How to Prepare Mini Roses for Winter

Miniature roses are 6- to 24-inch perennial shrubs that bloom all summer and provide color for small sunny spaces or containers. Unlike many larger roses, they are not grafted but grow on their own roots. Mini roses grown in gardens south of U.S. Department of Agriculture zone 6 bloom almost all year and need little winter care. Many mini roses are hardy to zone 6; the hardiest shrubs grow in zones 5 and 4. The Calgary Rose Society offers miniature rose advice for zone 3. Even the hardiest plants need protection from winter's drying wind and cold in northern zones.

Things You'll Need

Shovel
Basket
Clean garden soil or compost
Pruning shears

Hand trowel
Hand cultivator or rake
Watering can
Garden gloves

Instructions

- 1
  Help your miniature rose prepare for dormancy by watering it regularly through early fall to hydrate it well. Stop fertilizing in July to keep it from producing new growth that may die back with the first freeze, killing parts of the small shrub.
- 2
  Trim the shrub to 4 to 6 inches tall, proportional to its size. Shear the shrub or hand prune individual branches to retain a well-rounded shape.
- 3
  Mound fresh soil over the plant after the first fall frost. In zone 6, simply cover the base of the plant's main stem. In more northern zones, the Calgary Rose Society suggests mounding 4 to 6 inches of clean soil mixed with leaves, compost or peat moss over the plant so that only the ends of the branches can be seen.
- 4
  Trim container mini roses to 4 to 6 inches tall and bury the entire plant in the garden or set the container in a sheltered cool area like a cellar or garage where the temperature doesn't fall below freezing.
- 5
  Uncover plants after the soil warms and the last average frost date has passed. After removing the heavy winter mulch, cover the area around the plant with an inch of fresh compost or organic mulch to insulate mini rose's shallow roots. Water plants deeply to keep roots moist during cool springs.

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