There’s nothing like a late frost in spring to challenge intrepid rosarians! Every year a storm that barreled through some part of the country zaps roses in cold climates, where it’s to be expected, as well as in warm climates, where this season’s bikinis were already showing signs of wear. And roses in parts of the South, many of which that were blooming – or were almost ready to – look like…well, I can’t bear to think about it – but the term “scorched earth” comes to mind.
These roses had substantial new growth when freaky weather frosted them. After a good pruning, they’ll come along fast, and in six more weeks, they’ll be back in full, glorious bloom.
Photo Credit: Bosh Bruening
Don’t fret the freeze – your roses will bounce back in blooming glory.
Photo Credit: Ann Hooper
Unless you were planning to exhibit your blooms at a rose show in the next couple of weeks or you have a big garden tour coming to your yard, all is not lost! Roses are hardy perennials, and they’ll recover nicely – although your first blooms will appear a little later than usual.
So stop standing there, wringing your hands, and get to work!
In Zone 5 and lower, you probably hadn’t started your spring pruning, so when your forsythia blooms, prune normally. The budeyes – those little lumps all along the canes where new foliage and stems start to grow – are still very small and were likely unaffected by the extra round of cold weather.
For those of you living further south and west, where roses had less than an inch of new growth on the old canes when the freeze hit, gently remove the now-crisp foliage. The budeyes from which that foliage had started growing have a couple of backup budeyes that kick into life if the first eye is damaged. More new growth will sprout. Mother Nature is no dummy. On new basal canes – those that have sprouted from the bud union, or the crown of the plant – prune off the damaged top of the cane. Don’t worry, it’ll continue to grow, and new secondary stems will sprout from it. To speed new growth along, try Rose Wizard UltraBoost™. This growth stimulant breathes new life into winter-damaged roses, as well as other plants.
In warmer areas, where there was substantial new growth on your plants, frosted roses have to be pruned again, just as you did in early spring. Even if just the top few inches of your new stems were damaged, you have to prune off that entire stem so that the new one that replaces it will be as sturdy as the first. Prune the damaged stem that’s growing from an old cane right down to the point where it meets that old cane. Better yet, prune the old cane again, down to a lower budeye.
New basal canes that have been damaged should also be pruned back. This cane will never have a flower at the top, but it’ll sprout flowerful secondary canes. Remember that a new cane that grows from an old cane will always be smaller in diameter than the cane it’s growing from. So in order to encourage nice, fat, new canes that support large flowers, you have to prune the old cane down to a point where it’s fat enough to sprout a substantial new stem. Get the picture?
Rose plants that were healthy and growing before freaky frosty Friday are still full of life and anxious to make up for lost time. Modern roses will continue to grow and bloom all season. However, aficionados of the once-blooming old garden roses who live in areas where the buds were just starting to open when the cold weather hit will experience the most significant disappointment. These plants won’t flower again until next spring.
