[header] How to protect roses in the winter [title] Reduce water and fertilizer 6 weeks before the first frost. [step] This is a popular technique among rose gardeners, known as " hardening off. " reduce the water by half and stop fertilizing altogether to help prepare your roses for the cold weather. 
The reduction will help thicken their plant cell walls, giving them a purplish cast. [substeps] You can look up your first and last frost dates by entering your zipcode at https: // davesgarden.com/guides/freeze-frost-dates/b.