Where do you live? you can add that info to you name, btw. : ) I think the main concern is having the roses dormant before pruning so as not to encourage growth. The Columbus (OH) Garden of roses used to Fall prune once they were dormant, but with extended trend of warmer Autumns they have discontinued that long tradition. A couple hours south, we don't go dormant until December and sometimes Jan. and at that point one might as well wait until Spring.

Why did you prune them down in the first place all these years? Are the collars to protect the crown or canes? Freeze-thaw is a PITA for us here. I'll be interested to hear what other more experience growers in cold zones have to say.

Thanks. I live in Milwaukee, WI....we can go anywhere from awful frigid Winters to mild. I pruned down (many moons ago) when I winterized cuz it was easier to trim/prune it down then when it was all dried out with dried leaves attached in the Spring. How do I add it to my name btw?

It depends on your platform. I this laptop I hover over "your houzz" next to my avatar in the upper RH corner. A pull-down menu will appear. Choose "edit Profile and Settings". Under "Profile Information" add you location to your publicly displayed first name. Hope that works for you.

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!! Very helpful!

Yay! success!!!