I use pine mulch and topsoil to mound up at the bases of the roses. I grow The Prince, Evelyn, and Sharifa Asma.

I grow Blush Noisette, and it weathered winter well last year. (It might be hardier than Celine...)

The only ones I'd worry about in a bad first winter, esp. if it turns out colder than usual with no snow, are The Prince and Molineaux.

It is too early right now to winter protect. Depending on how things are going and the long-term forecast, I haven't been doing this task until the 1st or 2nd week of December.

The gallicas shouldn't need any protection, even for their 1st winter.

I bury the bud unions 4-6" deep when planting and usually call it good, but when I'm feeling ambitious I winter protect some of my more tender Austins with about 12" of pine needles built up around the base (think of a volcano with the rose canes the center.) Pine needles are light and airy and not as moisture-retentive as leaves or compost, etc.

I have went protected and unprotected through various winters, some quite severe. I haven't lost any unprotected roses, except one very severe zone 3 winter a few years ago (lost 2). I do find that when the roses are mounded, they have more live cane at the base than unprotected roses and get a head start on budding and growing in spring.

I know all zone 5's are not created equal, but I don't have to do anything to protect my Austins. They are completely hardy here.

Mary Rose and Heritage don't need protction in my zone 5 but Tamora, Abraham Darby and Fisherman's Friend definitely do. And so does Distant Drums. I use shredded cedar bark and dump a half bag (3 cu' per bag) on each bush. It's clean, light weight and can be used to mulch the bed next spring. I protect maybe 20 plants - a few floribundas and hybrid teas as well as some shrubs and Hermosa. I've tried a lot of different ways of doing it but the cedar bark is the easiest.

Go to the link attached and check out this product. Rose collars are easy to place around the base of each rose. Tap them in gently with a hammer, or use a rubber mallot.
They can be filled with shredded leaves, bark, top soil or whatever, which now won't run off or blow away. What I especially like about them is that they can be used for roses in pots too.

Here is a link that might be useful: www.amazon.com

I have had Austins die over the winter. One that surprised me was Golden Celebration which the Austin catalog recommends for colder climates. A small A Shropshire Lad also died. Sharifi Asma is very hardy. Abraham Darby made it through last winter without protection but is was a 2 gallon from the local nursery. Graham Thomas has made it through several winters without protection (severe dieback but bounces back to several feet). This will be my first winter with Evelyn and I will mound with topsoil probably around Christmas.

Here is a link to the local nursery's suggestions for winter protecting roses. Scroll down to the roses section:

http://www.thegrowingplace.com/tips.htm

Roses

Winter care of roses
Please continue caring for roses until the weather changes to winter. Check for watering. (Roses need an inch of rain and or water per week). The roses available for sale are all winter hardy for this area.

Winter Hardiness
Winter hardiness for a rose is its ability to withstand our harsh winter conditions. The rose must have the ability to slow down and go dormant before the colder temperatures set in. The rose must also be able to withstand the lowest temperatures of the winter and lastly, the effect the warming periods during winter has.

Winter Protection
In Northern Illinois, winter injury or death to rose canes can be severe, especially to tender roses such as hybrid teas, floribundas, grandifloras, miniatures and most large flowering climbing roses.

The timing of winter protection is very important. The tender roses you want to protect need to be totally dormant before winter protection is applied. Wait until the daytime temperature is below freezing for at least a week. The ground you walk on should feel as if you are walking on pavement. That is the time to winter protect tender roses and grafted rose such as Hybrid Teas.

If you had disease problems during the growing season please clean up the leaves that dropped to the ground. Have bags of mushroom compost stored in the garage (so they do not freeze). Wheel barrow the bags of compost out to the roses. Gently pour the compost through the center of the rose. The rose should look like huge anthill with a few rose stems poking through it. If you wish to do more protection (maybe the rose area is very exposed to winter winds), cage the roses with chicken wire and pour shredded leaves on top of the compost mound. The entire mound should be about eighteen inches high.

Winter Care of Climbing Roses that are Tender or Borderline Hardy
Again the timing of applying winter protection is very important. The roses must be totally dormant. When the time comes to winterize, take the climbers canes off the trellis/structure and gather up the canes in a bundle and wrap the entire length of the canes with burlap. Do several layers of burlap. Around Christmastime evergreen roping or boughs can be added winding up the canes. Take this whole bundle and using a rope reattach to the structure. If you donÂt, this bundle will be whipped in the winter winds. Lastly, at the base of the climber pour a bag of topsoil or mushroom compost over the graft.

For Rose Trees
If it is left in a pot, take the whole thing into the garage. And check during the winter to see if the pot needs watering. Tree roses that are planted in the ground can be protected one of two ways. First is to wrap the entire plant (after the plant is dormant) and apply topsoil at the base of the rose. The second method of winter protection is to dig a trench (before the ground freezes) next to the tree rose and lay the rose down in the trench after the winter is here. Cover the trench with straw or evergreen boughs.

For Miniature Roses
Most of these roses are borderline hardy for our area and need some protection from the winds and cold temperatures. Place evergreen boughs on top of the roses after the ground has frozen.

For Hardy Roses
The roses that are winter hardy for this area and are grown on their own roots donÂt need winter protection. But keep in mind that we have a bad rabbit problem in this area. Rabbits love to eat roses in the winter for food and moisture. To save these roses from the rabbits, it would be a good idea to cage these roses with chicken wire. To do this place stakes in the ground before the ground freezes. And apply the chicken wire

Well I guess its still too early to get going on this afterall. I thought they looked ready to be protected - the frosts are killing off everything else and the roses no longer look very happy. I'll wait until the beginning of December. The link you posted, prefern, says to wait until temperatures are below freezing for at least a week -- that's an easy timeframe to follow!

Thank you for all your suggestions. I'd like to winter protect them all this year, even if they don't really need it. They are babies, and there aren't too many yet so the job is manageable. I will mound up at the base with soil and mulch. Cedar or Pine, both good ideas, and I'll just have to see what our local nursery has for sale. I may also try to wrap the longer canes of Celine Forestier - she's one of the ones that I am most worried about.