How to Protect Roses in Winter: Soil Mounds and Mulch

After several hard frosts, mound 10 to 12 inches of soil over the base of grafted roses, then add straw or leaves. Remove it after the ground thaws in spr...

Published 2026-10-25 by ThriveThyme

roses winter mulch perennials

How to Protect Roses in Winter

After several hard frosts, mound 10 to 12 inches of soil over the base of each grafted rose, then pile straw or leaves on top. Iowa State, New Hampshire, and Nebraska Extension all give that height. The mound protects the graft union, the knob where the rose was grafted onto its roots, which is especially sensitive to cold (Iowa State).

Plan your soil and mulch on the Winter Mulch Desk.

Which Roses Need It

• Need it in cold zones: hybrid tea, grandiflora, floribunda, and climbing roses (Iowa State, Nebraska).
• Usually fine without it: many shrub roses such as the Knock Out, Explorer, and Buck series (Nebraska). Most old garden roses are very cold hardy (Iowa State).
• Let your own site and your roses' history of winter damage guide you (Nebraska).

When

• After several hard, killing frosts, once the leaves have dropped and the plant is dormant (Purdue, New Hampshire).
• New Hampshire suggests waiting for several nights in the mid teens.
• Iowa State starts in mid November in Iowa. That is an example for Iowa, not a date for your yard.

Do not cover roses that still have green leaves. New Hampshire says to wait until hard frosts have killed the remaining leaves.

Step by Step

1. Clean up. Rake out fallen leaves and remove diseased stems. This cuts down disease next year (Iowa State, New Hampshire).
2. Water if dry. Soak the soil if it is dry, especially under roof overhangs (Purdue).
3. Tie the canes. Loosely tie them together with twine so wind does not whip them (Iowa State, Purdue).
4. Mound the soil. Cover the bottom 10 to 12 inches of the canes with soil brought in from another part of the garden. Do not dig it from around the rose, or you will hurt its roots (Iowa State, Purdue, Nebraska). Purdue says a 12 inch mound is about 5 gallons of soil per rose.
5. Add mulch on top. Pile straw or leaves over the mound. Iowa State says 1 to 2 feet loosely packed is enough. Hold it in place with a little soil on top or a ring of wire fencing.

Save most pruning for spring. Branches cut in fall tend to die back over winter (Purdue). Only shorten very long canes that would whip in the wind (New Hampshire).

Climbing Roses

In sheltered spots, wrap the canes in burlap, straw, or evergreen boughs and mound 10 to 12 inches of soil at the base. In very cold or open sites, New Hampshire takes the canes off the support, bends them to the ground, pins them, and covers the whole plant with soil.

Skip the Foam Cones

Iowa State advises against foam rose cones. Large roses do not fit without heavy pruning, and cones get very warm on sunny winter days, which causes more damage. If you use one anyway, mound 6 to 8 inches of soil at the base first and cut vent slits in the top (Nebraska, Purdue).

In Spring

Remove the soil and mulch after the ground thaws, typically mid March to early April in Iowa (Iowa State). Purdue says to take mounds away as soon as plants start new growth. Spread the soil somewhere else, cut the twine, and take care not to break new shoots.

Next Steps

• Count your roses on the Winter Mulch Desk to see how much soil you need.
• Learn when to apply winter mulch for the rest of the garden.
• See how much winter mulch you need for bag math.

Sources

• Iowa State University Extension, How to Overwinter Roses
• University of New Hampshire Extension, Winter Protection of Roses
• Purdue University Consumer Horticulture, Hibernation for Roses
• Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County, Rose Winter Protection