How to Best Cover a Rose Plant Through a Cold Night
- 1). Water the roses deeply before covering them, if the weather has been dry. Moisture provides an extra layer of insulation around the roots.
- 2). Pile soil around the base of the plant in layers, creating a mound from the ground to the bottom branches. The innermost layers of soil should be lightly compacted and subsequent layers should remain somewhat loose.
- 3). Mound straw, pine needles or composted wood chips over the pile of dirt at the base of the rose plant. The material should touch the bottom branches of the plant.
- 4). Drape burlap around the branches of the rose plant and across the top, being careful not to break or damage the branches. Apply two or three layers of burlap depending on the projected nighttime temperature.
- 5). Wind twine around the burlap to hold it in place. Do not tighten the twine more than is necessary to hold the burlap securely.
