Winter Rose Protection for Niphetos in your Never Forget Garden
1 year ago
**Article republished from the White Rose Journal: The Never Forget Garden Project. To find out more visit HERE **
Follow these 10 tips, so your winter tender Niphetos will thrive every season!
Niphetos introduced in 1843 is winter tender. If you live in plant hardiness zones where there is a chance of prolonged frigid temperatures, protect your Niphetos. Don’t let drying winter winds, heavy ice formation, and frigid temperatures break your heart. We live in Northern Virginia, zone 7, and follow the practical tips below to ensure our rose bushes return next spring with healthy canes and blooms.
What is your zone? See USDA Gardening Zone Map below.
Planting Zones
Just like other plants, not every rose thrives in every climate. Consider if winter tender Niphetos can thrive year-round in your garden, especially in regions where extreme winter temperatures are normal.
A reminder that USDA gardening zones are a guide, not absolute, especially if you live in a microclimate. They may be warmer or cooler than the surrounding zone.
Winter protection for roses is different in each zone. Zones 5 and 6 may need to tip their roses and cover up or bring into an insulated garage for winter protection.
How to winterize Niphetos
1. PLANT ONLY IN SPRING: This gives time for Niphetos on its own roots to establish and mature.
2. DON’T FORGET TO WATER: One good last soak before the first couple of hard frosts set in will help protect your roots from drying cold air. Be sure to water at the base of the plant.
3. STOP FERTILIZING: Don’t send a signal to your roses that it’s time to grow when it’s time to go dormant. In our zones, we stop using solid fertilizer about Labor Day and liquid fertilizer by the end of September.
4. STOP DEADHEADING: After final bloom, let spent blooms go to seed (hips). This signals your bushes to go into dormancy.
5. GET A SOIL TEST: Before you mulch, pick up a soil test kit at your favorite nursery, or contact your local extension service for information. Send off a proper soil sample for testing. Healthy soil at the right pH for roses (6.25-7.0) is critical to their health and happiness and Fall is a perfect time to prep for Spring soil health.
6. ADDRESS YOUR pH: If your soil test results in a pH below 6.25 (acidic – quite common for clay soils), consider administering the proper dose of calcitic lime or wood ashes around the drip line of your bushes. It’s slow acting and will have the entire fall and winter seasons to help restore your soil pH to the sweet spot of 6.5 that roses love. If your pH is too high, above 7.0, add aluminum sulfate in the proper dose.
7. END OF SEASON COSMETIC CUT BACK: Niphetos, classified as an old garden rose, grows about 3-4 feet wide and 4 feet tall. Remove any dead, diseased, and dying canes, then trim your bush by about one third of its height. This leaves plenty of nutrients in the remaining canes to feed the root system over the winter. It also prevents overly tall or gangly canes from whipping in icy, dry wind and breaking. Save your hard prune for Spring to jump-start healthy new growth.
8. CLEAN YOUR BEDS: Clean out all dropped leaf and cane debris from your beds. This helps prevent the overwintering of pesky fungus and disease spores that are just waiting for warmer weather next spring to “bloom.”
9. “JACKET” YOUR BUSHES: After a hard freeze, mound shredded hardwood mulch 8-12 inches up and around the base of your roses and up around the canes. This creates a jacket of insulation to keep moisture in and cold dry air away from your bud union and the roots below, protecting your bush from the freeze/thaw cycles of harsh winters. If you are in a colder plant hardiness zone, you need much more protection. Many growers in northern zones will tip and bury their roses.
10. EARLY SPRING, REMOVE MULCH: When the fear of a hard Spring freeze has passed, pull back your mulch so the rose base can air and produce fresh new growth.
Pam Powers - Arlington Rose Foundation Master Consulting Rosarian
Sylvia Henderson - Arlington Rose Foundation Consulting Rosarian
Latest News
Dave Rappaport Speech from Reunion 2023
Posted November 6, 2023 in Special ReportSpeech presented to the 2023 Gathering of Tomb Guards Banquet for the Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier on November 4, 2023. Dear Honored dinner guests, It is indeed an honor to...
9/11 Ceremony - Paris 16EME
Posted September 27, 2023The History of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in 26 paintings by artist Dave Rappaport going on exhibit in France (three locations).Presented by the Military Women's Memorial and the Society of the...
Key Dates in the history of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
Posted September 24, 2023 in Special ReportWorld War I Unknown Soldier (Tomb of the Unknown Soldier) December 21, 1920 – Congressman Hamilton Fish III (R-NY) introduces legislation for the return of an Unknown American and his burial in...
Support the Society
The Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (SHGTUS) is able to provide our programs, events, assistance, scholarships, and services due to the generosity of its members, organizations, and individuals. SHGTUS does not receive institutional funding. Note: The Society of the Honor Guard, Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a 501(c)(3) organization, so your contributions may be fully tax deductible.
Learn More
Did you know?
How does the guard rotation work? Is it an 8 hour shift?
Currently, the Tomb Guards work on a three Relief (team) rotation - 24 hours on, 24 hours off, 24 hours on, 24 hours off, 24 hours on, 96 hours off. However, over the years it has been different. The time off isn't exactly free time. It takes the average Sentinel 8 hours to prep their uniform for the next work day. Additionally, they have Physical Training, Tomb Guard training, and haircuts to complete before the next work day.