November 6, 2026, 4:18 pm | Read time: 3 minutes
Roses are among the most popular ornamental plants in the garden. With their fragrant blooms and wide variety of shapes and colors, they add special accents from spring to fall. However, to ensure the plants survive the cold season well, some varieties need timely winter protection. Sensitive roses, in particular, react to frost and significant temperature fluctuations. Those who protect them properly now can look forward to healthy plants and especially lush blooms in the spring.
Overview
Which Roses Need Protection in Winter?
Generally, wild roses are hardy and can be safely exposed to cold weather. Varieties that cannot do without winter protection include:
- Tea Roses
- Noisette Roses
- China Roses
- Banks Roses
Tip: Also, when purchasing the rose, pay attention to the care instructions, which are usually attached to the rose stem or bush. These often indicate whether the rose is frost-resistant.
Pruning Before Wintering
If the first nights with ground frost are imminent, the rose should no longer be pruned. Otherwise, frost damage may occur at the cut sites. If pruning was missed in late summer and fall, wait for the first warm period in spring and then shorten and shape the rose by one-third.
Wintering Roses in Beds
In rose beds or with individual rose bushes, the soil around the stem should be heaped up. This particularly protects the grafting site, where, for example, a particularly hardy plant was grafted with a beautifully blooming rose during cultivation. At this time, horn shavings can also be mixed in. This ensures the rose plant is optimally supplied with nutrients in the following spring. The plant should then be loosely wrapped with fleece. Straw or coconut fiber creates an additional, airy protective layer that can be secured with the fleece. If it remains very dry in winter, bed and shrub roses can also tolerate some water.
Related: Is It Worth Pruning Roses in the Fall?
Wintering Roses in Pots or Containers
If you have a shed or unheated cellar, you can easily overwinter rose pots there. It’s especially important not to forget watering, as no rain will provide moisture to the plants.
Note: Very large rose pots or containers can also be overwintered on the terrace. For this, wrap the pot with rose protection covers and additionally protect the plant itself with burlap.
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Protecting Standard Roses from the Cold
In standard roses, the most sensitive spot—the grafting site—is not underground like in bed, shrub, and hybrid tea roses, but directly under the crown of the plant. Thus, it is particularly exposed to cold wind and frost and can quickly be damaged in sensitive varieties. To protect the rose plant, burlap sacks are recommended, which are slipped over the standard rose and tied below the grafting sites. The advantage of burlap over fleece: It is particularly breathable, so condensation under the protective cover has no chance.
Leave Snow in Place
One might assume that icy snow could harm the roses. But the opposite is true: A thick blanket of snow forms a kind of insulation layer and protects the rose from wind and frost. Heavy snowfall should not be a concern when overwintering roses.