Hi Zusya, You did exactly the correct thing with the rose given your circumstances. Do not put it in the basement, it will break dormancy and may not make it to summer. I'm in your area and all mine look the same this time of year, super crunchy dead. You can't tell anything right now whether this will survive or not- dead looking is normal! Putting the mulch on was a great idea, even if part of the top of the canes died, you should have some that survived under the mulch and will send out new growth come spring. Don't assume anything until mid May, it can take that long!

Thanks so much t-bred! I won't worry about it until May, then.

I should have added to my previous post to make sure you remove the mulch when the freezing temps have subsided, you cal always cover it with a bucket or something in case of a late frost,

Watch for the forsythia to bloom in your area. That's usually a good sign that the roses will be starting to wake up too. When that happens you can start pulling back the mulch gradually until it's uncovered. Check the rose canes for small red nubs starting to fatten up. Those will be the new leaves. Starting at the top of the cane prune down to just above the first leaf node and check the inside of the cane. If it's dark tan or brown cut down to the next node and so on until you reach a point where the center is a clear creamy white color. From there down you have good healthy cane. Scratch in some slow release fertilizer around the drip line and watch and wait! It should do great for you.

I also hate the name, but love the rose!

Thanks everyone! You guys are so smart