Oursteelers,

I think it roots pretty easily. I think established plants root a little better. The past few years I've been attempting to root quite a few cuttings in winter. Some varieties seem to prefer cooler temps. You have to keep an eye on them even in winter to make sure they are moist. Your zone is pretty mild...I'm in 7a, and still root them even through freezes. I root some in cold frames made from old windows and some out in the open. How big of a cutting are you talking about?

It’s about 18 inches with a few smaller branches coming off it

Hmmm, I think that sounds too large for a cutting. I would make some cuttings out of those smaller branches. After that you might be able to get several cuttings from the main stem. At least that would increase your odds of ending up with a plant.

Have you rooted many in the past? Are you rooting it in potting soil? That works for some. I use sand in gallon pots.

Any cuttings I’ve done in the past have been smaller, this one I just trimmed off the bottom and stuck it in a pot. I’ve just never done one in winter and wasn’t sure if more plant would be better for dealing with the cold

I'm so bad at rooting cuttings in the pots. Instead, I have a better chance to stick them into the ground (shady area) during fall and winter. Winter is so humid here that it's difficult for me to control the moisture in pots. Most of them got rot. Maybe you can cut the cutting into 2 and pick one to stick in the ground. Hardwood rooting takes much longer time. Normally I pot the rooted cuttings in late summer and let them harden throughout the winter.

If you have good Willamette Valley soil, I would cut it up into 6-10" cuttings and put them in the ground the north side of the rose. Use rooting hormone if you have it and leave it until spring. The rains will keep it moist. (Nursery owner in Scotland does this.) My soil doesn't work as well, but I still got one rose to root that way. If it does work. you will know when they leaf out, if it doesn't you could root one following spring flush. Alternately, I have cuttings in coarse sand in pots (needs hormone) and am letting the rain water them. (Nursery owner in BC and WI both do this.)

Haha…I wish I had Willamette Valley soil! I have crappy Western Wa soil that is alkaline clay and full of rocks