Don't jump the gun and uncover or prune too early. If it's just a frost, covering with fabric, not plastic, will help. If you've just a few roses, placing a bucket or rose cone over the bush will protect it. If a prolonged hard freeze like last year, there is not much that can be done. Mother Nature will begin the leafing out/growing process in her own good time. Not much you can do about that except not entice it to happen any sooner than it will occur naturally

Remember also, a warm March may start the growing process, but this doesn't mean it's spring and time to uncover or prune in our growing zone.

Hmm, the Easter freeze, don't mention that and maybe it won't happen again. Crossing fingers.
Karl, the weather can be so sneaky.

Carla

Last year was an anomaly. We had a very unusually warm winter and many of my roses began leafing out in early February and I had blooms at the end of March. Plus I pruned some too early (because it was so warm). Then we had the zap of 25 and below in some cases, while the roses were fully budded. It was devastating. Nothing really helped.

This winter has been much more usual, cold spells, frosts, even snow. Some nice warm sunny days, but the nights are cold.

But, if my roses are budded, and another hard freeze is expected, I just may run out and buy a few kerosene heaters and put them in the rose beds. Even one or two degrees can make a difference.

Thanks for the input. I'll hope that this year will be better (and never again mention "the-weather-event-that-shall-not-be-named.) :-) I'm glad to know that it was not a typical event! You mentioned not uncovering the roses or pruning too early. What signs should I pay attention to that tell me that "now is the time to prune?" I'm hesitant to rely on dates, because it seems that every place is different!

There is no magic date, only an average date and that depends on the weather. In my zone 5a, mid April has been the average date but that has moved forward a little as our spring arrives a bit earlier each year.
Relying on Mom Nature, When the forthysia bloom is another common indicator. Lately that's been occuring earlier, often in mid March but I've seen it earlier than that.
So it's crap shoot each year. You can only guess and hope you're right.
I usually prune when I no longer can resist the urge to get outside and play in the dirt. This means I've pruned as early as the first part of March, and as late as late April.

We use Valentines Day in my zone. Sure hope thats right this year. My buds were early last year and the freeze got them. They recovered just in time for the thrips and JBs but they were eventually were beautiful. Worth waiting for.[IMG]http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e184/JMorris271/ygp5A78.jpg[/IMG]

jmorris you need to use the brackets in straight html the IMG with square braces doesn't work.
Awesome picture! Your roses are wonderful.
{{gwi:229796}}

TBEF of 07 (thebigeasterfreeze) got 37 of my roses and I hadn't taken off any of the winter protection yet so I don't think that mattered. I think what hapened is that in January last year we were in the 40's the entire month and the roses began to bud out. Then it got super cold in February and all that growth froze. Then again in March it warmed up and the roses started to bud out. Then zap we got that extended freeze in April and all the second round of growth froze too. I think they just didn't have the energy left to put out a third set of new growth and succumbed to Mother Nature and died. They use the energy stored in the roots from the previous year to put out that early spring growth. If that's used up before there are new leaves to begin producing more energy they have nothing to grow on.

jmorris--

What is the rose at the front/bottom....quite stunning!!

Ronda

The freeze didn't bother my roses much but it destroyed ALL of my hydrangea blooms, camelia, etc.

Carla

Years ago, a bunch of us got the idea that winter protection encouraged premature leafing out of roses. Just over a couple of winters, people reporting on protected roses were seeing a lot more new growth relatively early in the season compared to people in similar places who either didn't protect or had already removed their winter protection. The year we had a devastating late freeze, there really wasn't anything anybody could do. It was just too cold too late in the season. The entire local apple crop was wiped out.