Roses are some of the finest, most adored flowers in a garden, there are more than 150 species of roses, some of which are used to manufacture fragrant oils and edible candy like the Bulgarian rose.
These thorn bushes flowers are cherished for their beauty and smell, however, they can be very fragile and hard to look after, especially in the early stages of their growth.
What can you do during the winter for your roses
If we consider a small plant then protecting it from the winter frost is quite a lot easier than a larger one, though even the bigger bushes can be protected, though it takes more resources.
However, if you are considering this topic, chances are you care about your rose bushes and the resources needed will not be a problem for you.
It really depends on the species, but most roses love a more sandy soil because it allows more easy access of oxygen for their roots which in turn allows for a more efficient consumption of minerals from the ground.
All plants breath with their roots, most even prefer it, though itβs due to the process of absorption of water rather than actual breathing.
Since your roses are most likely already in a sandy soil, even if the native one is not as sandy, one way to protect their most fragile part β the root β is to cover their base with additional sand.
It can be a special sand used in gardening, though, and not beach sand as you will be mixing it in with the rest of the soil later on.
This technique adds an additional layer of protection and prevents frost, but depending on the winter and your area, the frost line might be deeper than expected.
So always consider putting more sand around the base β there is no need to compact it, the extraction of water from it will stiffen it up acting like a blanket.
Use a plastic cover or a tarp
This might not be necessary for the majority of people reading this, because winters rarely are so severe that you need to implement this, but consider putting a tarp over the plants.
Yes, this might seem like overkill, however, this might be necessary in areas that are up north where the temperatures go well below freezing.
So much so that there are trees that are known to explode during winter frost periods due to frozen water trapped inside of their bark β the expansion and contraction causes an instant release of energy.
In order to prevent this either use sand for the base and the roots or put out a tarp covering the entire plant and the stems.
