Can't give any reassurance. Time will tell how damage was done. Snow isn't a serious problem. Freezing a dry plant is. But regardless of what happened to your young roses, I do know what to do. Leave them alone and stop fooling with them. Don't do anything for now. The cold snap isn't necessarily over. Once it is, the best you can do for your young plants is to either plant them in the ground or to pot them up into larger pots that will provide better insulation of the roots. Roses can regrow from the roots, if they weren't damaged too.

One of the most important steps to take in preparation for a freeze is to make sure your tender plants are well watered. Another is to make sure the plants are winding down for the winter and headed toward dormancy. The next is to take appropriate steps to to make sure the roots are well insulated by planting in large enough pots. The last is to place potted plants very close to the house, on the south side, where they are far less likely to freeze. Roses shouldn't have any trouble negotiating the mid-20's, but young plants often skip dormancy during their first year, when they are in active growth.

Thanks Berndoodle!

They were well watered and were against a South facing fence. I think you're right about the dormancy - both Mme. Mari and Grandmother's Hat have buds on them now. We went quickly from 80's to first overnight frost and they didn't have time to wind down.

Luckily, the very smallest bands I had moved under the patio overhang next to the sliding glass door (where heat escapes) so they look pretty good.

Once the cold snap is over we'll get 5 days of rain. When the ground dries out from that, I'll plant the biggest ones in their permanent homes.

I'm so glad I saw this post - I had been worrying about the freeze re pots myself. Great relief when I read Berndoodle's reply, as I seem to have (for once) done all the right things. I had recently repotted all the roses, and they were well-watered. They face west, not south, but there's nothing I can do about that. And on the second cold night, I moved them back close to the apartment wall. One of them did not seem to have gone into dormancy, so will hope for the best on that one, but the others were pretty much at a standstill, though with leaves on. Like Rosecorgis, I've read that we're supposed to get several days of rain next - from the Pacific, which means it will be WARMER, thank goodness! Rosecorgis, did you make it to the Fall Color tour at the Sac Cemetery Garden? I hope so, because it was great.

Laura

My potted roses have been subjected to temps in the upper teens for three nights in a row with daytime highs just at freezing. No roses are showing much more than a few scorched leaves. They are placed against the house on the south side. Climbing Old Blush has new growth and it is barely even damaged, just a little droopy.

If you do want to protect your teas you can bring the pots inside the house overnight. If you leave them inside much more than overnight though they will think they are back in the tropics.

Lance

what is a band?

campanula, a "band" is a pot much taller than wide, often 4" (10 cm) square and 6-8" (20 cm) tall. It offers the baby plant some depth to send down roots, but is lighter and cheaper to ship.

I lost some bands in 1 gallon pots last winter when it suddenly went down to 10 one night. The soil in the pots was actually frozen. It depends on how cold it got for how long. Even though the canes may be gone, if the roots are ok, the plant will be ok.

Just so you know, anything below 30 or so, bring the pots in for the night, just to be sure.

Thanks for all the advice and reassurance. It certainly hasn't hit the teens here, so if the Texas one gallons are surviving then mine should too.

I will take your advice and move them overnight into my garage if temps expect to get down below 30 again. We usually have a few nights at 30-32, but rarely this cold.

We have one more really cold night expected. I'm going to move all of them under my patio cover near the house tonight. I can't wait to tell my husband that he needs to come out and help me move two really big pots of thorny roses! Maybe I'd better bring home a bottle of wine as payment!

Laura, I did get to the Fall Colors tour - it was fabulous. So good in fact that I promptly went home and ordered Lady Hillingdon and Mons. Tiller!! I was on the fence about LH but the bush was absolutely beautiful!!!
It was only after I ordered that I learned Monster Tillier's nickname here -- I'd better find a spot where he can grow huge!!

Debbie

It was 24 at my house in Sacramento on Monday night, and about 26 last night (Tues). The soil in my gallon pots was pretty well frozen this morning. So was the water in my fountain! Even at noon, its water was about like a Slurpee. One of my clay pots split - I think it already had a crack, which filled with water. We are supposed to be a bit warmer tonight - perhaps 30 degrees. We now only have three days of rain in our near-term forecast. I hate to miss work days in the cemetery, but the roses need water more than they need to be pruned!

Debbie, my bet is that your bands will come back from the roots, but it's hard to tell. Definitely, potting up smaller plants to protect the roots is a good idea, and putting them under shelter. I honestly don't think that you need to move the really big pots, although I'm sure that your husband will like the bottle of wine.

28 degrees is considered a "hard freeze." We usually get that cold just a few times in the winter, and occasionally don't get below 30. I wonder if we have an especially cold winter ahead. It will be good for the once-bloomers!
Anita

Well, I think they all lived. All were potted up to at least one gallons. The smallest (that I got in August) I had already moved near the house under an overhang and they show no damage at all. It's the biggest in 3-5 gallons that I left out. I moved them under the patio cover last night and they look much less droopy this morning.

When I got home, my latest order from Vintage was on my doorstep! They're in the garage awaiting potting up this weekend -- it's not nearly so cold there.

I've learned my lessons this week about freezing temps and I don't think I've lost much except some topgrowth.

This may be a colder winter than usual -- I'm hoping that El Nino kicks in. Let's see what this weekends storm brings!!

Debbie

Ouch from word one and on
you should of waited for the dilvery you may just have to buy them again
good luck

In zone 9, we can take delivery of roses this time of year, no problem.
Anita

I've left Vintage a message about what to do. I'll pot them up this weekend. Depending what they say, I'll put them outside during the day and in the garage at night to help harden them off unless they are already hardened off. Either way, they are going to stay by my back sliding door where it's a little warmer and covered until I feel confident again.

I have to say, they're really nice bands -- Mons. Tiller, Lady Hillingdon, Symphony and a Seafoam hydrangea.

I've learned my lesson and will watch the weather reports carefully until things start warming up in late Feb.

Anita, thanks for telling me we can take delivery now. It was still pretty warm when I ordered (right after I got home from seeing you at the Cemetary) and I didn't even think about winter protecting. This is my first real winter with potted up bands.

Debbie

If you've taken the usual precautions, it's generally going to be unnecessary to bring young roses into the garage in Zone 9. I had cuttings that survived 18â. I don't think I worry about until temps head into the teens.

The single exception in my garden is young plants of a species rose whose native range is tropical India, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand.

Rosecorgis: Even if Mons. Tillier gets big, I think you will be glad you ordered it. Until this last Fall, I never understood what all the raves were about, having only seen pictures. Then I saw it at the Cemetery garden. It was in its autumn flush, covered with the most gorgeous roses- the color was indescribable! The foliage was wonderful as well. Of course, I garden on a balcony, so it's not a rose I could ever have, but I CAN give it a little worshipful bow on Wednesdays, when I work at the cemetery.

Laura

I saw it at the Cemetary too and couldn't resist. It does have an indescribable color mix -- it's going to go next to Lady Hillingdon, who I also fell for on the same day. I'm planting a row of roses down the side of my house this spring - both of them are going there.

Yes, it would be crazy to try them on a balcony! They'd probably open your sliding glass door and come on in!!

Debbie