Roses need to enter full dormancy. A hard freeze (about 25°F / –4°C or below) signals the plant to shut down growth and go dormant. If you insulate too early, the rose may stay warm, continue growing, and produce soft new shoots — which will die in winter.

Mulch, mounds, and coverings keep the ground warmer. If applied too early, they keep soil too warm, prevent natural cooling and create humidity around the crown. This increases the risk of rot, fungus, and mold.

Dormant roses tolerate cold better. Once dormant, roses become tougher and less sensitive to cold. Winter protection applied after after the first hard freezet helps: keep the temperature around the crown stable, prevent freeze–thaw cycles and protect roots and graft unions. If protection is applied too early, temperature swings can be worse under the mulch. So, wait until temperatures drop below 25°F (–4°C) and roses go dormant.

• Hybrid teas, floribundas, and young shrub roses:
  • - Mound 8–12 inches of compost, soil, or mulch around the crown.
  • - Cover with pine needles, straw, shredded leaves, or bark mulch.
• Grafted roses (bud union):
  • - Ensure the graft union is well buried or fully covered by the soil mound.

• Tie canes securely to the support to prevent wind whip. In very cold or windy spots, you can wrap canes with burlap.

• If your garden is exposed: surround roses with a burlap windbreak or place a rose collar (or homemade chicken-wire cylinder) around the plant and fill it with leaves/straw.

• Never wrap roses with plastic — it traps moisture and causes rot.

• Snow acts as insulation, so do not remove it unless it’s breaking branches.

• Check for animal damage occasionally (rabbits, voles) and protect the base if needed.

• Do not water unless there is an unusual warm, snow-free dry spell (rare in Zone 6) and do not fertilize!

• Because pots expose roots to freezing air on all sides, container roses are far less winter-hardy than roses planted in the ground. They need extra insulation. The best option to protect potted roses is to move them to an unheated sheltered place. Move the roses after it goes dormant (after a hard freeze). Ideal locations: unheated garage, unheated shed, cold basement (40–50°F / 4–10°C), enclosed but unheated porch. In these places, keep pots dark or dim (light isn’t necessary when dormant). Water lightly once every 4–6 weeks so the soil doesn’t fully dry out.

• Use all of these steps together:
  • - Group pots together: place all pots close to each other for shared warmth.
  • - Place pots against a house wall: especially a north or east wall — they stay cold but protected from sun and wind.
  • - Wrap each pot with burlap, bubble wrap, old blankets. Then place the wrapped pot in a larger container and pack leaves, straw, or mulch between. I usually wrap large pots that can't be stored in bubble wrap and several layers of Plant Covers Freeze Protection. These materials are reusable, and roses wrapped in this way have held up well through many winters.
  • - Mulch heavily on top. Add 6–12 inches of leaves, straw, pine needles or compost.
  • - Wrap the top with burlap to reduce windburn (never plastic).
• Another option: bury the pot.
  • Bury the entire pot in the ground (pot and all), then mulch heavily. This gives the roots ground-level thermal protection.