Overview

• Avoid major autumn pruning and, if needed, shorten only overly long or disruptive shoots by about 5–10 cm to prevent tender regrowth and large, infection-prone wounds.
• Before winter, mound bush and shrub roses with at least 10 cm of soil to insulate the graft union and reduce frost and drought stress.
• Cover frost‑sensitive varieties, such as tea roses, with garden fleece or brushwood and delay full wrapping until temperatures remain below roughly 5°C.
• Shield the lower sections of climbing roses with reed mats to cut wind exposure and leave rose hips in place as a valuable winter food source for birds.
• Remove fallen rose leaves from beds and place them in the biowaste bin rather than the compost to limit overwintering fungal spores.