering if you could use a pool noodle ( like insulation) to protect a standard tree rose's main stem?

[@argosaha9318]

I am in zone 6b (Chicago). I have put my potted hybrid tea roses either in wooden half whiskey barrel containers (37 gal) or large plastic/resin 22 gallon containers. I plan to cut down my roses to 12-18 inch hight above the bud union, and cover the rose bush and their pots with breatheable frost cloths. They are all clustered close to my house in a sunny spot, on my concrete driveway. Do you think my potted roses (hybrid tea) will survive the winter in zone 6b, with this treatment? I have no room in the garage for 50-60 such pots.

[@OlgaCarmody]

Well, you just have to do your best at protecting your roses and see what happens. Put smaller pots in the middle and hurdle all of them tight together. I would run some black plastic around them, not on top though.

[@argosaha9318]

@@OlgaCarmody my whiskey barrels containing Japanese maples survived ok, I assume the same for roses. I have not tested my resin planters (22 gal) yet with roses. Last Jan we had -10 F weather for a week

[@argosaha9318]

@@OlgaCarmody thank you for the response

[@samanthahawaii]

Hi Olga, Your videos have been so helpful, thank you so much :-) I have one question...I'm completely new to gardening so please excuse my complete lack of knowledge. You said the roses in pots can be buried under the garden soil with some mulch on top for overwintering. Is it warmer under the soil where the rose will be buried (in it's pot) in the ground?.... because you then said to put pots on wood or brick because the soil at ground level is too cold 🙂......So is the soil at ground level colder than (for example) the soil 10" underground? Sorry I hope that makes sense 😀

[@OlgaCarmody]

The soil on the ground level is colder and prone to quick temperature changes. Underground doesn't fluctuate so quick in temperature, which is very important. And I advise to keep pots in the garage on some sort of elevated support to keep them away from the freezing floor. Hope it helps.

[@heatherc3732]

I have my rose plant in a container. It will be left outside. I live in zone 7b. Should I prune it before dormancy?

[@OlgaCarmody]

You should prune long canes to protect your rose from rocking, but not too much. And do some sort of winterization on your rose as well, unless it is a hardy rose to zone 5.

[@Jpatmeadowbrook]

We leave some leaves for overwintering caterpillars. The seed heads rovide food for birds and hollow stems become homes for our Native pollinators. Advice from Dr. Doug Tallamy. I have a cardinal eating in my garden now.❤

[@lesliekuna8756]

Hi Olga, how would you protect two standard roses in zone 6 that are planted in the middle of a front lawn flower bed that is exposed to the winter weather without any protection from other trees around it? Thank you in advance!

[@OlgaCarmody]

Well, tricky situation. Exposed site is a problem to the bud union on top of your tree rose. If you leave your rose as is, you run the risk of loosing grafted rose to winter. You have 3 options: trench digging and burying, digging up and garage storage, or wrapping your rose pretty well and hope for the best. I don’t know what you would decide…. Good luck!

[@marisakirisame2366]

Question :if you receive a potted roses in the mail should you repot/plant it immediately/as soon as you can or wait and let it acclimate first assuming frost is not a current issue at the moment?

[@OlgaCarmody]

I usually let my plants get acclimated in their pots in shade for a day or two with a good drink of water and fresh air. Then I go ahead and plant them into their permanent spot.

[@argosaha9318]

Olga, What is your climate zone in CT?

[@OlgaCarmody]

We are in zone7a, just became officially warmer, used to be 6b.