I think tempature and your wind conditions probably have more to do with it, but I have never cut mine. I just let them die back overwinter and then cut it a inch or so below the dead wood. Have you cut yours back becuase you were covering them? how were you covering them? I usually put pine needles or compost or something overthe base for a few inches up.

Phyl, I was just thinking the same thing. I didn't do any winter protection this year. All of my roses, including my HTs, have green canes (and leaves) right to the tip...I was wondering what kind of micro climate that would equate to.

We've had similar weather (okay without all the snow ;) to you.

Eric

I also was suprised by how green the canes were when I did a late wrap on some of the climbers that I missed. We hit -20 something last week, but we had a nice snow cover. I thought we were supposed to be having global warming???

In the 50's today with rain and then back into the cooler. We must live in the Mudwest!

Well, we will just have to wait until spring and see what God has in store for us. Perhaps a few more Bucks for the garden?

Keep warm!

F.L.

Experiencing the same thing here in Central Illinois. Some of the roses still have leaves on them and we have had nights of -5. I noticed one of the Austins with long, green canes and leaves still on it this morning, but the leaves are finally brown instead of green like they have been. The Knockouts especially are still clinging to their leaves. It's like they are reverting to oak trees and maybe they will shed in the spring. Who knows? I trust they know what they are doing and will reward me with lots of fat, gorgeous blooms in the spring. I can't wait; I despise winter.
-terry

The green color is not necessarily indicative that the canes/leaves are still viable. It could just mean they have been preserved well by the weather you're having, like veggies stored in the frig.
Warmer spring weather will tell the tale.
Don't celebrate yet!
I've learned to stay away from my roses in the winter. It lessens the anxiety.

I'm in Upstate N.Y., and my roses are green, too. So far, we have been blessed with a nice snowfall just before each drastic tempurature plunge, then the melting. If this continues, our roses should come through just fine..What i worry about is a very drastic temp. drop with no snow cover for insulation. Time will tell..as Karl Bapst said..stay away from them till April..it will lessen your anxiety!! It is ssssoooo nice to run out when it's in the high 40's and see anything green, though..so I do understand. Hang in there..our roses are tougher than we think! Do you grow own root or graft? Mine are own root, so I'm not too worried..***yet*** donna

Sage advice, Karl.

Here between Lakes Huron and Erie, we haven't had any usual cold. Normally, -26 degrees C (-17 F) would have already decided most of my pruning cuts, but so far, not this year. I will cut everything to the ground anyway as part of ridding the garden of overwintering fungii on the canes since I don't spray for anything, nor winter-protect. Nevertheless, I can hope the cold stays at bay so that my two New Dawns need only be lightly pruned as they have been the last few winters.

Steve.

I'll agree with Karl as well: don't count your canes until they leaf out.

Having said that, I too was late in getting winter protection on my roses. Some varieties I normally cover are unpruned and unprotected and the canes still look green and plump.

I am further north than most on the forum, near Ottawa, Ontario and am normally a definite zone 4b with temperatures to -30 C or less. This winter, the lowest temperature on my home thermometer has been -23C (-10F). So this winter we have only had mid 5b temperatures. I know some of my Bucks; Folksinger, Prairie Star, Hawkeye Belle; and some of my Austins, St. Cecilia, Lilian Austin and The Mary Rose and her sports, are hardy to at least -25C from experience. St. Cecila has survived temperatures to -31C here with wind chill to -45C with zero damage for the past two winters. So when I see what look like undamaged canes on other Austins and Bucks, I suspect they are going to survive and grow.

For interest sake, in one bed I have Tess of the D'Urbervilles, Falstaff and the Romantica Traviata, all standing tall and uncovered. Falstaff's canes look green and healthy, no withering or evident damage. The other two are obviously going to have to be pruned below the snow line.

Spring will give an answer. But from my experience here over the past 6 winters, IMHO, I would expect many Austins and Bucks to survive undamaged to at least -23C. I am currently trialing a few Austin and Buck varieties each year without protection.
Cheers,

Rideau Rose Lad

I haven't pruned in the fall for several years now. I use mounded shredded leaves and burlap wind breaks for winter protection on both the rose bed and the potted roses. I've found that I start out with a bigger plant in the spring when I don't cut back in the fall. There is always some die back but it seems, to me at least, that I don't have to prune back as far in the spring if I don't prune back in the fall. This, of course, is subject to Mother Natures whims.

The only protection my roses get are oak mulch mounded up around the base a about 6 inches or so, so I always expect cane dieback to some degree. I don't prune in the fall, either. Just seems odd that the Knockouts are so possessive about hanging on to their leaves. They do seem to always come through with the least amount of winter dieback of all the roses, though. I agree, time will tell how everyone survived the nights and days of minus -5. Winter is not over yet by a long shot.
-terry

Haven't any of you other zone 5 people experienced the cold zero temps we've had in NW Indiana?
Last week we had some minus 10 degree nights and forecast for tomorrow night is close to zero again. Those bitter cold nights have only lasted a day or two at a time but that's enough to cause lots of cane damage.
I haven't pruned in the fall for more 15 years but still lose most of the canes not protected by the oak leaves. That is all but the Explorer roses which stay green to the tips.

Hi karl,

Yes I have had -19.2 degrees,-12.2, -7.8, -4.3 (I keep records of coldest days) and several nights of around 0. Though we had a thaw in the begining part of january. However we have had about 60-70 inches of snow, so I have several feet covering most of my roses. I doubt I have much in the way of winter kill yet since I also covered most with pine needles this year. It was nice to get the snow before the really cold weather set in.

Silverkelt

Thanks, everyone, for your replies. Interesting comments.

Karl-thanks for mentioning the part about green canes not necessarily indicating health.

Eric-we put a foot or so of topsoil at the base of each bush for protection. Easy and works pretty well. We always have some kind of cane dieback, but they bounce back fine usually!

Donna-we have about 75% of our roses on multiflora from Pickering or Palatine, a few from David Austin Roses, Jackson and Perkins or purchased locally (definitely NOT multiflora, but they mostly come back ok), and the rest are own-root from Roses Unlimited or Northland Rosarium.

So far, I haven't seen many Buck/Explorer roses that do much for me. We only grow a few of each (my fav is Alexander MacKenzie).

Thanks again for all your perspectives! I know we have a few more months before spring. :0) Phyl

I agree with Karl.

I never cut my roses back before winter. It has been said that the canes winterkill from the tips down, so maybe the shorter they are to start with, the more extensive the damage will be.

I see some green on my rose canes too right now, what is sticking up out of the snow. I know a lot of it will turn brown when the weather warms up.

We have had good snow cover here this winter, good thing because I did nothing for protection. Some cold weather but only one or two nights it got close to going below 0 F. The average low so far seems to be in the teens or even low twenties.

One thing I have observed is that my roses seem to get hardier with age. The first few years there was more cold damage than recently. Since my later rose acquisitions were OGR's, Austins, etc. vs. the original HT's, the entire group appears to be getting hardier.

January here outside of Peoria, IL has been a strange mix of weather. We had a couple of days of really warm 60 & 65 days, followed by minus 10 last Thursday. Sunday was really nice, about 45 degrees. Forecast for rest of the next two weeks is a return to winter weather again. I don't like the ups and downs; not good for the plants. Also not good for this lousy sinus/head cold that I can't shake.
-terry

We don't cut the canes in fall. We usually have a lot of green cane in March when I clean the beds out. I cut the obviously dead canes out then so I can get the mulch and debris out without losing too much blood. The green cane will gradually die back to the snow line during the next month or so. I then go through and do the final prune. Sweet Chariot and the mini climber Candy Cane are the only roses we have that only get tip damage over winter.

It was -17°F here this morning. It has warmed up to -11 since. Luckily, we have snow piled on all the roses. It is nice to have such a warm winter. I was hoping it wouldn't get down in the minus 20s.

The winter of 1999/2000 convinced me we don't want too much cane in spring. Our roses are planted on 30 inch centers and get wayyyy too large after a winter when we don't get subzero temperatures. The 2000 season was the worst in memory for critters too. I don't have to use insecticide after a normal winter.

Unfortunately my area gets the bitter cold without the snow cover. This makes for much more winter dieback.
I never cut back in the fall, except for a few very long canes that will break under ice or snow, and to prevent wind whip.

I guess that I'm the oddball here...I prune a good third off of my bushes every fall, because we have some wicked ice storms here every winter, usually in late Feb., and if the branches are too long, they will snap at the base, so I figure it's better to prune them first. I never did understand the difference between fall and spring pruning..you take the long, weak, or crossed branches at either time, so why does it matter? The only thing that I can think of is that in the spring you can see which branches have died..but I think they would most likely be what I would have naturally pruned out anyway? In this area..everything above the snow cover dies anyway..to a degree..so really, does it matter that I do it in the Fall first? Really interested in your opinions on this. Donna

Glad now that I brought this subject up...sounds like you have interesting views and questions as well.

Veilchen-what you're saying about the shorter the canes, the more damage possibility...good point. That is what I was wondering about.

Harry-interesting idea about increased hardiness over the years...sounds plausible

Digger-had never thought of that (insects on larger bushes).
I just know I would love to start with a little bigger plants in April than I usually do.

Donna-I forgot, where in NYS are you!? All I know is that it was kinda nice not to spend time I didn't have anyway last fall, cutting down and carrying away all that extra growth...if I knew I'd be doing it all in April anyway.

We haven't had that many ice storms (big one about 8 years ago), but yesterday the ice was AWFUL. I FELL down HARD coming out of my house...very thankful I didn't break my wrist as it slammed backwards in Abe Darby's rose bed!! And to think, I was on my way to the doctor's office anyway. LOL

:0) Phyl

I have have green canes with leaves on them. But I've also had below zero temps. Looks like I won't have to rake up leaves when I cut back this spring!

phylrae...I am in Herkimer..a small town almost exactly halfway between Albany and Syracuse.What part of the state are you in? If we're close, we need to get together this summer..not too many rose people around here..the closest club is an hour away, and the only people that I know that grow roses are the ones I've supplied cuttings to! Donna

Hi Phylrae,
Hi Donna,
I am in Glens Falls. Mine are still green too. We have had so much snow early to protect them from the frigid temps after. Lets hope we dont have as much dieback this year.
Sam

Mine have been looking pretty good as well - at least until now. We had some really nice days, topped off by 73 degrees yesterday in the early afternoon. Less than 12 hours later the temperature was 13. If the roses were responding to the nice days by thinning out the juices in their canes, I'm afraid the sudden drop may do some major damage. All I can do now is cross my fingers and hope for the best.

Hi again, Sam and Donna. You guys aren't all that far from eachother or from me really! In fact, our daughter spent her first semester at SUNY Albany, which I ended up visiting about every 3 weeks it seems! (She was bored stiff there and begging to come home to have something to do!)

Yeah, I can remember the Blizzard of '66 (I was 8-9 yo)...and even then, I don't remember the snows being THAT different from typical snows....seems every year we have snow piles next to our driveway of about 6 feet at least...a very different few winters lately.

Hoping that goofy groundhog sees his spring coming soon (is it tomorrow?)
:0) Phyl

Karl's right about green cane being sometimes misleading. I've found that some of my roses with green cane in the spring actually have some 'hidden' winter damage that doesn't crop up until later in the summer. I had three roses last summer that got very little spring pruning because the canes looked nice and green (even some nice white pith higher up in the cane. But they struggled and didn't put out great growth and bloom. I finally hacked them back to about 8" from the ground in July - thought I'd do them in for sure. Well, they started putting out lots of good healthy cane and then lots of bloom. I think I'll just prune heavily whether the cane is green or not (except for the super tough Canadian Explorers). Most of my roses, especially the Austins, put on so much growth during the summer that they get too tall by late August anyway, and they do better with a heavy spring pruning.