I'm in zone 6b Pigeon Forge, TN & need to know if tree roses require any special winterization other than regular mulch at the base.
Do I need to mulch all the way up the trunk and cover the graft area as well as the root system? If so, what should I use?
I have some grapevine sleeves I could put around them but what should I use to fill the sleeves that would keep the rose trunk & graft from freezing & is this even necessary in my zone?
Any information would be greatly appreciated
Thank you
RosesBloom

Moved to the Rose forum

Hi Courtney! Welcome to the rose forum!
@sunnyvalley posted a photo a while back of the way she winterizes hers. Hopefully she'll come here and post it again, or link to the original post. You are in the same zone I'm in, and we usually do need to either bring them into the garage or wrap them in some fashion. Are yours in pots or planted in the ground? It might also depend on which rose it is. I have Belinda's Dream and Sunsprite in tree form, and both were supposed to be hardy as a tree but I'm not risking it. They sure do great in the ground as a regular rose bush without any protection.

"Sunsprite" although billed as winter hardy, simply is not in 6a-b Canada. The "Tree Rose" type would suffer even more. They have to be brought inside, basement, garage. PS. I have an unheated greenhouse, and for the last two years, I have taken show HT. roses on our deck in camo 5 gallon pots, to an unheated greenhouse. Top up with soil, water, and have not lost one yet! In Spring, I bring them back to the deck again. Garage or basement should work just as well, but don't let them totally dry out.

From experience, I have learnt it is better to be safe than sorry!
My standard roses in manageable pots get move into our unheated storeroom. The bigger pots get wrapped and the roses themselves treated the same way as the standards planted in the garden. First I stuff the crown with wood straw and then double wrap with winter 'vlies' (sorry don't know the correct term in English). It is a light weight winterizing fabric alternative to burlap. I then mound the base.

I posted this pic before in the 'Rose Tree?' started in July.


Another thing you might want to do before wrapping up your roses is to remove all the leaves and spray them with dormant spray first.
Hope that helps

I have always taken my potted roses and put them in my cold garage for the winter. No problems.

Also give them a drink of water when I think about it during the winter.

Oh yes forgot that all my roses potted or not I treat with dormant oil and take the leaves off.

DeeDeeDee
on all points for potted roses over-wintered indoors (unheated frostfree)