Using Wood mulch etc. you should be fine... Using Rocks etc. that could reflect heat...

Are you having a certain problem????

Nothing!! Just while watering today I felt a lot of heat being reflected and was worried!!!

You can lift up the mulch. The soil should feel cool (cooler than the surface of the mulch) and moist.

If you're not actually seeing any problem than leave it be. Keep them well watered when it's very hot and they should be fine.

I can't use wood chips here because they break down too fast, promote fungal growth, leech nitrogen out of the soil, and weeds grow right on top of it, so it defeats the purpose altogether. I've had great luck with pine straw on everything, including roses. Wood chip mulch is pointless here (NW MS, Z7B).

Jennifer.. I m in pnw z7b and I just used wood chips.what do I do now??

I would think wood mulch should be fine for you. When your weather returns to something more normal and the rains turn on again be sure to pull it back from the base of the rose a few inches

If your not having problems rabains nothing needs done... If you should happen to see problems then just remove the mulch from that area...

Now don't panic: But I do not use wood chips here anymore under roses but only because we get a lot of rain and our clay soil stays to wet and causes problems for some of our roses...So bare soil with alittle compost spread over it has been working best for me here...

Now your situation could be totally different so do not worry unless you see problems...

90 degrees is too hot for YOU. That doesn't mean its too hot for your roses LOL. In my humble experience, roses love heat as long as they are getting plenty of water. Sure, blooms are smaller and blow faster in the heat, but there is lots of new growth. In VA this summer, we've been having 90's with afternoon thundershowers and the roses are gorgeous - too hot for BS and tons of growth.

In my hot, humid climate, bark mulch breaks down quickly so it needs to be applied each spring. I have no concern whatsoever about the bark's decomposition robbing nitrogen from the soil because I add nitrogen to the rose beds several times each season in the form of Holly-Tone. The fact that the mulch breaks down is a good thing - its improving the structure of my soil.

In photos posted by the OP his/her roses look great. This may be another case of rose hypochondria.

Here in the south we have to use mulch. Our soil is clay based and if left exposed to the sun will bake into concrete. I have to add at least 3 inches of wood or bark mulch to keep that from happening. Pine straw is ok, but I really don't like it, it breaks down too fast. It is good on hills because it will not roll down when it rains (unless there are very heavy rains). Plus if you need to walk in the beds, pine straw sticks to your shoes and gets tracked in the house. That's why I hate it. I usually don't put the mulch right up against the rose. I leave a space for the drip line around the rose and there I put compost or just garden soil. That is where I add my amendments and fertilizers and water.

People are entitled to their opinions, but I've used just about every kind of organic matter for a mulch and they all work fine. Bark chips, shredded bark, wood chips, fallen leaves, pine needles, green yard waste (no herbicide), half-made compost or leaf mold. Also I don't worry about the mulch touching the canes.

About the only problem I'm aware of is bark chips (and wood chips to a lesser extent) washing down a slope, and artillery fungus defacing adjacent cars or pale siding. I don't have the latter problem, but I understand it can happen with wood chips and shredded hardwood bark.

Just use whatever is cheap, convenient, and local, and don't fret about it. Any kind of organic mulch is good.

I know you are concerned, but 90 degrees is nothing for a rose. Roses have been around for a long time and in all sorts of growing conditions.

I grow roses and it is routinely over 105 degrees (for at least three--four months) in the summer and occasionally gets to 115--116 degrees. Further, I have watering restrictions. I can only water twice a week and only during certain times of the day.

I use a layer of compost (about 2--3 inches) around each rose and then 2--3 inches of bark mulch. They are on their own roots so I don't have to worry about a graft.

If your roses show no signs of stress, I would leave them alone. They will be fine. It sounds like you are taking good care of them.