Question
Hi,
I have a new climbing rosebush, Don Juan, and it's about six feet
tall after just this summer.
I live in southern Michigan, Zone Five, and I didn't quite understand
how to protect the rose bush with dirt.
Should I put the dirt over the crown of the bush?
And how deep?

thanks!
Annie

Answer
Don Juan is such a beautiful rose but alas it is not very hardy. It is only rated to zone 6. That means there is a chance that your rose may be killed in the winter. I would definitely mound up making a pile of material all around the base and over the center with soil from another part of the garden or use compost, bark mulch , anything that will protect the base up to 12 inches. Simply dump the material all over the bottom of the rose. If the rose is frozen down to 12 inches it will bounce back in the spring. Some gardeners use bubble wrap. They first wrap the canes in burlap and then warp the climber in bubble wrap making sure the top is tied tight. If your Don Juan is close to the house, it will have a better chance of surviving the winter than if it is out on an arch in the open. To get this rose through a winter, don't give it any fertilizer after the end of July and then it will have hardened off it's canes for the winter. Being kind to a rose and feeding it late in the season, is one of the main reasons a rose dies in a cold winter.