Here’s How to Get Your Rose Bushes Ready for Winter in Iowa

Roses are red, and many other colors but for the sake of the rhyme we'll go with it and violets are blue and will be dead long before the roses with the first frost. Or however, the saying goes. At our last house, my wife and I tried and failed to plant many things.  The one item I was sure was gonna bite the dust and take the early earth nap, was roses. I had heard they are difficult to grow and only the masters can make them live long and prosper.  I'm sure if you wanted to grow prize-winning roses, maybe, the masters would be a good way to go but just random roses, eh, how hard could it be?

How Does A Rose Grow?

Roses are not what they once were.  A dozen roses were quite pricey at one time, now not so much but growing is a whole different ball of wax.  Growing a dozen, good luck.  Though places like Menard's, Home Depot, and Tractor Supply, make it cost-effective to give it a whirl.  I think we picked up several different colors at Menard's, from a rose bin.  The problem is that scraggly rose bush wouldn't die, just the opposite of what I had heard. We really wanted that bugger to kick the bucket.  I once, possibly twice, but no more than 12 times 'accidentally' hit it with the weed wacker. Oh, no the rose bush! Wait, it's just fine? The tides began to change and that rose bush must have gotten the message because it snapped itself into shape.  No longer was it scraggly and underperforming, it got bigger, and filled out.  The buds were many and beautiful.  See, tough plant love, try it.

Does Tough Plant Love Work?

With all the talk of being tough on plants, I'm not sure about that.  Here's something I may have not told you and I don't know if it really makes a difference.  Apparently when you winterize your roses, and then prune them come spring it makes them grow better, bigger, and more beautiful.  That's what my mother-in-law, Sue did.  So, am I saying tough love doesn't work on plants, no, not at all. Sometimes you even need an intervention. This time some proper what is called planning would have helped.

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How Do You Winterize Roses in Iowa?

Iowa has a specific place to find out all about that, thanks to Iowa State University's Extention and Outreach.  They tell you everything you need to know about protecting your roses from not only the weather but also critters who might like to make a meal of your prize roses.

I've also included a few different videos because maybe there is more than one way to do it.