Year-Round Rose Care: Growing Beautiful Roses in the Treasure Valley
Roses have a special place in our gardens. From the classic beauty of hybrid tea roses to the abundant blooms of floribundas, shrub roses, and climbing varieties, roses can provide color, fragrance, and enjoyment from spring through fall.
With the right care throughout the year, roses can thrive in our Treasure Valley gardens for many seasons. However, our Idaho climate presents a few challenges. Hot, dry summers, occasional late spring freezes, and cold winter temperatures mean that understanding the seasonal needs of your roses is especially important.
At Aloha Home and Garden, we believe that a little knowledge and preparation can make all the difference. Let's take a look at how to care for your roses throughout the year, with special attention to preparing them for winter.
Spring: Getting Your Roses Off to a Great Start
Spring is an exciting time for rose gardeners. As temperatures begin to warm and the threat of severe winter weather diminishes, it's time to prepare your roses for a new season of growth.
Remove Winter Protection
Once the danger of severe cold has passed, gradually remove the soil or mulch used to protect your roses over winter. Avoid uncovering them too early, as late spring freezes can damage tender new growth.
Prune Your Roses
Spring is generally the best time for major rose pruning in the Treasure Valley and as for Aloha Home and Garden, we recommend pruning around the 15th of March.
Around the 15th of March is typically when new growth begins to emerge; and that’s when to:
Remove dead, damaged, or diseased canes.
Cut out weak or crossing branches.
Remove any canes that are growing inward toward the center of the plant.
Make clean cuts with sharp, sanitized pruning tools.
For many hybrid tea and floribunda roses, pruning to an open structure encourages healthy growth and better air circulation.
Shrub roses, climbing roses, and certain specialty varieties may require a different pruning approach, so it's important to know what type of rose you are growing.
Feed Your Roses
Roses are relatively heavy feeders, particularly when they are producing new growth and flowers.
Apply a quality rose fertilizer such as Ferti-lome “Rose Food with Systemic”. Always apply all chemicals and fertilizers according to the product's directions. A slow-release fertilizer such as Ferti-lome “Classic” lawn food can provide the nutrients needed for healthy growth and abundant blooms during our hot summer months.
A layer of compost around the base of your roses can also help improve soil quality.
Refresh the Mulch
Apply a 2–3-inch layer of organic mulch around your roses that can help in retaining moisture, maintaining soil temperatures, and in keeping weeds under control.
Summer: Keeping Roses Healthy and Blooming
Summer is when roses really begin to shine. With proper watering, feeding, and maintenance, many varieties will continue producing beautiful flowers throughout the season.
Water Deeply and Consistently
Our Treasure Valley summers can be hot and dry, making consistent watering especially important.
Roses generally prefer deep watering that encourages roots to grow farther into the soil rather than frequent, shallow watering which can cause shallow rooting.
Consider these watering practices:
Water at the base of the plant whenever possible.
Avoid wetting the foliage, especially in the evening.
Water deeply enough to moisten the root zone.
Adjust watering based on temperatures, soil conditions, and rainfall.
Newly planted roses will generally require more frequent attention than established plants.
Deadhead Spent Flowers
Removing faded flowers encourages many repeat-blooming roses to produce additional blooms.
Cut back to a healthy leaf or an outward-facing bud, following the growth pattern of your particular rose.
If you want your roses to produce attractive rose hips in the fall, leave some flowers in place rather than removing every spent bloom.
Watch for Insects and Disease
Roses can occasionally experience problems with aphids, spider mites, powdery mildew, and black spot.
Inspect your plants regularly, paying particular attention to the undersides of leaves and the newest growth.
Good air circulation, proper watering practices, and prompt removal of diseased foliage can help reduce many common rose problems.
If you notice an issue, identify the problem before selecting a treatment.
Continue Feeding as Needed
Repeat applications of Ferti-lome Rose Food with Systemic” may be appropriate during the growing season.
Healthy growth is important, but encouraging too much tender growth late in the season can make winter preparation more difficult.
Fall: Preparing Your Roses for Winter
Fall is one of the most important times of the year for rose care in Idaho.
As temperatures begin to cool, your roses naturally prepare for dormancy. Our goal is to help them enter winter in good condition without encouraging tender new growth.
Stop Fertilizing in Late Summer
One of the most common mistakes gardeners make is continuing to fertilize roses too late in the season.
In the Treasure Valley, it is generally best to stop applying fertilizer about 6–8 weeks before our expected first hard freeze. Late-season fertilization can encourage new growth that may not have enough time to harden off before winter.
Healthy, mature growth is much better equipped to withstand cold temperatures.
Reduce Pruning
Avoid major pruning in the fall.
Hard pruning can stimulate new growth and remove healthy canes that help protect the plant during winter. Instead, limit fall pruning to removing dead, diseased, or damaged branches.
If your roses have especially long canes that could be damaged by winter winds, you may carefully shorten them enough to prevent breakage.
Clean Up Fallen Leaves
Remove fallen rose leaves and other plant debris around the base of your roses. This is particularly important if your plants experienced black spot or other fungal diseases during the growing season.
Diseased foliage can harbor fungal spores that may contribute to problems the following spring. Dispose of diseased plant material rather than adding it to a home compost pile.
Continue Watering Until the Ground Freezes
Even though temperatures are cooling, your roses still need moisture. If our fall weather is dry, continue watering deeply as needed until the ground freezes.
Well-hydrated plants are generally better prepared to withstand winter conditions than plants that enter dormancy under drought stress. This statement applies to all your gardening plants as well as your trees. Avoid keeping the soil excessively wet, particularly as temperatures drop.
Winter: Protecting Your Roses from Idaho's Cold
Winter protection is especially important for roses that are less cold-hardy, newly planted, or growing in exposed locations.
The goal is not to keep your roses warm enough to continue growing. Instead, winter protection helps maintain more consistent temperatures around the crown and lower canes, reducing the likelihood of damaging freeze-and-thaw cycles.
Mound Soil Around the Base
For many hybrid tea, and floribundas, one of the most effective winter protection methods is to mound soil mulch around the base of the plant during the winter months.
After the plants have experienced several hard freezes and are entering dormancy:
Gently remove any remaining diseased leaves or debris.
Bring in loose, well-drained soil or soil mulch or a soil-and-compost mixture.
Mound approximately 10–12 inches of soil/mulch around the base of the rose.
Make sure the lower canes and graft union, if present, are protected.
The graft union is the point where the desired rose variety is joined to the rootstock.
Protecting this area is particularly important for grafted roses.
Important: Use soil brought in from another area or purchase soil/mulch from Aloha Home and Garden rather than digging soil from around the rose's own root system. Removing soil from the root zone can expose roots to additional cold damage.
Add Additional Winter Mulch
Once the protective soil mound is in place, you can add a layer of coarse mulch as an insulating material.
Avoid packing wet leaves tightly around the plant, as they can become compacted and retain excessive moisture.
Good drainage and airflow remain important even during winter.
Protect Climbing Roses
Climbing roses may require additional attention, particularly in exposed locations.
Tie long canes securely to their supports to prevent wind damage.
For less cold-hardy climbing varieties, you may need to provide additional protection around the lower canes or carefully secure the canes closer to the ground and cover them with insulating material. The appropriate method depends on the variety and the severity of our winter conditions.
Protect Roses Growing in Containers
Roses growing in pots are more vulnerable to winter cold because their roots are exposed to temperatures much closer to the surrounding air.
For container roses, consider:
Moving the pot to an unheated garage or sheltered location where the plant can remain dormant.
Insulating the container with suitable protective material.
Burying the container in the ground, if practical, to help insulate the root system.
Avoid placing dormant roses in a heated room, as warm temperatures can encourage premature growth.
A Few Additional Tips for Successful Rose Gardening
Regardless of the season, a few simple practices can help keep your roses healthy and productive.
Choose the right varieties. Cold-hardiness varies considerably among roses. Selecting varieties suited to the Boise climate can reduce the amount of winter protection required. When Aloha Home and Garden brings in roses each spring, we select varieties that we know will perform well in the Treasure Valley. The general manager has over 50 years of experience here in Boise and is an Idaho Certified Nurseryman. He and his staff have the knowledge to guide you to what’s best for your particular location here in the Treasure Valley.
Provide adequate sunlight. Most roses perform best with at least six hours of direct sunlight each day.
Maintain good air circulation. Avoid overcrowding roses or planting them too close to structures that restrict airflow.
Use quality soil. Roses appreciate well-drained soil enriched with organic matter. When you purchase roses from us, we provide you, our customer with a 2-page pamphlet that will guide you to planting your new roses for ultimate success.
Inspect your plants regularly. Catching problems early can prevent minor issues from becoming major concerns.
Enjoy Beautiful Roses Year After Year
Growing beautiful roses in the Treasure Valley doesn't have to be difficult. By following a consistent seasonal care routine, you can help your roses remain healthy, vigorous, and ready to produce another season of beautiful blooms.
Spring pruning, summer watering, fall preparation, and winter protection all play an important role in the long-term health of your plants.
And remember, winter preparation is not about keeping your roses growing. It's about helping them enter dormancy in good condition and protecting the parts of the plant that will produce next year's growth.
With a little preparation now, you can look forward to another wonderful season of roses in your garden.
Need help selecting roses or preparing your existing plants for winter?
Stop by Aloha Home and Garden. We're always happy to help you with your gardening questions and provide recommendations for growing success in the Treasure Valley.
Happy Gardening!
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