Ms. Rose Bush thanks you for keeping her alive for another year
October 3, 2011 6:18 AM Subscribe
What's the best way to winterize my potted rose bush? And when do I do it? I live in zone 7A.
To make a long story short, I brought my house, it came with straggly backyard plants, I chopped them down, and the (heirloom?) rose bush with tiny pink blossoms grew back twice (I think the neighborhood bunny found it tasty the first year).
Because I started paying someone to mow the yard this year and didn't want him to mow it (or the rabbit to eat it again), I dug it up and stuck it in a large pot. It's been sitting on my deck all summer and doing quite well. But now we're heading towards winter and it can't spend the winter on the deck. I'm in Central Virginia, which is zone 7A, so below freezing temperatures are a guarantee but sub-zero are unlikely (but not impossible).
From some online searching, I seem to have two options: (1) stick it in the unheated shed (maybe with hay?) and water monthly or (2) place it against the house and cover the pot with a mound of hay and water it every couple weeks.
So mefi gardeners, which of those will work best or is there an even better way of doing this that doesn't involve me digging a hole or a trench in the ground? And when should I do this? I was thinking after our first frost but I'm concerned that might be too late.
To make a long story short, I brought my house, it came with straggly backyard plants, I chopped them down, and the (heirloom?) rose bush with tiny pink blossoms grew back twice (I think the neighborhood bunny found it tasty the first year).
Because I started paying someone to mow the yard this year and didn't want him to mow it (or the rabbit to eat it again), I dug it up and stuck it in a large pot. It's been sitting on my deck all summer and doing quite well. But now we're heading towards winter and it can't spend the winter on the deck. I'm in Central Virginia, which is zone 7A, so below freezing temperatures are a guarantee but sub-zero are unlikely (but not impossible).
From some online searching, I seem to have two options: (1) stick it in the unheated shed (maybe with hay?) and water monthly or (2) place it against the house and cover the pot with a mound of hay and water it every couple weeks.
So mefi gardeners, which of those will work best or is there an even better way of doing this that doesn't involve me digging a hole or a trench in the ground? And when should I do this? I was thinking after our first frost but I'm concerned that might be too late.
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In the summer her yard looked incredible. In the winter it looked like some sort of strange alien bird or reptile was nesting their odd, dirty, somewhat cubic eggs in her yard.
posted by The 10th Regiment of Foot at 6:29 AM on October 3, 2011