skip to main content

Idiotic oversight: I didn't cover my roses

DisplacedClevelander

10 years ago

Fall came and left and then winter pounced on me before I could gather my bearings (and cover my roses). So they have been totally unprotected. Yep. I know. So anyhow, it's still cold but it's been warm enough for me to putz around in the yard.

Below is a photo of the teensy tiny Tina Turner hybrid tea rose I purchased from Heirloom Roses. She is her own root. But she is tiny and has had mainly one cane her entire life (which has been around 1.5 years). The fact that she has only one cane bothers me. She's been planted in an area which receives full sun all day. At one point she produced a side branch off of the main cane and had two stunning blooms but some neighborhood kids got to her.. Cut the blooms and then she was back to the one original cane.

With all of that said, I have some questions:
1. Should I put some leaves over her to protect her or is it too late?
2. When come times, pruning is out of the question, right? (Since there's nothing to prune)
3. She isn't dead, is she? (Please say no)
4. Any advice on ways to get her really growing this year?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

seil zone 6b MI
10 years ago
Don't panic. She's own root and even if you have to prune most of that cane off (and you do have to prune off any dead wood) she should put up some new ones this spring. It's still way too cold for that to happen though.

I don't know where you are but if you aren't past your last frost date you could put some leaves around it. It's a little late but it couldn't hurt.

As I said, you do have to prune off any dead wood. Starting at the top clip off a small piece and look at the center. If it's whitish/cream green it's alive. If it's dark brown or tan it isn't. Keep clipping down in small pieces until you find that whiter center. From there down it should be live cane. (I'm going to be doing a LOT of that myself this year.) It's way too early to do any pruning here but where you are it may be time. Usually a good rule of thumb is to start your pruning when the forsythias begin to bloom in your area.

Being own root I'd say no, she isn't dead. But she will take time to sprout new canes from the roots so be patient. It may not happen until it gets MUCH warmer. I've had roses I was sure were dead sprout new growth as late a mid-June. They just needed more warmth for longer to wake up.

You can give her some organic fertilizer but do so sparingly. You don't want to kill her with kindness. I wouldn't suggest any chemical fertilizers until you see strong new growth on her. You don't want to burn the roots.

As for the neighborhood kids, maybe you should put a cage around her some how so they can't get to her. I have a bed on the edge of the street too and fencing it did help keep the kids (and dogs) out of it.
susan4952
10 years ago
I think I see some green at the bottom. Throw some clean bark mulch down and protect her until it is your time to prune. I bet you will find new growth when you uncover. I had the same situation in Chicago....never got around to protecting them. I think she will be ok. Remember the bunnies like the tender new shoots.
Related Discussions
rose didn't come true to what it used to be?
Q
Comments (3)
Are there any canes left that are NOT new, long, etc. that look different from the new ones? Are there any blooms left that are not the new red (Dr. Huey, I agree) rose? The only way your rose can be "fixed" is to get rid of Dr. Huey, but unless you have some of the original rose left that's not much help. The Dr. Huey new leaves tend to be reddish, or green with a sort of red outline. Once you have identified which part is Dr. Huey, and which part is the original rose, -DO NOT CUT OFF THE Dr. Huey canes! You need to dig next to them, until you find the place where they are growing out of the main trunk of your original rose (this will be below the "lump" described above, which is called the "bud union". The hole needs to be deep enough so that you get below the place where Dr. Huey's canes are coming off the trunk. Then rip them downward until they rip off the trunk. If this does not work you can make a cut along the side of the trunk, taking off the Dr. Huey canes. The important part is to be left with just the original trunk, with NO bits of Dr. Huey canes left. Then cover the hole up again with dirt, tamp down, and water. They I would feed your rose, and hope that it recovers. Jackie IF it
...See More
Didn't buy a rose today
Q
Comments (7)
Ah, if only I could amass those kinds of problems. I've been out looking for more roses for the last month, but can't find anything locally except for tall, green twigs stuck in 2 gallon containers. They're labeled as roses, so I'm guessing we have some seriously delusional nursery personnel. Is it too much to ask that plants being sold should have leaves? Last thing I bought were 4 ferns, since I hadn't paid an ounce of attention to the shady areas for 2 years. I felt guilty about fawning over the full sun areas so I brought the shade a peace offering.
...See More
If I didn't have Hosta, I wouldn't have much left...
Q
Comments (15)
Thanks, Ludi; chin is still up :) I'm still excited and optomistic, I'm just a little peeved that this bull**** weather has wreaked havok on my gardens! But what can I really be angry at, nature? It's just the way it is sometimes, and thankfully not too often. I'm just waiting for dawn so I can go out and do some gardening ha ha ha seriously I don't work for a few days, and the idea that this may have actually been the last below-freezing night until later in the year has me too wired to sleep! I'm gonna go survey the damage, clean up some and site some Hostas! Still have to plant 'Elegans' among others ;P Have a great day everyone, talk to ya later! Don B.
...See More
How do I tell painter I see where he primed, and didn't add paint
Q
Comments (3)
Oopsie, I plan on talking to him. Because I have seen his temper I'm afraid of what he may do, not sure why? When he let me know that the wood grain was going to show thru in the front of the cabinets, said how that wasn't included in the sanding and spackling, I agreed to give him 200 extra, even though DH and I knew it was included, wanted it done right. When he let me know his estimate for painting skylight, sofit and walls didn't include ceiling, he thought it was going to be another extra. Who would expect a job with (new lighting,under counter lighting, granite counertops, carpentry, crown molding, floor, added pull outs, new appliences)not to have ceiling painted? At this point I just want to pay him for what he has done and get him out of my house. If I have to stay home with him while he paints the inside frame with 2 coats of paint, I will sit in the kitchen and watch. Is there anyway of me telling if he did the agreed on 2 coats of paint on the front part of my cabinets? Since he told me several times it wasn't necessary to give 2 coats of paint, I feel he didn't do it,even though he said he did, obviously I don't trust him any more. When he paints the frames he will have to cover my granite, and will also have to take the doors off (inside hindges), do I tell him this, or assume he will do this the proper way? I'm afraid the quality of this work won't be the same, which is why I ageed to the price he gave me. My mistake was looking at his own house as an example of his work, in my home he cut as many corners as he could, in his own home he cut no corners. He has also told me several times that for the "money I paid him and for my doors I could have had a new kitchen", till I asked him never to say that again. He has made other comments, which have done what they are suppose to do, shut me up and get me out of the kitchen! Thanks in advance for your help.
...See More
AnneCecilia z5 MI
10 years ago
And then there are some people who don't ever consider covering their roses for winter...and the roses survive, even in zone 4 (Me.) Your baby looks good and green at the base to me - so don't despair. Follow the pruning instructions already mentioned but not for a while yet - not until the weather settles into spring a bit further and watch for the yellow forsythia bloom as Seil says for your cue.
I have pruned own root (and grafted, too) roses right down to soil level and have had plenty of bloom that season. All will be well.

Related Stories

BEDROOMS 11 Things You Didn’t Think You Could Fit Into a Small Bedroom

By Becky Harris

Clever designers have found ways to fit storage, murals and even chandeliers into these tight sleeping spaces

PLANTING IDEAS Great Garden Combo: Rose + Clematis for Small-Space Impact

We all need somebody to lean on. And when a rose supports a climbing vine, the results can totally transform a small garden

GARDENING GUIDES What Kind of Roses Should You Grow?

By Noelle Johnson Landscape Consulting

Want to add the beauty of roses to your garden? Find out which ones, from old-fashioned to modern, are right for you

WINTER GARDENING Pruning Secrets for Exquisite Roses

By Annie Thornton

Encourage gorgeous blooms year after year with this time-tested advice on how to prune your rosebush in winter for health and shape

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Knock Out Roses

By J. Peterson Garden Design

As glorious as their high-maintenance kin for a fraction of the work, Knock Out roses make even beginners look like garden stars

SPRING GARDENING How to Grow a Rose Garden in Pots

By J. Peterson Garden Design

Everything can come up roses, even without a plot of soil in sight. This step-by-step guide to growing roses in containers shows you how

FUN HOUZZ Everything I Need to Know About Decorating I Learned from Downton Abbey

Mind your manors with these 10 decorating tips from the PBS series, returning on January 5

PLANTING IDEAS These Aren’t Your Grandparents’ Junipers

By Jay Sifford Garden Design

Dislike junipers? Maybe it’s time to discover new varieties and new uses for this garden workhorse

LIFE How to Handle Inherited Things You Don’t Really Want

By Jennifer Ott Design

Whether you’ve inherited a large collection of items or a single bulky piece of furniture, it’s OK to let it go if you don’t need or want it

SMALL SPACES Houzz TV: You Won’t Believe Everything This Tiny Loft Can Do

By Mitchell Parker

Looking for more floor space, a San Francisco couple hires architects to design a unit that includes beds, storage and workspace

Sponsored

More Discussions

My NC Garden 2024

14

My Container Roses in GA Spring 2024

14

RRV in public or businesses

19

My roses are getting sick, please help!

9

Which DAustin rose to go with Lady of Shalott

6