Winter is here right on queue and the energy has shifted; a gentle, decline and an alluring fade has come into the garden. Some roses have begun dormancy and are leafless and exhausted, others are still in a grand finale of colour refusing to give up. What is thrilling though, are the possibilities of what lies ahead.
With Autumn passing and yet it is not quite full winter it is a tricky time of year because gardeners are so keen to to start preparations for next season but, nature has other ideas. In a cool climate when no pruning or shaping the gangly bare rose branches can start until the very last frost the garden stays unkempt.
The Autumn leaves have covered everything in a mass of dead foliage and the garden needs a tidy up. The first frost has not happened yet, so pruning is still a long way off!
The few remaining roses despite the cool weather and recent winds glow in the fading garden, while the coloured leaves provide a stark contrast to their soft beauty. Autumn was dry with little rainfall but just in the last week heavy rain has fallen and the last of the roses have been battered into completion marking the end of the season.
“Deceptive things, roses. Pretty, and delicate, it’s no wonder everyone wants to pluck them. Such a good thing they’ve got thorns to keep them safe.”
Cambria Covell
Patience is always a necessary virtue in gardening. While waiting for the new season roses to arrive and a suitable time to prune the existing roses, work is on the courtyard. I aim to give it a fuller, more colourful look this season. It was a disappointment previously because the anticipated covering of the wall and arch seat planted with heritage white roses did not go well.
Real beauty is in the fragility of your petals. A rose that never wilts isn’t a rose at all.”
Crystal Woods
White flowering plants make a garden appear larger. Hence the reason I planted Madame Alfred Carriere a rambling white rose meant to cover the courtyard wall and arch seat with an abundance of white roses. It did not flower well at all so, the courtyard colour came from the perennials and herb garden.
I’ve since learned that the lack of blooms may have been due to the dry conditions last year that caused the plants enough stress so they did not produce flower heads.
Madame Alfred Carrière will be watered more often this coming season and repositioned with the addition of Buff Beauty, Guy Savoy , and Kiss Me Kate roses. The Iceberg roses are being repositioned too along the front fence. Sometimes, all that is needed is a plan, patience and a little time.
“the delicate fragrance of rose hips lingered on my fingers
from tending the garden .”
A year was needed to be aware of the sun’s path across the courtyard and to know which plants would work. I’m pleased to say it is a sunlit sanctuary through summer and in the centre of the courtyard during winter.
As long as water is kept up, the area is fabulous for providing protection from winds and frost but is also light and airy – perfect for roses year round.
The country garden in town is a year old now ( although work did not begin until July) the coming winter is a chance to celebrate the success of the roses that were fabulous last season and to make final decisions on where extra roses should be planted, and what ones to remove or relocate.
“It is a golden maxim to cultivate the garden for the nose, and the eyes will take care of themselves.“
Robert Louis Stevenson
The roses that were prolific and flowered continuously this season were; Tangles, Princess Charlene de Monaco, La Vien Rose, Jubilee Celebration, The Peace Rose, The Endeavour, Claude Monet, Just Joey, Pope John Paul 11, Soul Sister, Elina, Ballerina, Pinkie, Dark Desire, Claude Monet, Monsieur Tillier, That’s Life, The Lady of Shallot, Crepuscule and Blackberry Nip.
More rose varieties will be added in August with the selection based on plant hardiness, colour, perfume and health; roses that will withstand the hotter summers, are prolific bloomers and, to a certain extent will, look after themselves.
“Roses aren’t any less beautiful because they don’t live long. No one looks at them and thinks, man
Sophie Cameron
, what a tragedy they’ll only be around for a little while.
You just appreciate them while they’re there. Or if you don’t, you’re missing the point.”
Soul Sister Rose has been phenomenal as a standard rose. Something to keep in mind if a shrub rose is short or takes a long time to become established it may be better grown as a standard rose.
There are several benefits to standard roses
- The blooms are at eye level, making them far easier to maintain
- They add height to the garden and, create a distinct structure
- They area a good design feature for formal gardens and focal points such as defining pathways
- Standard roses also may gain more light and sun because they are above the companion plants .
It is a huge temptation, with everything looking so drab and defoliated, to start pruning and cleaning things up. The risk of early spring frost damage on new shoots in our cool climate is not worth the risk. It is better to wait and hone in on which roses were brilliant, which ones need a bit more time to do their thing, or are perhaps a lost cause and should be removed.
Things that work together in natural harmony are beautiful.
Jiny Blom
Careful planning and skilled pruning of the roses will maximise the number of roses that will fit in a smaller garden. By pruning well it is possible for masses of roses to thrive in a small space and also have a rich perennial garden beneath.
“Other flowers are stunning. But you pick them and that’s it. The rose keeps changing. It’s total romance.”
Paula Bandiera
Suggestions on Pruning
This article debunks many of the myths and tight rules surrounding the pruning of roses. Gregg Lowery on Pruning. Some of his tips are
Rose leaves will all emerge from a growth bud on the branches, and when the rose is dormant, they are called bud eyes. These are the key to good pruning.
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Remove dead, damaged or diseased wood, cutting to an outward-facing bud to encourage outward growth.
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By using the direction of the bud eyes you can shape the rose bush the way you want. If you want the branch away from the path or away from another shrub prune accordingly.
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Observe how the rose plant has grown and where it is directing its most recent energy so we can understand what we are about to cut back.
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Pruning cuts should be white; if they have brown centres, keep cutting until they are white. Also, cut above a growth bud – there is no need to cut at an angle.
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The style and way we prune the roses is a personal choice, but we do it for the design of the garden rather than for the health and vigour of the plants.
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When pruning for size, don’t reduce rose bushes too much, just by one-third of their size. When you hard prune, it prevents the development of sound deep root systems, which will make the plants more stress-prone during heat and drought.
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Leave the roses bushy most years and only do a hard prune every third year to give the roses a chance to build up their punch and maintain large root systems.
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Prune to develop the look you are after; a huge rose or a group of three. A smaller, well-trimmed hedge or a tidy specimen rose. So, buy the plant the right size and trim accordingly. If you need a metre-tall shrub, don’t buy a rose plant meant to grow 5 metres tall. There are always plants to suit the style and size of the garden.
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There is no need to clean up all the rose foliage and leaves when pruning; just let them fall to the ground and decompose in the soil, or add them to your compost. Lowery mentions that recent studies have shown that diseases present on rose leaves die as the leaves die, and once they are off the plant, they will die quickly.
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Gertrude Jekyll says in the title quote today “A rose poorly placed is a song sung out of key.” When a rose or plant is in the wrong place the garden can lose its impact and seem out of place. Even the most beautiful things in nature can be jarring or uncomfortable if not planted in the right context. My aim during winter is to ‘fix’ a few design faults before the small garden matures any further.
“There’s something about taking a plough and breaking new ground. It gives you energy. ”
Ken Kesey
Cool climate gardens; the warmth of the autumn and winter sun is deeply appreciated. For the past few days the weather is cold enough to enjoy an open fire, the mornings crisp followed by glorious sunshine all day. There is no better weather to garden in than this. Much work has been done and things are slowly beginning to take shape.
The rhythm of the season may appear slow but winter is the perfect time for a flurry of activity in the garden and, especially enjoyable in such fabulous weather. It is satisfying work redesigning and even getting the mundane tasks completed, like weeding and staking. I look forward to the roses being dormant in anticipation of improvements come spring.
“…… I hate biochemistry because there is no chapter on roses.”
Farooq A Shiekh
Content and images Di Baker May 2025
Title quote by Gertrude Jekyll
