How to properly prune and cover climbing roses for the winter

Winter is a harsh test for the fragrant beauty of the rose. In our climate, temperature fluctuations are frequent, and these sensitive flowers always react to them.Pruning climbing roses in autumn is a necessary procedure that must be carried out correctly and in a timely manner.

Characteristics of climbing roses

Climbing roses are divided into three main groups:

• Ramblers. Their shoots are flexible and green, and the inflorescences are small, with double petals. Flowers appear on the previous year's shoots. Well-known ramblers include Santana, Laguna, and Flame Dance.
• Hybrid varieties. They were created by crossing everbearing and shrub roses. Hybrid shoots are strong and resilient, becoming woody over time. The flowers are large, gathered in racemes. These inflorescences can be seen on any shoot, regardless of the year of growth. Hybrid roses include roses from the Wilhelm Kordes nursery, as well as Sympathy, Polka, and the Uetersen variety.
• Mutagenic or bush roses (climbing roses). They grow quickly, transforming into a picturesque shrub. Popular varieties in Russia include Zolotoy Parfum, Mir, Aloha, and Elf Rose.

The need for pruning procedure

Some gardeners believe that pruning climbing roses for the winter is unnecessary. If the bushes are too dense, they won't receive enough light. Thinning the bushes regularly increases their lifespan and prevents disease. Climbing roses are pruned in the second year after planting the young seedlings.

There are many reasons why you need to prune your roses:

• the bush takes on a well-groomed shape;
• the procedure rejuvenates the plant;
• If the bush is thinned, more light and air penetrates. This ensures uniform heating and ventilation of the rose;
• shoots grow and multiply better;
• diseases bypass the bush;
• the roots of roses become stronger, and the buds become more luxuriant and larger;
• long whips are lighter cover for the winter.

There are more than enough factors in favor of this procedure. It has only one drawback: a sudden rise in air temperature in the fall can awaken dormant buds. If this happens, the buds cannot withstand the subsequent cold weather and die.

Pruning tools

Garden tools will help you prune climbing roses correctly:

• scissors and a knife;
• pruning shears;
• rake;
• thick and durable gloves.

Gloves are needed to protect your hands from thorns. A rake is used to remove cut branches from the ground.

Tips for performing the procedure

Before the procedure, all tools must be cleaned of rust and sharpened thoroughly. Cuts on the vines should not be jagged, as this will hurt the shrub and slow its growth. Tools are disinfected with potassium permanganate to prevent dangerous fungal spores from entering the cut areas. Each cut is treated with a preventative solution. This may include potassium permanganate, copper sulfate, wood ash, activated charcoal, or garden pitch.

When to prune

When pruning climbing roses, you need to know that caring for them in the fall is preparing for winterThe procedure should be carried out promptly, before frost or cold weather sets in, in dry, sunny weather. The best time for pruning is the second ten days of October or November. The timing may be adjusted depending on regional climate conditions. Before pruning, monitor the nighttime temperature for several days. It should not rise above -5°C (21°F) to prevent pruning from stimulating the shrub's growth.

Types of autumn pruning

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Autumn pruning of climbing roses can be:

• light (long);
• average (moderate);
• radical (short);
• mixed.

When lightly pruning, the branches are lightly trimmed from the top. This is how groundcover varieties, as well as old ones, are treated. English rosesDuring this procedure, approximately 10 buds are left on the branch. During medium pruning, shoots are shortened by 50%. This procedure is suitable for any hybrid tea shrub.

Short pruning is the most radical of all. Branches are cut back to the base, leaving no more than two buds. This is the method used for overgrown climbing roses. This combined technique incorporates elements of several different procedures.

Any manipulation is carried out with the branches slightly tilted. The tilted branches will allow moisture to flow freely downwards without lingering. This will help prevent rot and infection at the cut sites.

General rules for pruning

Before you trim roses in autumnGardeners prepare carefully for this. Nitrogen-containing fertilizers are applied in the summer (in June). The last portion of autumn fertilizer is applied in the second ten days of September. They also stop cutting flowers from the bushes to prevent new ones from appearing.

Before the procedure, you need to find the oldest branch. It's easy to distinguish from young shoots. It's thick, with dry bark and branches on the sides. The cut angle should be 45 degrees, 5 mm from the bud. All flowers and the leaves need to be removedTo prevent the bush from rotting, use a hacksaw to remove diseased, thick, and dry shoots. It's best to cut them toward the outer bud: this will prevent the bush from becoming dense and will make it easier to thin.

Methods for autumn pruning of different varieties of roses

In continuously blooming roses, buds are found on branches that grew this year. Floribundas undergo a combination pruning. Branches are cut back to leave about 10 buds. This is necessary for early flowering. Other shoots can be pruned back to three to five buds. This method encourages the emergence of new branches that will bloom later.

A polyanthus shrub should normally have 7-8 main shoots. Any excess shoots should be removed by carefully thinning the bush in the center. This will give the polyanthus rose a perfect spherical shape. The main branch is shortened by a third, leaving 1 to 2 buds on the new growth.

Miniature roses are easy to care for. To create symmetry, leave 5 to 7 buds on each shoot. For park roses, remove diseased and dead shoots in the fall, and when shaping the bush, shorten the main branches to 15 cm.

When pruning climbing roses, keep in mind that they come in two varieties. Small-flowered ramblers have long, thin shoots. Since they won't bloom again, it's best to trim them back short. Rather than doing a radical pruning, you can simply remove broken branches, dried flowers, and leaves. This is recommended if the bush hasn't yet grown too large.

The second variety of climbing rose is the climber. Climbers have much thicker and shorter branches, up to 2.5 meters long. Unlike ramblers, they can produce new flowers on last year's branches. Weak shoots are removed, leaving only those that are less than four years old.

For semi-climbing varieties, one-year-old branches are shortened by a third. One to two buds are left on two-year-old shoots. For standard hybrids, each branch is shortened by 3-5 buds, with side shoots also pruned short. A gap is left in the center of the trunk. There is a variety of standard trees with weeping crowns. In these, all shoots from the previous year are removed, leaving new ones. If new branches are few, last year's symmetrical ones are chosen. Side shoots from these are cut back to three buds.

For groundcover shrubs, remove all branches that have bloomed. Leave the shoots located near the roots. Bend them slightly to the ground and secure them. This method stimulates the formation of new buds. They will bloom profusely in the spring.

Trimming roses before shelter Winter pruning is a necessary measure. It will help protect the shrub from the cold, and it will delight its owner with beautiful blooms in the coming spring.