How To Trim And Protect Rose Bush For Winter

Question From: D. Powell - Champaign, Illinois, United States
Q: My new Lincoln? rose bush produces luscious large flowers with a wonderful fragrance. In its first year, it has produce shoots almost six feet tall. How should I trim it and then protect it for wintering?

A: I would cut the stems back to about 3 feet tall and mound the bush several inches high compost or a soil mix, In spring do the final pruning about the time the yellow forsythia bloom in your neighborhood. Best And Happy Yardening, Nancy