I have the same situation but I worried about potted roses. They have never gone dormate. They are in 2-3 gallon pots. Will the cold kill root system outside or I should put them in the shed for winter? Thank you.

Until someone more knowledgeable shows up, here is my take.

tjsangel--Extra mulch is added after a hard freeze that is likely to stay around for some time. It's purpose is to keep the ground frozen, and not to keep the plant warm. Hopefully, you buried the grafts on your roses 4-6 inches deep. If you didn't, I don't know what you should do now.

markiz37--Put the pots in an unheated shed or similar structure, away from the light. Water occasionally.

Hope that helps.

Kate

I do not put any mulch or protection on my roses until the ground freezes. For me, in my neck of the woods, that usually is sometime in early December. Roses are pretty tough and they can handle the cold temp's but putting on a winter protection of mulch to early is no good.

What kenz5 said. We have had single digit temps and are only now beginning to get frost in the ground. I'm guessing I'll mound the tender rascals in a couple/3 weeks. I just hope it stays cold until then.

digger *Deb is digging the snow :)*

18 degrees will not affect hardened rose stems. Hardened green canes might be affected by 10 degrees and gray canes by 5 degrees or zero, depending on the variety.

markiz, roses in small pots can definitely be killed by the roots freezing. When temps will fall below say 15, I would pile leaves around the pots, bury the pots, or move them to a shed.

I went to school in Indiana - those Midwest winter temps! I second insulating potted roses. I try to double-pot, dropping smaller pots into larger pots and stuffing the space in between with mulch, newspaper - packing peanuts work but they get dirty and are a pain to dispose of. Then I push the pots together, surround with wire fence, and pile mulch and leaves up and around. Seems to work pretty well, otherwise by January the pots of course freeze solid.