I'm not a rose expert so I'm sure you'll get better answers, but I wanted to give my experience in coastal RI (Zone 7a)

I have my rose topiary (i think it's a knockout) in a large zinc container. My garden center told me to protect it in the winter - we live in a very old house and so don't have a garage. That's where I would have put it once it went dormant (dropped all leaves), if I'd had one.

They suggested I bury the base of the pot (which I could do) to protect the roots from freezing during the winter.

In the end, I did nothing. haha. We had an average winter, one big blizzard, and it's leafed out beautifully and is covered with buds.

The main issue is to protect the roots from freezing in the pot. If you can put it in a garage or basement that would be perfect.

Thanks...though I was hoping to plant this in the ground. Is that not an option?

Came across this...never heard of the dormant oil...and thought I read not to prune in the fall.
Grafters wax?
Also what is a pruning stick?

http://arsyankee.org/treeroses.htm
Things You’ll Need to Winterize:

1. A good dormant oil. I prefer Ultra-fine spray, which is a paraffin-based dormant and seasonal spray.
2. One bale of salt marsh hay usually available at Agway or other farm product stores; cost $12.00 a bale, usually imported from Canada.
3. Insulated pipe wrap tubing available from places like Home Depot and other hardware stores. I use 3/4” I.D by 3/8” thick. It comes in 8 ft. lengths, split down the middle at a cost of about a $1.00 for an 8 ft. section. No need to tie it. There is an adhesive stick on the slit. Just place it on the trunk and squeeze it together; real simple and easy.

4. Bubble wrap, available at Wal-Mart and other places. It usually comes in 18” by 9 ft. rolls at a cost of about $2.00 a roll. Does about six trees. You know what bubble wrap is; it’s that stuff that comes in a box wrapped around breakable items. If you have any extra when you finish with the roses, you can bring it in the house and sit around and pop til’ you drop! It’s fun!

5. Burlap comes in 3 ft. by 25 ft. rolls. Cost about $4.00 a roll. Does about six trees.

6. Electrical tape.

The Shelly Technique

The weekend after Thanksgiving cut all remaining foliage from the rose trees. Don’t strip it off. Cut it off with shears. Do light priming. If possible leave about two feet of growth. Seal the larger cuts with a pruning stick. Spray tho­roughly with Ultra-fine oil. Use the dormant oil concentration, which is usually about five teaspoons per gallon of water. Make sure to spray the trunk, bud union, canes and the ground thoroughly. Seal any open holes or cracks in the bud union or trunk with grafters’ wax. This eliminates hiding places for insects in the spring. When adding your salt marsh hay and burlap, spray it well in the process. It is very important to do this because it will deter and eliminate insects and spores trying to winter over on the bush.

Place the pipe wrap around the trunk, from the ground all the way up, overlapping as much of the bud union as possible. Remove the protective adhesive tape from the slit in the tube. Close the pipe wrap securely; it will stick together. Mound up mulch and soil about a foot up the rootstock. Fill the inside of the bush with loosely packed salt marsh hay. Wrap the bubble wrap around the bud union and the canes, starting at about four inches below the bud union, wrapping up about a foot. The bubble wrap will stick to the thorns on the cane. Don’t put any bubble wrap over the top of the bubble wrap cone. Position the salt marsh hay around the outside of the bubble wrap and wrap it with burlap. This process is easier if someone helps you hold the salt marsh hay as you wrap with the burlap. Make a couple of wraps around with burlap, leaving the top open with about eight to twelve inches of canes exposed. The burlap can be held and secured with electrical tape. With the top open you can fill in any voids using the salt marsh hay. Try not to pack it too tight. You want it light and fluffy but not stuffy! I like to leave the top somewhat open to allow rain and snow to pass through. It will also deter field mice from making a tree rose home. To summarize, the process consists of the pipe wrap insulator on the trunk, then starting from the outside of the bush the layers are burlap, salt marsh hay, bubble wrap and salt marsh hay in the middle. It’s a simple process that takes about ten minutes for each tree. Don’t ask me how or why it works. Not only does it work, but it works very well. I use this technique on some of my less hardy hybrid teas. When done, give the whole scarecrow one more good shot of spray and say good-bye to it until spring. I usually say these words, “Live long and prosper.” If you’re nutty enough to do all this, you probably talk to your roses, too!

Be sure your tree is securely staked. It may be necessary to use two stakes during the winter. These big scarecrows can get quite heavy in a heavy snowfall. I also do a very light pruning on the tree roses in the fall, letting them draw as much energy from the canes as possible. I believe my technique can be used on traditional rose bushes including tender hybrid teas in Zone 4 where rose lovers sometimes treat roses as annuals, having to purchase new plants every year because of winterkill. I might suggest you try my method, adding insulated pipe wrap on the canes. Good Luck!

I am half tempted to just find a pretty pot and set this inside it. I heard of ones putting it away in a garage in the winter...does one still water it when you do this?

If I would do that...can I leave it in the container it is in...and just sit it into a decorative planter? Putting potting soil in over top and planting a plant to drop over the pot base? Will it eventually need re-potted later?

Sorry...mind going in all sorts of directions...considering digging hole and planting a larger planter in ground...setting this inside it. Come fall just pull it out and cover area so nothing falls in the opening. With say flagstone. Winterized it indoors...it would give me the look of it being planted...without all the prep work of digging a trench or wrapping it. I may still use the insulated pipe idea for the trunk of the tree though...

I need my brain to shut down a bit on this tree/topiary...I'm driving myself nuts with it.

My husband said for me to stop over analyzing this...it was a gift not something intended to stress me out. We'll just transplant it into a nice pot and make it a patio plant. Bringing it indoors when it gets cold.

My only question is...do we water this while dormant? Must all the leaves drop as mentioned above to mean dormant?

Thanks!

I agree with hubby. :) When I bought mine last year, it was soooo pretty all loaded with pink flowers. I wasn't thinking about what I'd do with it in the winter when I put it in a gigantic pot that is difficult to move. We're by the coast so our winters are not usually super harsh, and our garden is sheltered from the wind so I thought I'd risk it. it worked out fine.

If you bring it in for the winter, it should be in a unheated spot, like a garage. Otherwise you will bring it out of dormancy. :) Yes, dormant is when it drops its leaves. I've read to bring them in after the first hard freeze. That's what I tend to do - during my winter clean up I bring in stuff like my other topiaries and dahlia tubers.

I've always heard slightly moist. It's dormant so it won't be taking in a lot of water. I have other topiaries that go dormant (smaller than my rose, I keep them in our unfinished basement) and I give them a little drink once a month.

Okay thanks! Winters in Ohio can be cold...shoot it's May and we had snow and ice pellets yesterday even! Crazy weather...I'll look for a pit that isn't so heavy. It should have drainage correct?

Thanks I'll put it on a monthly watering schedule when I bring it in. Our John Deer garage isn't heated...so that should work just fine. Attached to the house for easy access. :O)

Thanks again!

When I was in a nursery on the weekend I asked if the rose trees they had for sale need extra care and he said yes. In late fall after the leaves dropped he suggested to dig up the root ball and lay the rose on its side then heap dirt on top of the root ball and then cover with mulch. Replant in the spring. I decided that that is too much work for me and passed on it. I am in southern Ontario Canada zone 5. We got the weather you were talking about yesterday and it was wild. Woke up to snow on the ground this morning. Hope this helps.

Yes...I've admired them in the past and knew about the trench winterization. TO MUCH WORK! I agree with you there and passed.

One can't pass on a gift though...less work keeping it potted. So that is the route we'll go. If my son really wishes the tree to look planted then I'll plant an empty larger pot and continue to leave it potted and stick it in. But I think a patio tree will work also.

I have no room in my sun room for another tree. I have a hibiscus in there. Along with other plants. So I am glad this gets put in a garage to winterized. When left potted.

Susanne crazy weather indeed! Ours didn't stick around though...but having this in a pot to bring in when the weathwr gets crazy seems the wisest choice.

In zone 5 your Playboy rose tree won't winter unless it is very well protected. I would pot it and keep it in a garage over the winter if you want to keep it alive. I have seen several Knock Out rose trees recently advertised as winter hardy but I doubt a Playboy would be. It's a different type of rose and not as hardy or vigorous growing as Knock Out.

They must have budded up a bizillion of these Playboy trees this year because I've seen them at two nurseries and at Home Depot this spring.

If you want more info on growing and wintering roses and rose trees in pots do a search on here. There are many threads with good info on how to do it.

Thanks seil...I am definitely keeping this potted. I would hate to have this not come back due to it being a gift from my boys. I appreciate your sound advice on the probability of it not coming back next year if planted in our zone.

I will do as you suggested to learn more on ported roses. Thanks for your post.

Well, I have 5 planted tree roses that I am going to try and keep alive through the next brutal winter here......I'm in central Alberta, Canada, and zone 2b. I just planted them this late May and am planning on following the technique by John Shelly. With at least one modification.....I am going to use soil heat cables and a LOT more insulation. (I was thinking of roof de-icing cables but they would get too hot). I don't think there is any way possible for tree roses to survive where I live without adding heat....just have to do it right I think. If i succeed, I'll bet I'll be one of the rare gardeners that will be able to do this without moving or burying the tree rose. So, call me crazy, call it a challenge, but I want to give it a shot. I will report back here in the spring and let you all know how it went.