Cindi ... those temps are not going to hurt your roses ... unless there is a lot of drying wind.

My roses go through winter without winter protection with average night temps in the low 20s to mid-teens with day temps in the low 40s with no die back. If you have new growth, it might be damaged and you may have some clean-up to do, but protecting the lower growth of the HTs will provide no benefit to the plants

I think your roses will benefit more from you taking care of YOUR health right now.

As for the buds on the other plants, I think you are right in that they are vulnerable because they are new growth.

Sorry to hear about your health issues.

Wind is the killer here. I'm on a hilltop and the winter winds are fierce.

Neal ...

We cross posted ... with opposite advice ...

There are a lot of right ways to grow roses ...

Cindi, you know your roses, your climate and what is best for you. Follow your instincts. Maybe you only need to do protection on some of your roses instead of all of your roses. You know which ones are probably the most vulnerable. I wouldn't make that decision based upon class but by your experience with the roses.

Neal ...

I had a hunch you would say that the wind is the variable that has the greater impact than the cold. That is often true because it dehydrates the plants.

True, class is no indication of hardiness- I was specifically thinking of some of Cindi's hybrid teas that I used to grow.

I had the most terrible, heart sinking feeling yesterday while sitting on the porch looking out over the garden. The McCartney rose (own root from someone who started it as a cutting) has been in the garden about 8 years, and for the first time it has 4 big healthy canes about 4' tall that survived the winter Those canes are bursting with new growth, and from the porch it looked suspiciously red and bunchy. Of course my first thought was RRD- in that moment I almost vomited. I looked closely to find healthy, normal growth- what a relief! I realized this is the first time I've seen this rose actually grow from old wood- I believe every other year of its life the canes were killed to the ground. I'm taking that as a sign this will be a stellar year for roses

Cindi, I agree with Lyn - look after yourself first and then the roses! With temps like that, you might loose a little new growth to frost but I doubt that you would have permanent damage - roses are tough. The dizziness must be very disorientating! Hope you get better soon - lots of gardening still to enjoy this year.

Neal, I think you could be right about the coming rose year - the roses are looking great. It is amazing the amount of new growth that they are pushing! I finished the bulk of my pruning today - only the five Standards left which I will open up tomorrow. You asked about winter protection - well I stuff a whole lot of wood wool into the crown and then coved the whole plant with winter fleece. Looks like this:


It is going to be like Christmas tomorrow when I open them:)

Neal ... that is good news !

Lyn, I'm so relieved. Having just invested in several new roses, I really panicked!

sunnyvalley, your standards look so perfectly wrapped and well loved! I wonder if that method of winter protection would work here? The old info says to lay them down in a trench in fall and cover the entire plant with mulch or soil. I've never been confident that I would follow through with all that and therefore have never invested in standards. I love the look of them so much, and considering my penchant for crowding, it is such a great way to add a rose to limited space.

It would definitely work for you too. You need quite a bit of space to lay them down and it isn't an option for me because they are planted amongst other roses - I love to crowd as well!

Here are a few early blooms that weren't ruined by the rain (yet). Two more days of rain starting tomorrow. I'm grateful for all of this rain, of course, but I also fear that I might have the world's worst case of black spot everywhere in the garden after this much moisture.

Chantilly Lace; Devoniensis (I hope it opens all the way; many buds were ruined before they opened); and Florence Delattre



J.C. Thornton; Naga Belle; and Madame Alfred Carriere



Pat Austin; Serratipetala; and Sunshine (much paler than usual, but still frantic; this rose always looks a little panic-stricken to me, as if it's yelling "Call 911!")



Thanksgiving; What a Peach; and White Pearl in Red Dragon's Mouth

Great blooms Zuzu and I love your description of SUNSHINE!

You have lots already Zuzu! I have a couple, South Africa being one of them.

My South Africa isn't blooming yet, Sue. Helen Hayes, Sophy's Rose, Kiss Me, and a few others are also in bloom, but I took lousy photos of them and decided not to post them.

Yesterday I saw some nice looking potted standards at Lowe's (a hardware, home, and garden box store). They only have French Lace and Intrigue and I'm unsure of the size because of the pots and they are up on pallets, but I think they're at least 36". From what I've read it sounds like Intrigue is rather disease prone, but French Lace sounds like a reasonably good performer. Do any of you grow French Lace?

Those standards are priced $29.99, so I'm rather tempted. I've never grown a standard and have always wanted to.

I've been reading this thread from the beginning today. Lots of great pictures and information. Two years ago I lost 1 of my 40 bushes to Rosette's Disease. I pulled it out, dug up the soil it had been in and replaced it with fresh soil. The next year two more bushes were lost from it. Last year 3 more. I see where the
American Rose Society is sharing an article asking the government to provide funds to investigate a cure for this. Does anyone else have this problem yet? I have been growing roses for 35 years without ever coming across this disease in my gardens!!

Oh Teri, I feel your pain- I've gone through it too. I lost about half my roses to RRD the first 5 or 6 years I lived here. I live on an 18 acre piece of farm land with no neighbors close (and therefore no one unknowingly growing infected roses). Once I got the infected multifloras out of the fence rows I was finally able to get it under control. Unfortunately most rose growers live in neighborhoods where novice gardeners and homeowners have infected plants (usually Knock Outs) that are spreading the disease. Have you seen infected plants growing nearby?

Teri, I feel for you too!! I haven't heard of anyone having RRD over here but one of my greatest fears is getting a disease like that among my roses!!

Neal, glad to here you got thru' it but losing half your roses must have been devastating!!

Teri, that RRD has run rampant through my area of Kansas. I've lost probably 20 roses to it. Now I know what to look for fairly early, and have not lost any roses in the last year. Like Neal, I live a bit outside town, but have wild multiflora surrounding my property. I cut out the multiflora that was adjoining my property, and I think that helps. I'm also careful to watch new plants I bring in. Nurseries still don't know what to look for and will sell infected plants without realizing it.
Don't give up on your roses! Just be vigilant.

I suppose the first thing to look for is that purplish disfigurement on new growth before it goes too far. I think that I jumped the gun last year and panicked when seeing healthy new growth because of the color!!

I think that is a mistake many people make when first learning about rose rosette disease. I nearly made the same mistake but luckily discovered that new rose growth is often a reddish color. Then I did have the "Witches Broom" growth develop on a few roses. I was successful in cutting that out and they seemed to recover. However I did loose a couple last year to some type of root rot, that just turned the entire plant black and killed them.