I read different information about this and facing my first winter with my roses that were planted in May, I would love to hear ideas about what some of you do. One video says if your rose is properly zoned you don't have to do anything...others say pile mulch, cones...etc. All my roses are own root and have thrived since planting...grown into nice size bushes...3 to 4 feet high. Some have rather long shoots. Should I prune these off?
One difference from above roses.....I planted Madame Plantier and Felicia at the end of August. Felicia is protected by a shed I planted her next to so the west winds won't harm her. M.P. is in a much more unprotected place. Both of these are growing nicely, especially, M. P, who is taking off. Should these have protection because they are so young? Any advice or ideas are most welcome.

Just pile leaves or wood mulch around the base but leave a little gap so they don't cause any issues on the main stem. The gap allows air flow so they can breathe but having mulch around them keeps the temps steady so they don't heave during winter.

pepper23 said: Just pile leaves or wood mulch around the base but leave a little gap so they don't cause any issues on the main stem. The gap allows air flow so they can breathe but having mulch around them keeps the temps steady so they don't heave during winter.

Thank you, Amanda. I put 4 inches of shredded wood for mulch last spring and will pile that around them.
So, if there are some extra long shoots I should bring them down or just leave them? They are predicting a warmer than usual winter this year, but, that doesn't mean they will be correct or even if they are, that we could get some hard, cold winds.

Leave them. Wrong time of year to prune and they can be pruned in Spring if needed. If you're worried about the wind you can always loosely tie them to something sturdy.

pepper23 said: Leave them. Wrong time of year to prune and they can be pruned in Spring if needed. If you're worried about the wind you can always loosely tie them to something sturdy.

Thanks, again. I need to get some twine!!!

LittleAnnie said: Thanks, again. I need to get some twine!!!

Patricia, you can also use thin lightweight bungee cords to wrap wayward canes, they come in several different lengths, you could use the size that was required. Twine is also good, as are the plant ties that are available in different materials from velcro to rubberized wire. Also, staking the long canes could be a solution. Agree that you don't want the longer canes whipping around in the wind!

ParisRoseLady said: Patricia, you can also use thin lightweight bungee cords to wrap wayward canes, they come in several different lengths, you could use the size that was required. Twine is also good, as are the plant ties that are available in different materials from velcro to rubberized wire. Also, staking the long canes could be a solution. Agree that you don't want the longer canes whipping around in the wind!

Never thought of thin bungee cords. What a good idea....thanks, Claire.

I checked recent low temp. for Cleveland including the past 4 years.

You do get sub-zero weather and single digit; these temps. will kill roses, especially young roses.
I have dealt with sub-zero for as long as I have dealt with roses, decades, and I still lose some , not always due to cold weather but young roses are finicky.

I would trim them down to at least 16 inches, and totally cover them with leaves or straw.
Due not use rose cones, as they take a learning curve and I have quit them entirely after mediocre results for years.

Last year, we experienced sub-zero temperatures, which was highly unusual. Thankfully, we took precautions to protect our roses, and it paid off. This year, our plan is to cover only the bud area with mulch for our regular roses and tightly clustered climbers.

RpR said: I checked recent low temp. for Cleveland including the past 4 years.

You do get sub-zero weather and single digit; these temps. will kill roses, especially young roses.
I have dealt with sub-zero for as long as I have dealt with roses, decades, and I still lose some , not always due to cold weather but young roses are finicky.

I would trim them down to at least 16 inches, and totally cover them with leaves or straw.
Due not use rose cones, as they take a learning curve and I have quit them entirely after mediocre results for years.

Thank you, Dr. I've been back and forth about cutting them down due to people saying don't prune in fall because of more winter die back, but, at 16 inches they should have enough stem left and heavy mulch around the root base. A few of the roses have very long stems that have grown much longer than the bush and I was concerned about them breaking off from hard winds.
I am thankful that we don't get your low temps, but, we do sometimes get arctic freezes that are wicked. All my roses are own root, so, they should be ok during our winters, even with some die back.

Elena999 said: Last year, we experienced sub-zero temperatures, which was highly unusual. Thankfully, we took precautions to protect our roses, and it paid off. This year, our plan is to cover only the bud area with mulch for our regular roses and tightly clustered climbers.

I see you pruned yours down before winter and they were okay, yes? I have round fences around my roses, also, so it will be easy to cover them....what a mess to clean up in the spring, tho.

We had -5F last Winter, majority of roses I had to cut up to the ground level, but they all survived. The recommendation I will follow is to cut 1/3 before winter comes. I have a few first year roses that are not strong enough yet and might take extra precautions for them.

Elena999 said: We had -5F last Winter, majority of roses I had to cut up to the ground level, but they all survived. The recommendation I will follow is to cut 1/3 before winter comes. I have a few first year roses that are not strong enough yet and might take extra precautions for them.

Thank you, Elena. I will take this advise, especially, for the two I planted at the end of August.

Patricia, forgot to mention that it's also recommended to water roses bushes one time very extensively before the Winter.

Elena999 said: Patricia, forgot to mention that it's also recommended to water roses bushes one time very extensively before the Winter.

Believe it or not, I did know that.