In her weekly newsletter, Growing Wonder with Felicia Alvarez: Simple Tips for Thriving Roses, Gardens & Homes, Felicia offers expert advice to help you cultivate stunning roses, vibrant gardens, and welcoming homes. Each edition features a subscriber-submitted question, where Felicia provides thoughtful answers to your rose, garden, and home-related queries. This Q&A was originally featured as a highlighted question from one of our subscribers, published in the newsletter.
Q: "I have many potted roses this year in Montana that I purchased from you and do not want to lose them to our harsh winters. I plan to winter them inside a storage shed- is that advisable? They are in large buckets with root bulb buried for protection. Any advice would be helpful."
Submitted by:
Charmaine from Columbus, Montana - Zone 4b
A:
Hey, Charmaine! Yes, you can overwinter roses in cold climates indoors. Bringing them inside can protect them from harsh winter temperatures, especially for delicate or young roses.
Before bringing the roses indoors, prune them back by about one-third to reduce size and remove dead or damaged wood. Remove any remaining leaves to prevent pests from coming indoors. (See my
Vol 2 & 3 newsletters for more info on fall pruning.)
Place the plants in a cool, sunny location, ideally near a window or inside a greenhouse or hoophouse with plenty of sunlight. Your shed should work great if you have a window you can place the pots near. A temperature range of 40–50°F (4–10°C) is ideal to help the roses go dormant without causing them to dry out.
While the roses are dormant, water them sparingly, just enough to keep the roots from drying out. How much will depend on how warm the location of the pot is. Aim for the soil at a depth of 6 to 12 inches to feel like a wrung-out sponge: moist, but not dripping. Overwatering can encourage rot.
Indoor conditions may attract pests like spider mites or aphids even in the winter months. Check the leaves and stems occasionally, and consider using an insect control method if needed.
If natural light is limited, install supplemental grow light to help maintain the health of the roses. I have seen too many customers & clients over the years place their rose pots in a dark basement all winter only to find them dead in the spring due to lack of light and water.
In early spring, you can gradually reintroduce the roses to outdoor conditions once temperatures start to warm up.
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