The good thing about minis is that most of them are on their own roots. Even if they die back to the ground in winter they should come back from the roots. They're a little bit smaller plants and can be winter protected very well too. Or you can pot them and garage them for the winter. I think they would be doable for you.

I have many zone 7's in my zone 5 garden. I also have 6 year old tree roses that have survived. So many factors enter into a roses survival. I also have zone 5 hardy roses that have failed. The health of the plant, your microclimate, etc. , all contribute greatly to the survival of the plant. A few handfuls of mulch for winter protection will also help. And of course, being able to stand the loss if they fail.

I don't have much experience with mini's but I I'd have to say that most of my roses are zoned warmer than I am in. I am in a 5A and I grow many 6 and 7's Hybrid teas with no problem.

thanks all for sharing your thoughts and experience! I think I'll go for it

Dale

Do you, the zone 5 folks, do anything special to grow your zone 6 & 7 roses in zone 5?

If grafted, keep bud union below soil. More delicate ones go in a protected site, if available. All the good advice about overwintering on this forum...plus some luck. If they are well planted and healthy going into a freeze, it will help a great deal. also depends on the rose, the size, etc. everthing you can do to establish a good root system prior to winter. it is pretty cool to see a zone 7 rose live through winter and then explode in the spring. IMHO, the warmer zones support the most beuatiful roses. The type of winter we have also plays a part.. a BIG part.

I live in z4 and have about 2 dozen minis in my garden, half in the ground & half in pots. The ones in the ground I have to cover with mulch in the fall but they come thru the winter just fine. Actually I think they are hardier than HT's, more like Floribundas for hardiness. The ones in pots, I bury in my vegetable garden for the winter & they survive just fine also.

One of the most important factors to consider is microclimate, especially exposure to wind. Most of my roses are along the south side of my house where they are protected from the wind. Between the house and evergreens on the west, my back yard is a safe haven. None of my roses suffer any die back. I'm even thinking of trying some tea roses.

The difference between my front yard (full northern exposure) and my back seems at least a full zone of difference.

Harry, I have the same situation. Tried Mrs. Dudley Cross in a prime spot. She never did well, but I am hopeful this spring.

do you mulch after or before the 1st frost (i can't belive i'm already talking frost!)

Uh oh. The " F " word. Mine are always mulched, for water retention, etc. I winter protect mulch around thanksgiving. As they go dormant. To avoid the thaw freeze cycle, etc.

I wait too. You want them to go completely dormant and the temps to stay cold before you put your mulch on them. The purpose of the mulch is to keep them dormant through any warm spells not to keep them warm or prevent them from going dormant.

Dale, what minis are you interested in? I grow quite a few without any form of winter protection in Zone 5 central Illinois and they are quite hardy. Perhaps I can help point you towards some good varieties.

I am looking at Hot Tamale, Sun Sprinkles and Denver s Dream

What do you think?

I grow 'Hot Tamale' and 'Denver's Dream' with just a layer of wood mulch around their feet to keep the weeds out and moisture in. They get zero winter protection and have survived minus zero temps just fine with minimal cane damage. Both of these get BS here, so you will have to spray fungicide. I don't know anything about 'Sun Sprinkles', but I'd give it a shot. I have not had any problems with losing any minis to winter...they seem to be a hardy bunch.

thanks terryjean

i think i'll go for it. what do you use for BS?

hi terryjean

curious...how big do Denver's Dream and Hot Tamale get?

Dcrosby,

Where are you in MA? The new USDA zone map for plant hardiness (came out early 2012) put south central, southeast and eastern MA at least half a zone warmer.

I used to be in zone 5b, it's now 6a. If you are not in the North Central or the Berkshire areas, chances are, you are likely to be in zone 6, either a or b. I don't think you'll have a problem pushing for zone 7 roses.

The minis I planted were quite tough. I did not know the varieties. I bought them from Trader Joe's. When flowers faded, I planted them in the ground. They all survived. I got rid of them a few years later because I was tired of spraying for black spot.

I spray with Bayer's Advance for BS. I have high BS pressure, and it is an excellent product. I start spraying when the leaves sprout until frost. I've found it available at Lowes.

'Hot Tamale' is not as big as 'Denver's Dream'. 'Hot Tamale' only gets about 2' tall and maybe as wide. 'Denver's Dream' is about maybe 3' tall. I'm going off memory here since I haven't been in the garden since last November. Hope to make it back out this week to start the clean-up since temps start warming up and the rest of the snow melts.

Hi Terry,

Thank you for your advice on Bayer's Advance. I started growing roses around '05. At one point, I had about 20+ bushes, not counting unnames minis. I felt like I had enough of babying them with frequent feeding and spraying and then, getting abused by those thorns!!!

I moved on to fruit trees, a lot less work and far better results. This year, I am giving up on the Dark Lady, Belinda Dream, Veterans's Honor and Knock Out (not very productive). I may get rid of my Autumn Sunset and Westerland, too. More to be on the giving away block!!!

I'm in the northern part of MA. Just a couple of miles south of Nashua, NH. I've always been zone 5 (i think) but haven't looked into the new zone map. Have I been redistricted?

From the sounds of it, can successfully grow the zone 6 roses.

Hi Terryjean

How often do you have to treat your roses for BS?

I'm not crazy about high maintenance plants

Where are you located?

Does location affect their disease susceptibility?

Dcrosby,

You may be right at the edge of zone 5/6. Check the map here. If you are still zone 5, you just need to do some winter protection. It should be fine.

Climate affects disease susceptibility. In dryer, more arid climate like AZ or CA, they don't have to deal with fungal disease like we do here in humid East Coast.

When you read people's recommendations, you want to see where they live. Different climate gives different results to the same rose variety.

Spraying for roses every week or every two weeks is not my kind of fun (anymore). I didn't even want to smell the blooms after I sprayed the bushes. Now I don't spray, most of my roses esp. Austins look naked by mid summer.

Here is a link that might be useful: MA new plant hardiness zone map

you were right mamuang I am now 6a. Thanks!

Great. You probably have more choices of roses to choose from.

You got a lot of good advice here. Weigh your options and go for it. Just tell yourself that you reserve the right to change your mind (maybe after a few years).

BTW, If you want real rose bushes, not minis, Austin roses need spray for BS here. Look for Buck roses, easier to care for.

Good luck.

Dale, I have 300 roses in central Illinois right outside of Peoria. I have very high BS pressure because it gets very humid here during the summer. Last year we had a drought, so it wasn't as bad and I did not have to spray after May because it quit raining. Normally I spray every 10 days or so. I grow Austins, Bucks, HTs, minis, shrubs, floribundas, etc.

If you don't want to spray, Kordes roses are pretty healthy. 'Thomas Affleck', a big shrub from ARE, also doesn't require spray. Needs lots of real estate, though, but is very cane hardy and requires no winter protection. Has made it through -22F temps with no problem.

terryjean
What do you mean by High BS Pressure? Do you just mean that you have a lot of pressure to treat the roses or are you referring to a method by with which you treat the roses?

Hi Terryjean

wondering...do/does Denver's Dream and/or Hot Tamale have thorns?

Thanks!