Greetings sweet_pea - I am pretty new to this forum! - I have been growing miniature roses and other roses for a while, BUT just from reading the posts there are far more knowledgeable people than I. Also, some people tend their roses more carefully than I do, I just do what I think more or less as basic care. Soooooooo:

1) Don't be intimidated by what seems to be complicated rose care. I may be wrong, but I am going to guess that the roses you inherited are probably some basic hybrid teas or climbers that the "average" homeowner plants, and maybe fertilized every now and again (that's what I inherited from a previous owner). Although possibly you inherited some real gems if the former owner was a gardener, and it really is worth bringing neglected bushes back most of the time. You won't really know until they get a little care and flower, unless you can identify the bushes - did the previous owners leave any plant markers behind?

2) There are various opinions on pruning and when, but I follow what seems to be standard advice - this time of year don't prune at all unless you are taking off dead growth. Also, your climber/rambler is handled differently than a bush! Pruning encourages new growth, which is soft, so leave that until spring. In the spring, when the buds swell, is when you shape the bush. Here is a link on spring pruning for "bush" roses:
http://www.rosemania.com/Basic_Pruning.htm

Some folks living in high wind areas will shorten really long canes if they are whipping around in the winter wind.

For climbers, here is a link on pruning:
http://www.rosebuddies.com/prun_climb.html. I am not sure what to do with a rambler (if that is what you have)
My best guess though, is whatever "climber" you have, if the plant is doing well and you are in doubt about pruning - don't! Also don't fertilize until spring, as again you want the bushes to go dormant and get a rest, and not produce new growth. But always cut off dead canes, they are not going to come back after all (:

2) Winterizing - for me, I just follow what seems to be standard advice - AFTER the first hard freeze I mulch 4 inches thick. The point is to maintain the ground temperature Some people don't winter protect at all, others in severe areas use rose cones and other kinds of protection. In the spring, you can cut back winter-killed canes to healthy wood.
In any event, it sounds like your bushes have been living through everything up to now.

3) Fertilizer - well, there are all kinds, but if you Miracle_gro in spring, again after the first flowers or flush, and once more mid-summer, you can get by. I never fertilize after September. That's the most basic care - roses are heavy feeders and appreciate dressings of compost, fish meal, banana peels dug into the ground, fish heads in the ground, mushroom compost, coffee grounds, through the growing season - you may fall in love with roses as we all do, and the more care you give, the more they respond. A lot of the folks here have really interesting fertilizers and you can learn a lot.

4) I've read a lot and there are books that contradict one another, but for beginners I think the Ortho (as in the pesticide) book on roses that you can get in most bookstores and at Home Depot is a good start - easy to read and completely illustrated, and not too expensive - of course, if you search the Net there are lots of articles to sort through.

My best quick advice - there will be more for you to do in spring and summer starting with the spring pruning, and come back to the forum often!

Thanks Stone Garden - this was really helpful. You seemed to have confirmed what I was thinking...which is do nothing now and wait until the spring. thanks also for the book and website recommendations - i will be checking those out.

The person we bought the house from was an avid gardener, so who know's what I have. We had flowers everywhere this past spring and summer. This is my first home, and I always wanted to have tons of flowers, but I admit that all the different types, and locations of the flowers in our yard were a bit overwhelming to me!! Part of me wished that I only had 5 +/- typs of flowers to learn about, instead of the 25+ we seem to have.

Now that the weather is getting cold, I guess I'll be spending a lot of time reading up on this site!

sweet_pea 514, I am flat-out jealous that you inherited a garden like that! I am also in my first home, sadly though it is a townhouse so the yard is small - but I bought it because of the garden. I bought mine in the fall, so in the spring I had all kinds of surprises. I inherited an old climber called White Dawn, 2 red climbers that I think are Blaze, some other non-descript roses that since have been removed, a Queen Elizabeth, 6 -7 different kinds of clematis, stargazer lilies, white bleeding hearts, and some horribly determined sort of black-eyed Susan that I removed as it spread everywhere like a weed. I swear if I move though I am digging up my roses and taking them with me.

Don't worry if you inherited a bunch of perennials - you're lucky, the former gardener sounds like they planned well and for a while all you will need to do is cut back dead growth while you learn your plants - sounds great!

Please if it is not necessary, do not prune in the fall at all in zone 5. In case of rambler that could mean that you will not have any flowers in spring if it is a once bloomer or a climber that blooms on previous year's canes. Depending on your winter, you can cause more damage than good with fall pruning. Wait till spring, forget pruning now, particularly if you do have much experience with roses.