Do I need to do anything special to my new roses before it gets too frosty?
Wendy Holdsworth, Facebook
Stefan says: As I assume your roses are still fairly small, I’d say nothing is needed beyond cutting off the dead flower heads, which otherwise could serve as entry points for disease fungi. Once the bushes are well established next year, start pruning.
There are many thoughts about pruning and when and how to do it. But this is what I do. I cut them back by no more than about one third in March. This lessens the chance of the plants being damaged by strong winter winds, or by snowfall. But don’t cut them back any more than this because leaving a significant amount of shoot growth in place will give protection and minimise the risk of frost damage. This is especially important with older, less hardy rose varieties, and also in the colder parts of the country.