The Roses Have Been Put to Bed

Sweet Freedom Rose, 2008.

Sweet Freedom Rose, 2008.

Today I finished putting the roses to bed for the winter.  We’ve had enough cold weather that they’ve gone dormant and I covered them to help them get through the winter.

To say that I cover the roses is not completely accurate.  What I do is mound compost over the crowns to keep them from freezing.  I have a compost pile on the edge of the rough behind our house to which I add grass clippings, leaves, and other organic material.

I know it’s just my imagination, but the days seem more dreary once the roses have been pruned and covered.  I guess that means that winter is almost here.

But hopefully when spring returns the roses will green up and start growing again.  I posted the rose above as a reminder that spring will return.  That rose is Sweet Freedom, a new rose for us in 2008.

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4 Responses to “The Roses Have Been Put to Bed”

  1. Neal Says:

    That rose is beautiful. I wish we could go directly to spring. 🙂 We’re suppose to get a little snow tomorrow… yuck.

  2. Carla Says:

    That is a gorgeous rose! I love roses also. And white, yellow and apricot are my favorite rose colors. The only roses I have right now are a couple of Knock-Outs by my garage. They’re really tough, but I guess I should mound some leaves around them.

    Thanks for the compliment on my butterfly pics!

  3. Fishing Guy Says:

    George: A really neat looking rose. I do the same thing to my roses and pile chopped up leaves and grass clippings around the base.

  4. seniorhiker Says:

    Neal, enjoy your snow. If it makes you feel better we are being threatened with snow flurries Sunday night/Monday.

    Carla, I guess I’m just too old-fashioned for the knock-out roses, but I do know they are beautiful. Come by next year — hopefully we’ll have several in your favorite colors.

    FG, we haven’t had enough winter moisture to keep the leaves in place, so I just add an extra layer of compost.

    Thanks to all of you for your kind comments.

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