Caring for your rose over winter
English Roses are tolerant and healthy by nature, and will cope with wintry weather without fuss. Our advice and videos on rose care over the winter will provide you with everything you need to ensure your roses continue to thrive when the warmer weather arrives.
Your roses are winding down for the winter. Let them go into dormancy. There is nothing you need to do now. Do not worry about your roses being exposed to extreme frosty conditions or snow, they are in hibernation and will be unaffected.
It’s time to prepare your roses for the year ahead and give them a prune. Ideally, complete this task while the roses are still dormant. If your roses have leafed and you still have not pruned it is still better to prune, but this may push back the flowering period until later in the season. If you haven’t pruned by March, don’t worry; your roses will still benefit from a thorough prune.
Roses Planted in Windy or Exposed Areas
For roses planted in particularly windy or exposed areas we suggest pruning shrub roses by 1/3 of their size in mid to late October; once the last of the roses have faded. This prevents ‘wind rock’ which is when the rose becomes loose at the base where it meets the soil, due to wind exposure. For standards prune lightly to defend against strong winds.
Hip Producing Roses
Many roses will produce plentiful crops of beautifully coloured hips following their flowering season. These hips are highly decorative and will provide vibrant colour over the winter months, they also attract wild birds to your garden.
For hip-producing roses do not deadhead. This will allow hips to form over the autumn.
Roses Through Winter
Winter draws a different map across the garden. Borders lose their summer softness, the air grows crisp, and each plant stands in its true form. Roses, perhaps more than anything else, reveal their strength now. Their branches hold the memory of last season’s bloom, and 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.
Discover Our Video Guides
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Caring for Roses Through WinterWinter draws a different map across the garden. Borders lose their summer softness, the air grows crisp, and each plant stands in its true form. Roses, perhaps more than anything else, reveal their strength now. Their branches hold the memory of last season’s bloom, and 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.
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How to Prune English Roses in Pots and ContainersAn English Rose in a container is one of the garden’s greatest luxuries. Whether placed beside a front door, on a terrace, or nestled into a paved courtyard, a potted rose brings perfume and flower close at hand, not at a distance, but right where it can be enjoyed daily.
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Pruning Roses: A Guide for the Season AheadPruning is one of the most rewarding jobs you can do for your roses. It brings shape and structure to the plant, refreshes it for the season ahead, and helps encourage a generous display of flowers.
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How to Prune Repeat Flowering Shrub RosesIn winter, the garden shows its bones. Beds are quieter, borders are pared back, and shrubs stand in their true shape. Roses too reveal themselves at this time of year, and although it may seem as though little is happening, the plant is already preparing for the season to come.
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How to Prune a Standard Tree RoseStandard Tree Roses bring a particular elegance to the garden. Their blooms are held aloft, turning borders and containers into something more structured and refined. Because the flowering head sits high above the ground, its outline becomes part of the garden’s architecture, which makes pruning especially important.
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Planting Bare Root Roses: Step-by-Step for Garden and PotsBare root roses arrive simply, as stems and roots, quietly waiting for the garden to bring them to life. With care, they can transform into lush, flowering plants, filling a garden with colour, fragrance, and presence. Affordable, easy to handle, and a traditional favourite among gardeners, they offer both charm and reward.
