Many questions have come in about pruning roses in fall. I’m not in favor of this action, since we don’t know what kind of winter lies ahead. Canes are often damaged in severe weather, and a cut made now won’t fully heal. There is the potential for further damage. Long, floppy vegetative canes won’t bloom and ideally are cut back during the summer. If this didn’t happen, you can safely cut a few of them now to the base of the plant should they be impeding a walkway or blocking too much light for nearby plants. Otherwise, it’s best to leave the roses alone until early spring pruning near the end of April.
One activity that is always beneficial on dry fall days only is raking up fallen rose leaves. These transmit various fungal diseases and can be removed from garden beds now.
Once the ground freezes (in December or January, most likely), we will be making a route to protect roses that are marginally hardy in our area. This includes hybrid teas and David Austin roses. Please let Kim know if you have these plants in your garden and wish to have our help making compost cones to protect the root zones over winter, <kimberly@pumpkinbrookorganicgardening.com>
