Sounds like a great idea. And now you can use them for compost. You are very 'green'!

Hi Carol - did you use plastic grocery bags or paper bags and how did you secure them around the rose bushes?
-terry

That's great to know Carol. I've just ordered 7 tender minis for this Spring, and was debatting on what method to use to overwinter them. If the HelpMeFind site states a certain rose is hardy to USDA zone 5b isn't that like a zone 6b or 7 for us Canadians? I think I might be pushing my luck, as one of the roses I ordered,Loving Touch,is hardy to USDA zone 6b or warmer.

Joan

I am happy for you. I can appreciate the work you did. I had my roses wrapped in burlap with leaves stuffed in there . It worked great also. What a great feeling to not have massive dieback for once.
Samuel

LAst year I worked for an accounting firm that produced 2 full trash bags of shredded tax returns daily, so I brought them home and stored them to use as mulch. I put them in a lasagna bed, but if I could have figured out a way to secure smaller bags of paper to the roses and not have the wind take them away, I would have done that. I'm in zone 6 and would love to have 1 1/2 feet of viable canes on my roses! We don't get much snow cover here. It melts a few days after it falls, usually.
Cindi

Well, the first five or so roses that I did, I duct taped them around the roses!!!! LOL I just placed the bags under the rose branches and duct taped around them.

Then, I noticed that I didn't need to do that. By tucking the bags underneath the branches (which I didn't prune), the thorns/prickles kept the bags in place. I just stuffed the bags under the branches.

Also, an extra bonus is that my two dogs DIDN'T toss the shredded paper all over the lawn. That was a worry for me - I could just imagine my WHOLE yard covered in shredded paper! LOL

Also, I think if you don't have a dog that kills mice (I have 2 that patrol the yard ready/willing to eat any animal they might find), you might not want to try this. The warm bags might be a haven to rodents.

Terry - I used plastic grocery bags. It's funny, because I had a lot of my living room stuffed with plastic bags filled with shredded paper. Quite a few people thought I was a little nuts. But, oh, what we'll do for our roses!!

Joan - I used to think zone 5 was as high of a zone I could overwinter outside .... but with this method, maybe we COULD go higher??

Buford - Yes, I've got enough shredded paper to last all summer for my composter!! My husband just hangs his head - "Are you SURE you don't want to throw out all these bags of shredded paper?

Samuel - it is a great feeling!!! I've got high hopes for this year!!

Cindi - Yes, IRS receipts!!! Might as well get some real use from them!! Plastic bags filled with shredded paper WILL stay put under the thorny branches of the rose!! Not one blew away for me!!

Carol

I'd better get busy saving bags and paper. This year I'll have about 200 roses and I lost a lot of cane last year. I've been searching for a better winter protection system and this sounds great. Would be great if I could find pink bags LOL! Thank you Carol so much for the tip.
-terry

Shredded office paper under mulch is the most wonderful thing for enriching the soil - earth worms love it but for goodness sake don't put it out on a windy day and when you do put it out water it down well before it does blow away -* Rozanna who has had confetti hanging from every rose and tree limb in her garden.*

Yeah, that's the problem here. I think we had maybe 1 day about 7 years ago when the wind wasn't blowing.
oh, wait a minute. No we didn't. That was the day I had the sniffles and stayed inside all day.
Never mind.
(Rozannadanna, your name brings back some fun memories...)

Gawsh, you people are GENIUSES!!! Many accolades and applause sent your way. What a brilliant thing! I am definitely trying this this winter!

Sam0ny, I thought about burlap and (straw or paper or leaves.) Do the leaves get wet and condense, or the whole thing make too much moisture? I mulched my climber crowns with leaves, but they 'sunk' and were a wet, soggy mess that made me nervous about moisture-related problems.

What a great idea! In order to protect them I used a pile of hay (got a bail for less than 5.00$ and it did my entire garden. It worked very well but the mess is nasty. Little bits of straw everywhere. I think it will take weeks. Paper would be much easier to clean up in the spring.
Thanks,
Liane

Green haven , In some cases the leaves collapse, But for the most of them the stay caught up on the burlap because the are compressed and the (arms of the roses). The burlap lets the moisture out but keeps the leaves in.
Samuel

Thanks, sam!

Terry - 200 roses!!! That will take A LOT of bags!!! You will need about 3 - 4 bags/rose. Yeesh!!!!

Rozannadanna - Too funny!!! That's what I was imagining my yard looking like this spring - with my dogs getting into the bags!! Hallelujah - they didn't even touch them!!

cindi - this works even with wind because of those nasty, vicious thorns we're always cursing at!

Greenhaven - that's what's nice about the bags - the paper stays dry inside!

Liane - it is much more labor intensive in the fall - having to shred all that paper (unless you can get it from some business, etc.). In the spring - you just pick up your bags - EASY!

Carol :)

I am not surprised that it works. Those who saw big cities in cold winter having a lot of clochard(s) aka homeless people on the streets who wrapped themselves in piles of newspapers, should have pondered about the efficiency of paper as insulator.
When I need to protect marginally hardy plants or freshly planted roses during very cool nights I use big pots lined with several sheets of newspaper. It works though in my zone I do not need this kind of protection for months.

Yes, Ceterum - I never thought about homeless people being insulated by newspapers. We find what works, I guess; people are clever.

Carol

Just remember that if you have voles, they will nest in the mulched paper and totally destroy your roses. It looks like I lost a few to the voles from the roses I tried protecting with leaf mulch. The paper would be even worse.

mgleason - Yes, I agree with you! I have dogs that love to kill small animals, so it's not a problem for me.

OTOH - it would probably be a good home for ladybugs overwinter.

Carol