I suspect that my problem overwintering roses is a combination of the cold and the freeze thaw cycles. My climate is not as cold as yours, skiekitty, but it is much wetter. We also don't have much lasting snow cover. It snows, melts and snows again. The grafted roses that died mostly died at the grafts. Some were visibly split. Another problem is the rocks. My friend helped me dig holes to plant the roses. It is a challenge to find a spot to hang a hummingbird feeder post without hitting a rock. Digging a hole deep enough to bury the rose join and removing the rocks one encounters is a major challenge here - especially when someone else is digging it, cursing in English and Italian and saying "this has to be deep enough now"! Other gardeners in the area grow grafted roses in raised beds. They have done fine for them. To be fair, my grafted roses were "body bag" roses from big bag stores.
I am so glad that Wildeve survived! I remember when we went shopping , my friend said "if this one doesn't make it, maybe you should give up on roses". We planted it in the hole where another rose died (not a good idea in retrospect). Actually, that location is known as "the hole that had that big rock". Wildeve survived and thrived. The only problem is that she is a bit big for the space. I can deal with that. I am thrilled for a rose to survive and become "too big". I am getting braver about pruning. Luckily, I have roses like Wildeve that can survive any newbie pruning mistakes. I am minimal pruner. I want to keep my roses healthy, not produce exhibition blooms.
I didn't have luck with any types of plants from Home Depot here. I don't even bother to look, so I won't be tempted. A Lowes opened recently, so I shop there.
Maybe you have to be a bit crazy to garden in the mountains (I know, not the Rocky Mountains....but hilly and rocky enough for me). The work is worth it when I see the beautiful flowers!
I am still deciding about the oso easy roses. I want "Peaches and Cream" and "Mango Spreader" and am on the fence about the others.
