Probably not. I'm in zone 6 and I do nothing to protect my roses--and the only ones I've lost were to summer heat, not winter cold.

Since my neighbors on two sides of my garden have giant oak trees, my gardens do get some haphazard protection from oak leaves blowing around the garden. I suppose if it would make you feel better, you might dump two or three handfuls of oak leaves on each rose--but I don't really think you need them.

Good luck.

Kate

I do grow a few teas on my zone 5 yard and have done for the past 5 years, and this winter we've already had extended temperatures well below zero. In my zone, I stack filled leaf bags around the perimeter of these particularly tender roses since they don't go completely dormant but that's to protect from temperatures at least 10 degrees colder than yours, and for a much longer period of time. For any roses, a brief dip into below normal temperatures isn't much of a concern, but if it looks to be staying below zero for more than a day or so you might do as Kate says and add some leaf (or straw) mulch around the base of the roses. I've been pleasantly surprised at how much cold the teas can actually take, as long as they're well established (and as you say, well-watered).

Shouldn't be a problem as far as I know.

Cynthia

"Well established" is the problem! Most of these are 2013 spring bands so not very established at all! I've already lost Mrs Dudley Cross this winter probably as much due to being weakened by rose slugs striping her of leaves this fall with the combination of some pretty cold (10-15 degree) nights.

They are all mulched heavily on the side of the house that gives them good wind protection, so figers crossed.

It may well just depend on the individual variety of tea and china as to which ones survive the cold and which do not. I'm sure some are hardier than others. It sounds like you've already done the best you could for them so all you can do is wait and hope and see now.

I wish you all the best because I'm in zone 6 and I'm experimenting with teas and chinas this winter too. Mine are in pots in my winter pot ghetto outside and we've had temps in the single digits and well below zero for a couple of weeks now. Wouldn't you know it. The past 5 or 6 years our winters have been rather mild. Not this year! I'm looking at it as a true test of whether or not my little foray into these types of roses will work or not.

I have quite a few roses that I potted up from 1 gallons to 3 and 5 gallon pots this year to be planted in the spring. They are all crowded together close to the house. Our forecast is for a low of 14 Sunday night, a high of 22 and low of 7 Monday and high of 25 with low of 14 Tuesday...then warming back into the 40's Wednesday. I plan to bring the potted teas, chinas and noisettes into the (unheated) garage Sunday through Tuesday, but thought I would leave the bourbons, hybrid musks and perpetuals outside...should I bring those in, as well?

Ah subk3, younger bands are always a bit more of a challenge. Still, it sounds like you've got the mulch down, and as others have said the point of most protection is to reduce the wild temperature swings and stop premature warmup, not to protect from even single digit temperatures. Do be sure to pull back the mulch as soon as temperatures start to warm up in the spring to guard against canker in a moist climate.

In my world, PatBama, I don't even start winter protecting my roses until temperatures are down to highs of 20's and lows in the teens or single digits as you describe, and a brief dip into that range shouldn't be a problem at all (again, particularly for well-established roses). Certainly the HPs and Hmusks should be fine in that range, even if they're in pots (which reduces a zone of winter protection) as far as I can see.

Cynthia

Cynthia

It isn't the freezing, it is the thaw which can be an issue. As long as they are not facing east (where the morning sun can destroy the cellular structure from a too rapid thawing), you should be fine. I have my cuttings and seedlings in pots which have frozen solid for up to 2 weeks - at the most, I might throw a cover of horticultural fleece (that white papery stuff) over them - gives a temperature rise of a couple of degrees.

Ok. I feel lots better now...Got really worried and stressed and then just "Let Go and Let Mother Nature".
Susan

The way to get tender roses through cold weather is to cover the tops with mulch or soil. The last time it got below 10 degrees F here a lot of roses died back or died - I would definitely do something to prepare for 2 degrees F if I had roses that were kinds I was concerned about.

The temperature ranges for USDA Hardiness Zones are average annual minimum temperatures - individual temperatures being experienced at particular times don't really have anything to do with them. Think of your USDA low temperature spread as your core set, your mid-range, with it being normal for some winters to fall outside of it.

The USDA web site tells people to plant stuff rated for the next coldest zone. Part of why this is a good idea is that so many commercial (and sometimes other) sources rate plants hardier than they actually are. It seems much of the time this may be due to a misunderstanding of what the USDA Hardiness Zone temperature indications refer to.

This post was edited by bboy on Sun, Jan 5, 14 at 17:58