Volunteers Joined The Lake Superior Rose Society in Tipping Roses For the Winter

The rose tipping took place at Leif Erikson park.

DULUTH, Minn.–In a garden with over 2,000 roses, questions arise from how so many rose plants survive the winter. The Lake Superior Rose Society works vigorously to ensure that the historic Duluth Rose Garden stays in bloom for next spring.

First, the roses are cut down and bundled with biodegradable rope. Second, a hole is dug right next to the rose bush so that the rose can be buried under roughly 3-6 inches of soil. Lastly, the roses are covered in bags of leaves to ensure the plants don’t freeze over.

The President of the Lake Superior Rose Society, Margaret Anderson, says, “Some years you don’t get a lot of snow fall or it might be very windy, but those bags add an extra layer that the roses can use. There’s about 2,000 roses that will be winter protected this fall”.

Every fall the Lake Superior Rose Society tips these roses. And near the end of April, they’re sprayed off and replanted.

Anderson went on to say, “As soon as they’re brought up, someone comes through with a hose and washes them down. They get a good drink that way, so that they’re hydrated coming into spring”.

But the winter weather isn’t the only concern for the roses. Highway I-35 runs underneath the Rose Garden, making the ground even colder.

Anderson also added, “So now we’re over the tunnels which is an added concern because that cold air is also below them. So we want to make sure these canes don’t freeze and thaw. Instead, we put them in a state of dormancy, with the soil on top and the leaf bags. It keeps them at a certain temperature all winter long, so when we bring them up in the spring we hardly ever lose a rose”.

The Rose Garden has 22 classifications or types of roses, ranging from 280 different varieties or names. Each year someone from the Rose Society tallies the number of roses in each circle, the number in each bed, and tracks the number of each type.

Anderson says, “It’s just amazing how these root systems have gotten, you know, very deep and extensive. So we have our work cut out for us.

Most of the roses that were planted back in 1994 still stand today, proving that if you tip a rose, you too can save a rose.