December Rose Care Guide Winter Maintenance Tips for Southern, Middle, and Northern Zones

By: Paul Zimmerman, Jackson & Perkins Rose Consultant

In December, rose care is minimal but essential, with tasks focusing on keeping plants tidy and disease-free. Roses in Southern zones continue growing slowly, while those in Middle and Northern zones are mostly dormant. Here’s a simple guide for rose care in December, tailored to each climate.

Southern Zones (Zone 8 and Higher)

In Southern zones, roses don’t experience full dormancy, so December is a time for light maintenance to keep plants looking tidy and healthy.

• Light Deadheading: Continue light deadheading to remove any remaining faded blooms. This helps roses conserve energy and keeps your garden looking fresh.
• Clean Out Dead Wood and Weak Growth: Inspect each plant and remove dead wood or weak, spindly canes. This light pruning reduces disease risks and improves airflow, keeping your roses healthy through the cooler months.

Middle Zones (Zones 6 and 7)

Roses in Middle zones may still have some foliage but are generally in a low-growth period. December care is light and focused on tidying up.

• Stop Deadheading: Because we can get freezes here and the roses need to shut down, stop deadheading.  When we stop deadheading the roses set hips. Those hips contain seeds and signal to the rose it’s time to go fully dormant which is what we want.
• Remove Dead Wood and Weak Growth: Clear out dead wood and any weak, non-productive canes. This reduces the risk of disease and prepares roses for a healthy spring return without stimulating new growth.

Northern Zones (Zone 5 and Lower)

In Northern zones, December typically means full dormancy for roses. Care is minimal and focused on light pruning to tidy plants for the winter.

• Skip Deadheading: Allow rose hips to remain on the plant, as they provide winter interest and can serve as food for birds and wildlife. There’s no need to deadhead in these dormant months.
• Remove Dead Wood and Weak Growth: Inspect plants and remove any dead wood or weak canes. This helps reduce disease risk over the winter and makes for an easier spring cleanup when roses come out of dormancy.

Whether you’re keeping blooms tidy in the South or prepping for a disease-free dormancy up North, a little December attention sets your roses up for a healthy winter. Each of these small steps helps ensure your roses are ready to flourish come spring!

It’s always a good time to plan for and dream about your spring garden and the new roses you’ll plant. At Jackson & Perkins, we’ve updated our assortment, and restocked favorites so shop the website and reserve your favorites now. We’ll ship them to you in spring at the right time for planting in your zone.

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