"...Just remember, in the winter, far beneath the bitter snow, lies the seed, that with the sun's love, in the spring, becomes the rose." ("The Rose," Lyrics ? Warner/Chappell Music, Inc. Universal Music Publication Group)

Now there's an encouraging reminder to take comfort in knowing that all is not dead in the garden, merely settled in for a long winter's nap.

Perhaps the queen of flowers, roses have inspired poetry, love and friendship for centuries. Since the 1800s, rosarians have been cross-breeding species to produce hybridized new varieties with improved hardiness, disease resistance, and flower size, scent, and color.

Volumes could and have been written about the lovely rose and her care in all seasons. It is beyond the scope of this article, however, to explore these topics in great detail. Hence I offer my synopsis of general winter rose care. Do bear in mind that there are some variations in how best to plant and cultivate different species. When choosing a rosebush for your garden, the tag will provide some information, and ask at the nursery which variety is best for conditions in your area.

Types of Roses

Think of a color, scent, size, and shape. It's likely there's a rose to match your desires. From miniatures to patio and tree forms, shrub roses to vine-like climbers, the variety is astounding.

Today's most widely available cultivars are hybrid roses, including floribundas, grandifloras, and hybrid teas. With a little care, they can overwinter year after year, becoming stronger and more lovely each year.

Hybrid roses are grown by grafting the bud eye of a prized species onto an "understock" plant with an already-established root system. You can see it as the knobby area near the base of the plant.

Understocks are specially cultivated to encourage top growth of the grafted plant, and to minimize the chances of the rootstock producing its own new growth. Occasionally, a determined sucker from the rootstock plant will shoot up, and must be cut off below the soil, as close as possible to the desired plant to prevent re-sprouting.

Miniature roses and old or heirloom varieties are not grafted, but are grown from cuttings, and develop their own root systems. Own-root plants are great for very cold climates. If, despite your best efforts, a severe cold snap does kill the top growth, the new shoots will come up as the same rose you originally planted.

Garden roses need a cool to cold dormant season to produce their best. They still like to be watered up until the first hard freeze, but fertilizing is best stopped around mid-August, otherwise the plant will continue to produce new growth that may not have time to harden off before winter's cold.

Pruning

Spring is the best time for heavy pruning, but for fall pruning, simply cut out any twiggy, dead, diseased, or damaged canes to the ground, as well as any that have grown in towards the center and rub against larger canes. Do rake up the fallen leaves and old mulch around your roses to avoid overwintering pests and diseases. If there are signs of disease on the leaves, such as blackspot, don't put these on your compost pile, as it may not kill the organisms.

If your summer pruning included removing spent blooms and cutting long-stemmed beauties for flower arrangements, you can put those pruners away as fall deepens. Leaving the last flush of flowers on their stems tells the plant that the dormant season is near, and to stop producing new growth.

As these last flowers fade, their final petals fall to reveal the orange-red fruits of the rose, called "hips". Berry-like hips have a beauty in themselves, and are a great winter food source for birds. Loaded with Vitamin C, rosehips also make a delicious herbal tea.

Protection

If your roses are exposed to strong winter winds, cut back the longest canes to the same height as the others, and loosely tie them all together with string or an old stocking, about three-quarters of the way up the plant, to keep the canes from being whipped about. Another option is to cut the whole plant back to three or four feet. Fear not -- roses are vigorous growers, and will quickly shoot up when they emerge from dormancy.

For both established plants and the newly planted, protect them with a good layer of mulch after the first freeze. Make a tall mound of fresh soil and mulch around the plant, up to about a foot high if your winters are very cold. In milder climates, a layer of three to four inches thick is fine. Always leave a little space around the base so the mulch doesn't touch the trunk, to reduce the chance of rot and disease.

Winter mulches can include shredded leaves, bark, or newspaper, and hay or straw, among many others. Coarsely textured mulches allow for necessary air circulation and water penetration. You can put a prettier mulch on top of them so they don't blow away, and for a more aesthetic look. Organic mulches also benefit the soil by adding nutrients as they break down.

For extra protection in severe winters, styrofoam rose cones provide added insulation. Once the ground has frozen and the plant is dormant, they are placed over the whole rosebush, down to the mulch layer. Try to get one with some ventilation to allow for air circulation, and to avoid the plant being fooled into coming out of dormancy on sunny days. If you get one without holes, poke out a few around the bottom and at the top. Place a brick or similar heavy object on top to keep it from blowing away. Caught without a cone? A blanket of light, fluffy snow is a good insulator, too.

In With the New!

Late fall to early winter is a great time to plant dormant, bare-root roses. Plant them as soon as possible after you bring them home. Soaking the dormant roots in warm water for an hour or two before planting plumps them up, and makes it easier for them to get established before the ground freezes. Soaking yourself in a nice hot bath after working in the chill is nice, too.

There. Now you can curl up in a comfy chair with seed and plant catalogs, and dream of summer's return. Rosehip tea, anyone?