I'm not too fond of collars (and particularly cones) myself. They hold the mulch in place all right but they also hold the damp in too. This can cause canker and mold issues. I use burlap to winterize my potted roses all the time and it does protect them from wind but it still allows them to breath too.

Are your roses planted in the ground with the graft 4-6 inches below the soil-line? My understanding is that that is one of your best defenses--and that winter snow-cover is a good defense also.

Kate

Don't apply anything until winter has set in solidly, because any winter protection can encourage canker in mild temperatures with moisture. The hardened canes can take temperatures down to +5 F or maybe zero without protection. The consensus here has been that, with buried grafts, winter protection is often counter-productive in Eastern zones 5 and 6 but usually helpful in the Midwest where mid-winter thaws are apparently less common.

Snow is great if you have it, because it insulates against subzero cold but keeps the canes too cold for fungal activity.

Thank you, Michael.

Smiles,
Lyn

I'm a zone warmer than you, but I'll share my process for what its worth. I use this for new-this-year roses, and also for any roses that are somewhat tender or are struggling.

I buy those tall heavy paper leaf bags at Home Depot or even the grocery store. Cut out the bottom, so essentially you have a big tube. Pop this over the rose; secure it with stakes poked through the base of the bag, and also tie twine around it to keep it from blowing away. I like to pile in some hay or leaves around the rose - I know there is controversy about this, but it seems to work for me. These leaf bags, then, act like nice cheap rose cones; they are cheap enough that you can afford to use them on many roses. And it really protects at least the first 4 ft of the canes from the wind. Good luck!

I have also used the leaf bags to cover my rose tree in the shed for the winter. They do work fairly well but can be a pain to get over the roses, especially the wider ones. I've found that wrapping with burlap is easier for those.

Thank you all so much for your input. Winter was so bad here last year and the wind, and i have an open field to the north . My roses on the south side were all fine and protected becasue they are near front of house but all the ones on the side and back died, even my green bushes all died.
I think I am going to try the burlap.
Now my question is how do I wrap the rose bushes? Do I wrap all the bush and all the way to the top? And should the top be secured or left open?

You can individually wrap each bush but if they are all in one bed you could also just stake and wrap the whole bed as one. I don't secure the tops on mine. I want them to be open to rain and snow for moisture and lots of air circulation with out the biting, drying winds. Desiccation is a major cause of winter rose death.

i have used all of the above methods. If we have another winter like last year, I will add prayerðÂÂÂ

Have any of you used wilt-proof? I use it all the time for transplanting in summer, and it is supposed to help with winter dessication. I've only used in on more tender plants in winter, roses don't need extra help here (PNW)--I just bury them deep.