Mulch for winter rose bush care

[jsadie@earthlink.net]

I would like to know if grass clippings are good mulch for around the base of rose bushes for the winter.

[Guest]

Just grass without anything mixed in, tends to pack down with the rain in the winter. This causes it to be mushy. If the temperature falls below freezing, you have a lump of ice at the base of the rose. Dry grass clippings mixed with dry leaves, straw, wood chips or anything that stops it from packing down would be okay.

[The Helpful Gardener]

Don't have much argument with our mysterey guest, although an ice mulch would never get any colder than 32 degrees; that's not bad at all

Truthfully the grass would add nitrogen to the soil but would mat (and not break down over the winter) leaving a water exclusive barrier in the spring. Again, in cold areas, soil is your best mulch; less rodent issues and GREAT insulation...

Scott

[Minnesota Winter]

OK...I am wondering about these Rose Cones. My rose bushes are in a rock bed that has the black fabric underneath it....so I can't really burry them. Can I put a bucket over them, or rose cones? Then insulate around the bucket?

[The Helpful Gardener]

For those Minnesota winters, the rose cones are a good option, or the folks from an area arboretum do what they call the MInnesota tip; dig past root level on one side, tip the plant into the trench and bury the whole thing to be dug in the spring. But with your rock bed, cones sound like the way to go...

Scott