Correction to my plant list - it's an Angel Face climber, floribunda. Not Blue Angel. Does it need winter protection in zone 5?

You can check out such information about your roses at helpmefind.com -- wonderful resource.

My guess is that Angel Face cl. definitely would need winter protection in Zone 5. In fact, I think most hybrid teas and floribundas probably need winter protection in Zone 5.

Myself, I would NEVER plant a rose in the fall if I lived in Zone 5. Hopefully, some posters will come along and suggest what you can do to get a newly planted rose to survive a cold winter. I'm sure I don't know.

Good luck.

Kate

Here is a link that might be useful: helpmefind.com

Fall planting is very iffy for cold zones. The plants do not get a chance to settle in before the freeze sets in. I've had such terrible luck with it that I've quit doing it altogether. And for the most part I was planting potted roses not bare roots which have even less root ball to survive with.

Since you've already ordered them you'll have to plant them though. I don't think you can leave bare root plants packaged for the entire winter and have them survive. If it were me I'd pot them up and put them in a garage or shed for the winter. If you can't do that plant them deep and then mulch them high. This might even be a case where I'd suggest the dreaded rose cones,.with the tops cut off, since the roses will already be cut very short for shipping. In the future you can order the roses now but have shipping delayed until spring when they'll have a much better chance of surviving.

By the way, my Angel Face, even though she is a terrible black spot magnet and leafless much of the season, is over 40 years old and has survived every type of winter imaginable with little to no protection like a champion! It is green nearly to the tips coming out of every winter. You may have more die back than me because you're a zone colder but I'll bet she winters for you with out any problems! Not all modern Hts and Floris are sissies. I think a lot of those zone ratings are nuts. I know a lot of people in zone 5 here in Michigan that grow MANY of those types of roses with no winter protection and they come back faithfully year after year. The only way to know if a rose will work for you is to grow it!

One year Hortico sent me 'Summer Song' in November instead of my requested April ship date. I dug a deep hole, buried the entire plant with soil, covered with mulch, and put a tag by it so I remembered where it was in the Spring so I could dig it back up and replant properly. The plant made it through our frigid Zone 5 winter just fine. This method resembles the 'Minnesota Tip' method for winterizing tender climbers...but worked just fine for this Austin.

Thanks, everyone!
terryjean - I might try that! Funnily enough, these plants are also coming from Hortico - and I requested early September shipping.

dublinbay - thank you for the link to Help Me Find. I do know and love the site!

seis - 40 years old? Wow! I can only hope... Mine hasn't been too bad for black spot, though I had two Blaze red climbers and an Iceberg shrub that were inundated last year, even though I'm pretty diligent about spraying and trimming affected leaves.

I would not plant a rose in November in our zone. I would pot it up and baby it in the unheated shed. Angel is a beautiful rose. U picked a really nice rose. Mine have survived in zone 5 just fine but I do mulch heavily...and pray. Lol

I don't provide any winter protection for the roses. They reside in beds of hardwood mulch which serve dual purposes of keeping moisture in and weeds out. I rely on oak leaves that blow in from neighboring trees and snow to keep the roses cold and dormant. I grow a mix of Antiques, Hybrid Teas, floris, minis, and climbers. I can't remember the last time I lost a rose to winter kill. Some of the gang are more cane hardy than others, but by June, those that had to be cut to the ground have caught up to the others. You have to be hardy to live in my gardens.

Thanks everyone for the great advice. It's wonderful to have such a knowledgable (and friendly) community right at my fingertips!

As it happens, my plants didn't arrive (2 About Face and 1 Hot Cocoa)... when I called Hortico they told me that due to the weather this fall they won't be shipping until late December. So I guess when they arrive they'll have to be potted up and put in the shed. This week is pretty warm and the ground is still diggable, but the nights are definitely below freezing and the days will be down there too soon enough.

Definitely April shipping for me in future!

At this point I wonder if you might be able to call them back and ask them to hold the order until late March or early April. In my experience, the nurseries that sell bare roots are prepared to hold cold zone orders until late winter /early spring.

Well, it's done. It was too late to hold the order and they arrived on Friday. On the bright side, Hortico is quite close by me, so the plants hadn't dried out at all.

There were two About Face plants and one Hot Cocoa. I've changed around my bed design plan since placing this order, and since I have other roses coming in the spring, I only had designated ground space for one of the AFs - so, an experiment:

The Hot Cocoa and one About Face, I put in the ground - buried deep and mounded high - then mulched and burlapped. The other About Face went into a large pot in the unheated (but large) shed for the winter. I'll remember to water it once a month or so.

Now I just have to wait and see if the ground or the shed works better. I'm hoping they all make it! :)

Well, it's done. It was too late to hold the order and they arrived on Friday. On the bright side, Hortico is quite close by me, so the plants hadn't dried out at all.

There were two About Face plants and one Hot Cocoa. I've changed around my bed design plan since placing this order, and since I have other roses coming in the spring, I only had designated ground space for one of the AFs - so, an experiment:

The Hot Cocoa and one About Face, I put in the ground - buried deep and mounded high - then mulched and burlapped. The other About Face went into a large pot in the unheated (but large) shed for the winter. I'll remember to water it once a month or so.

Now I just have to wait and see if the ground or the shed works better. I'm hoping they all make it! :)