How to Use Rose Cones

While roses are perennial, they need to lie dormant during cold winter months in order to produce healthy roses in the following spring and summer. Unlike some plants that need to be kept warm throughout the winter, roses grow better if they are kept cold and are shielded from frequent variances in temperature. Plastic-foam rose cones help shield rosebushes and keep them cool during a sunny winter day. Rose cones also protect roses from other diseased plants or foraging animals.

Pruning shears
Loose soil or dirt
Rose cone
Heavy rock or brick

Instructions

- 1
  Cease fertilizing your roses during late summer around the middle of August. When roses enter the winter season, they need to stop growing, so stop feeding them beforehand. Also refrain from cutting off dead roses at the end of September.
- 2
  Prune the rosebush just before frost only if necessary. Make sure it fits the shape of the rose cone, which is often tall and thin. Weed out any other plants at the base of the rosebush to avoid the spread of disease.
- 3
  Wait until after a big freeze before covering your roses with a rose cone. The average temperature should be around 15 degrees.
- 4
  Build up a mound of loose soil around the base of the rosebush. This will protect its branches and insulate it from drastic changes in temperature. A mound of 1 foot should work well for this purpose.
- 5
  Lift the cone over the rosebush and gently push down to surround the plant. Make sure that the bottom of the rose cone meets the ground and leaves no gap. Cut 1-inch holes around the top of the rose cone to let out any captured heat throughout the winter season.
- 6
  Place a heavy brick or rock on top of the rose cone to keep it in place. Plastic foam is very light and it may otherwise blow away in strong winds without something holding it down.

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