We have started to winterize the Dorothy and John Bohannon Rose Garden, so you might notice things looking a little naked or shorn tightly. We have big things in store for Spring, which requires quite a bit of work now! Believe it or not, this winterization of the Rose Garden will help ensure a more spectacular spring! We’re sure you have more questions about what we’re doing in this beloved space, so check out the Q&A with our Director of Living Collection, Terry Huang, below! 

Q: Why are you stripping the leaves off of the roses?
A: In mild climates like ours, roses tend not to rest during warm winters, so by removing their leaves we force a brief dormancy.

Additionally, removing all the leaves also helps reduce fungal populations where their spores are active and lying dormant on the leaves. By breaking the cycle, the roses will be impacted less over time. We will apply a dormant oil after our winter pruning to help hedge our bets.

Q: Why have you stopped deadheading?
A: When roses form hips (the name of their fruits), this signals the plant to rest, so by stripping them of their leaves and leaving the hips we are helping them get the message.

Q: Why are you forcing dormancy?
A:
Most modern roses prefer temperate climates due to their genetics, so if they get a good winter rest they will bloom more spectacularly next spring. (If you had to look pretty and smell good 24/7, you’d be tired too!) Though some historic classes of roses – like Chinas and Teas – do better in warmer climates so they don’t need as much of a break, but they are not as popular or common in gardens today. 

Q: Can we take the flowers you are cutting off? Can we take cuttings to root at home?
A: Removing plant material from the Garden is not allowed without the permission of the Director of Living Collections. The reason is that plant material of any kind can potentially carry pests, pathogens and diseases. By taking it home, they could be inadvertently spread from garden to garden and we want to avoid this.

Taking cuttings is not permitted because of the reason above, but additionally many cultivars of roses (and other ornamental plants) are patented so it is illegal to asexually propagate (via cuttings, divisions, etc.) without paying the company/breeder royalties.

Finally, a botanic garden is like any natural history museum or an art museum, surely you wouldn’t take a fossil or a chip of paint from a Van Gogh home, right?

Q: Aren’t you cutting back the companion plants too much? It’s kind of ugly…
A:
Many of our companion plants are herbaceous perennials, so the growth from the previous season will get rattier as the season goes on. Cutting them back now will allow good airflow and lush looking plants in early spring (or even sooner if we stay warm).

The sub-shrubs will be cut back to encourage full, bushy and tidy growth. This will also encourage them to be extra bloom-y in spring, which is most important for a lovely show.

Q: OMG! Why are you killing the roses? You are cutting them too much!
A: Come January, we will begin giving all our roses their annual winter pruning. We understand it may look dramatic, but we assure you roses do well with pruning. In fact, without it the flowers become more sparse and smaller. When we do this necessary pruning it helps the roses refocus and redirect energy into the things that we love to see – flowers and healthy leaves.

Q: I’ve always wanted to learn how to prune roses, is there a class?
A:
There is no class specifically focused on pruning roses, but if you become a volunteer of the Garden you can learn from our training days in January. We also offer a general pruning class that goes through the basics, tricks, tips, and twists. It will be happening in February, so check our website for more details and tickets.