Hi Sarah: I bought 16 bands from Burlington back in 2012. I have grown 150+ tiny own-roots in pots before transferring to my heavy black clay, zone 5a (very dense and compact clay). I compiled the info. on taking care for tiny own-root and winterizing in below post:

Tips for own root roses and tiny rootings in pots (houzz.com)

What I did when I used to root a lot of roses was keep the marginally hardy ones in the basement under lights. Since the basement runs about 60F during the winter, the roses didn't have the pest problems that can occur when kept in the house, and the fluorescents I used for seed starting provided enough light.

The problem with the garage is that it might be too warm, and the roses won't stay dormant. When they break dormancy, they will need light. So they go in, out, in, out, in, out until it warms up for good. Little red wagons are useful. When I first started garaging roses, I was told it wouldn't work because the garage was too warm. It is a real problem, particularly in zone 6.

I think your winters are too wet for winter protection to not be a bad thing. My acquaintance with Great Lakes weather is mostly south of the Erie snowbelt. Winters can be extremely dry there, so winter protection just doesn't do anything - good or bad.

Here's what I would do:

Do not plant anything, liners or the bigger potted roses, into the ground this fall. Find the coldest spot in your unheated garage that stays consistently, AS CLOSE TO ABOVE FREEZING, BUT UNDER 40-45°F., all winter. Water very sparingly during storage. Store them in as much darkness as you can.

Do not do any pruning, even gnarly, thin tip growth, before or during winter garage storage. Leave all current growth intact as it now is until your roses are planted in ground, when weather permits, come 2023. Then you do your pruning. Do not plant out before the large daffodils and forsythia are in full bloom. Be prepared to protect the planted roses from sudden spring freezes which may occur after they go into the ground. An upside down big pot with a brick on it should suffice for the duration of the freeze, usually overnight until late AM.

The reason that you leave the current growth untouched is that apical dominance will force any normal, inevitable winter storage growth made as spring approaches during their winter slumber, to come from the bushs' weak tips. That's right, from the weak tips!

When planted in ground at the right time come spring, after in the ground, then just prune back all the sickly, candle, tip growth made during storage to strong stems lower down on the bushes. The dormant buds down there, supported by thick stems will quickly kick into making vigorous growth.

Even in total darkness and under the ideal storage temperature, growth will inevitably be made during storage as spring approaches. You can't go against nature. The above management method makes this premature storage growth of little consequence to the future health and vigor of your bushes.

Moses

Could the pots be "heeled" into the ground and then cover the little roses with styrofoam cones?

Thank you all for your quick responses! I'm going to go read over them. This forum has been invaluable already!

I only wish I had spent more time on it before I bought the 2 Summer Romance roses that I currently hate, even after moving then twice. They smell great, but they wilt within 24 hours of being picked, half the flowers have weak stems/necks and droop for me...and the bush looks terrible.

Hoping to have much better luck with these 12!

This forum is definitely the fastest way to get good advice.

Jackie

I think you've gotten good advice about overwintering these roses, either heeling them into a vegetable garden and covering them or overwintering in an almost but not freezing garage, or under lights. Just a note that in cold zones, the one that will need the most protection and is most iffy for zone 6 will be Mel's Heritage. It's a gorgeous rose but a lot of Paul's roses have some tea in their history and benefit from some support in colder zone.

I haven't been successful overwintering Mel's Heritage in my zone 5 though I think I'll try again now that I have some strategies to try. It's officially rated to zone 6 but I'd give it some extra straw or put it in a protected (sunny side of the house) spot

Cynthia

BTW Frances, what do you do if the voles do decide your straw is just the perfect home for them? I know not to winter protect till the ground is good and frozen hard, but they are persistent little creatures. I have a vole (or family of them) that has adopted one of my rose beds and has refused to eat the "guaranteed vole remover" substance my local garden store recommended. I plant 1000s of bulbs and two of the beds were just wiped by the nasty critters last spring.

Cynthia

Cynthia, I have been (knock on wood) pretty lucky re: voles and mice. I've never had them go after my over-wintering pot ghetto; I think if I did, though, my first step would be to just remove the straw, since my guess is the warmth there would be what they are after. I do have some climbers in big pots that live right next to my house year-round. I used to pile straw all up the plants, but one year I did get vole damage there. So anymore, I mound a little straw around the base of the pots, but not reaching up to the surface, and that seems, so far, ok. I'm actually not sure I even need the straw there - most of these climbers are rated to zone 3 or 4, and anyway, right next to the house like that they are probably pretty sheltered.

Btw, I second the suggestion to be particularly careful with Mel. I've had him here in zone 6 for many years, and he's huge and thriving. But he's in a pretty sheltered spot right next to the house, and in his first 2 winters I protected him (mounded straw and a leaf-bag "cone"). I have a little Mel that I'm experimenting with in a non-sheltered spot. He got through his first winter (last winter) fine, with protection. I'm going to protect him again this winter, and then in the 3rd winter, leave him to fend for himself. In my experience, 2 winters seems to be the magic number to protect slightly less than bone hardy roses. If Mel can't survive in that spot after 2 years of protection to become established, then I'll decide that I can only realistically grow him in sheltered spots (which I'm running out of, so that will mean a second Mel is not in the cards for me).

Cynthia - have you tried daffodil bulbs? I think some of them would grow in your climate, and they are listed as not eaten by voles, and deer, etc.

Jackie

Nippstress Nebraska z5 Remember L.D. Braithwaite (own root) that I was about to send to you few months ago at hot temp. over 90 F? I did not kill it since I was too lazy to dismantle the tall brick border to dig it out.

Weather is cooler this weekend, It's 100% L.D. Braithwaite, mine is now 6 feet tall, see below pic. in HMF: 'L. D. Braithwaite' Rose Photo (helpmefind.com)

If you still want it, message me in Houzz or HMF. This summer has been humid and I am able to root a bunch of OLDER Austins: Abraham Darby, Golden Cel., Getrude Jekyll, Mary Magdalene, W.S 2000, Evelyn, The Dark Lady, The Squire, Christopher Marlowe, Spirit of Freedom.

Too many Austin rootings and not enough space to over-winter them. The money I receive for my rootings, I donate to Mother Teresa nuns in Chicago who run a shelter for women and children:

MISSIONARIES OF CHARITY - Religious Organizations - 2325 W 24th Pl, Chicago, IL - Phone Number - Yelp

Wonderful Straw - I'd still like the LD Braithwaite if you're willing to send it. I'll send you an email in response to the one you sent earlier I appreciate your willingness to do this.

Jackie - thanks for the suggestion. I plant 1000s of bulbs each year (yes, it's my other obsession) and some of those are daffodils and allium and things the voles don't bother. I love tulips though and I can't realistically plant them all in the cages that other zones have to do for gophers and such. I have a plan for this year and it's mostly one bed where the little varmints have been persistent.

Cynthia