The main issue with having roses indoors is lack of humidity - sounds as if that is why your rose has not died yet.

Jackie

Hey, nice job. How cool to see a rose bloom in the winter. I'm glad you posted this, it's encouraging to see a survivor. I know it's not considered ideal but it's good to know it's not impossible, and sometimes you just don't have any better options.

This winter I brought three potted minis indoors. I've tried various ways of protecting potted roses outdoors, but haven't had very good luck, so I figured they couldn't do much worse indoors. They're in a cool basement under grow lights. I'm happy to say so far so good.

Thanks all... Jackie, lack of humidity? How much humidity do most folks have in their homes in winter?

Seil, I'll start exposing it to the outside when spring arrives and we're frost free which around here could be late April or even May. Our weather is crazy.

Yeah I posted this to encourage others. I've read so many times that this cannot be done successfully, that is, keeping a rose bush alive indoors over winter talk less of even getting blooms! Imagine if I had more sunlight and less cloudy days, it would be much bigger and have more blooms. And I didn't "baby" it, all I did was what I described.

And how about all the accounts I've read that you will have a big problem with mites and other bugs? I've had none. What's the basis for those accounts?

I thought Dick Clark was a stronger color? Could it have bee. Budded and the bud die? Or is that pale color due to being indoors?

Pale color is due to being indoors. This is an own root plant, so it is the Dick Clark rose flower. I'm still surprised I can get two blooms from a baby plant in 8 weeks with so little light.

I will congratulate you on your success, Richard. Your window looks quite large - almost floor to ceiling? And the exposure (south east) is the perfect one. Temps are very good and your humidity level is actually quite high for many indoor heated homes in winter. I've seen people struggle to keep the humidity at 30% and often it can get as low as 20! So at 40%, your rose is in a good place. No one guaranteed that you would contract spider mites indoors, but in a very dry environment, it is quite likely. You've escaped that pest it seems - lucky you! :-) So, yes, it can be done and it is good to hear of your happy Dick Clark.
But I still would caution readers that it is NOT always 'just that easy.' I have seen some pretty sad roses posted by people who didn't know any better and were trying to get them through the winter inside their house. Hence the source of those warnings. OTOH, I've seen a few successes posted like yours as well, my own included...but I DID have to "baby" my potted roses (Teas, grown in zone 4) by moving them to the shower every single week through the winter to keep spider mites at bay. And although mine were in front of a pair of double hung windows that faced south, the Low-E glass cut some of the sunlight and it wasn't quite enough for them so I had to supplement with a fluorescent fixture hung just above them. That was my experience, for what it's worth. Glad you are finding wintering your potted rose baby much, much easier. :-)
Anne

Actually my window is not quite large - just 5 feet tall by 30 inches wide. It is a triple pane window with Low-E glass and all the other good specs for a highly efficient window. Yes I have high humidity because I live in a new construction home with a tight building envelope so I get to keep most of the moisture generated indoors. As I type this the air outside would have a humidity of 11% inside my home yet my humidity in here is 43% now.

Here's a full picture of where this rose has resided for 2 months.

So glad to hear your rose survived, but to caution other readers.....It is not recommended to try to grow roses indoors. Yours was small (own root), and you did a great job of keeping it growing, but most won't fare as well.

It can certainly be done on a temporary basis. I have a lot of potted roses and I've had them inside for weeks due to weather. I had one that bloomed in late December, and many put on new growth even in a sunless basement.

I never thought to grow roses indoor except mini roses from grocery stores. Mine never did survive anyways. However on valentine's day, I did buy some florist roses and I notice that after a week, some of them start leaving out. I was going to try to see if they would start to root out but dismissed the idea. Although I love roses, I always feel they should be grown outdoors and I regard them as the crown of Summer. If I am surrounded by roses all year round, I will probably take them for granted. I find that during the dreary winter months, the thoughts of seeing them in the spring just melt the cold winter weather away.

I don't know about bugs, but my soil always acts very badly when indoors. I think I'd have to try some kind of special mix to keep it fungus-free. Or practically never water it or something. I do much better with houseplants bought in their own soil that need to be kept dry :)