Repeating bush roses grow and bloom until they are stopped by temperatures around 27 degrees. Mine got it yesterday morning and are probably finished, but many of them were in full bloom at that point.

Mid-November is the average finishing time here. A couple of years roses have bloomed into mid-December. In zone 9b, roses grow and bloom year around.

Once-blooming roses are different. Some of these are deciduous and will drop leaves in response to shorter days.

Around here, it takes very cold weather to get the modern repeaters to stop. They want to grow because of the fall rains, and have to be hit over the head, repeatedly to stop. It's a problem because December rose usually equal major winterkill.

Roses that are more attuned to day length and temperature dormancy triggers are a lot more reliable here.

When I initially planted this bed, the soil was workable throughout the winter, never really froze even when the rest of the ground was solid. I actually dug the holes in preparation for planting beginning in January (I was more than a little eager for spring to arrive). The sun reflects off of our white siding and further warms that soil and there is wind protection on all 4 sides, so that patio/bed area remains a weirdly warm location, where one can sometimes even eat outside in the middle of winter.

We've had one night with a low around 28 so far and the rest of my beds have at least slowed down like they're expecting to stop. I will hope against hope that I get yet one more crop of flowers from this bed but I think, like you say, they could be literally nipped in the bud at any point from here on out.

yep--agree with you madgallica, I always worry more about mine being damaged when they are in full swing as the first few big ice/snow storms arrive. I've had flowering through December occasionally and I think that does make for more winter kill, depending on how cold/dry/windy the rest of the winter is.

The worst damage seems to come when they're lulled out of dormancy too early in spring--I've had years where mine had their new growth frozen not once but twice because of wild spring weather swings. Takes a lot of the pep out of their first bloom if they have to put so much of their stored energy into leafing out multiple times.

I have a few buds but nothing much and most of them are already leafless from the winds. The ones on the south side do get more sun and warmth so they usually start first and end last. The soil along that back south wall will sometimes stay workable all winter too. Not that I'm out there working in it!

Sounds like yours are behaving themselves and going to sleep at a normal time. I hope all of these buds don't suddenly turn into icicles one of these days--but it was 60 again today, so I guess I understand their thinking it may still be summer.

On the 'out in January' my spouse was teasing me then as I was putting flowerpots as markers in the beds for where the 35-ish new roses were planned to go and changing my garden plan dozens of times along the way--a way to get through the winter until the orders began to arrive...

I gathered up arm loads of blooms and filled every vase in the house night before last. They are so gorgeous. After a chilly night, there are still plenty of flowers left and lots of buds. I don't know about roses on my Thanksgiving table. I do like to tuck them into Christmas wreaths, but Thankgiving should be red and gold leaves, mums, and autumn fruits.

Mine are still blooming, but then it was 84 today so I don't think my experience is what you are looking for. It has been unusually hot lately and I am waiting for the cooler weather. Here the cooler the weather the better the rose blooms. I am in an area where the roses don't go dormant.

I don't know how most of you folks are getting blooms. Mine are shut down. What few buds I did have were froze and are a wilted mess' now. All my canes are purple brown.Leaves are starting to drop. Nothing for me until next spring. No complaints though. With them being asleep now usually means no winter kills. Winter protection goes up after Thanksgiving. If I had good blooms right now I would be worried. Think COLD winds.

lainy, I keep making indoor bouquets too--they don't last as long as outdoors but at least I can enjoy the fragrance. Only the strongest have any scent outdoors when it is cold. Wonder if it would be worth learning how to dry the buds and blooms--my aunt does some gorgeous stuff with hers but I've never tried.

Ken, mine have yet to see a freeze of any kind. It is doing the usual midwestern wackiness here--60 yesterday, highs in the 30s today, thunderstorms projected all week but no freezing temps yet or snow, very springlike. Both in going dormant and deciding when to emerge mine frequently have to deal with wild weather swings and mixed signals to say the least. During vicious springs when they freeze back (sometimes more than once) after leafing out I have to convince myself that anything meant to grow here will take the climate craziness. And they don't ever die, just lose more cane some years than others...

ahhh, amberroses, I'll be in CA for Christmas and can't wait to see a few more roses after mine have gone to sleep....well, maybe, although at this rate you never know, they might still be trying to flower in the snow :)

zone 5, my english roses are always blooming til the last - maybe because they like a cooler climate? Mary rose, heritage. I also have a few on else poulsen, white ma perkins and valentine. My other stalwarts. A few nights ago it was 20 though and those buds froze, I don't think there is going to be any more opening, not enough sun.

yep, mine are Austins and they seem delighted with this weather (30s-40s, cool and rainy), their blooms have been lasting much longer than in the summer heat. We've had very mild, wet weather that must remind them of Shropshire this fall and the holly, ivy, grass and roses are all lush and green.

I have a similar bed on the south side of our house. It's raised about 3 feet and our light tan siding reflects lots of sunlight onto it. Everything in that bed is still blooming except Electron, and that's just because she's in between flushes and has the slowest repeat.

The roses out front are all blooming as well. Blue Girl topped out at around 11 feet and has 5 blooms on it right now. I can't even reach them.

The backyard bed has about 30% in bloom. The only rose shedding leaves and turning color is the 1 OGR we have. It has truly been crazy weather here. One day it will be near freezing with high winds, the next day it's sunny and near 70. I am used to blooms in October, but not November. I'm nowhere near doing any winter protection yet.

Sounds like you and I are getting much the same, weather-wise. This kind of slow and erratic slide into winter is not too unusual for the local area, but I'm never quite sure what's coming next, even so. It could be balmy until after Christmas or everything could snap-freeze next week. I dug and amended holes for the new guys coming in spring already and put fresh mulch down on the beds. I may spread a little actually over the bases of the roses if/when they ever do go dormant...

Yep; I'm only about 90 minutes north of you. Locally our conditions have been mimicking yours instead of Chicago's. They've been wetter than us the entire season.

I can't dig yet; I need to bust out a concrete basketball court first. Not looking forward to that project.

Going to be heading through Central IL tomorrow en route to turkey day dinner and will see how my mom's Austins are doing further north in WI. Even they have not had much of a freeze this fall I think.

Yikes--that is determination to have to remove a concrete basketball court before you can plant more roses. I thought I had to put in some labor this season removing a large RRD-infected New Dawn climber, a refusing-to-bloom hydrangea and some irises--I hope you have some serious equipment for that!

stlgal....I have a HUGE New Dawn that needs to be removed and I sure do dread it! I mean, this rose is huge!! How did you even start the removal? I am totally overwhelmed, and of course, this rose is in my most prominant location. Any helpful hints would sure be appreciated. Anyone? HA! Lesley

It was quite the project. It took me the better part of summer to do it by hand--wish I'd had some major equipment, like a tractor.

I poisoned it with Roundup and cut at the canes repeatedly--didn't even slow it down. I finally got the canes cut back to the soil, then dug all the way around the plant and about 2 feet down and located the bud union. Then I had to use a saw and lopper to separate each of the huge roots away from the rest of the plant. It was a bear and took multiple sessions but I finally got the tree-trunk-sized base out of there.

Now the only New Dawn I have is contained in a wooden planter box--still gets plenty big and covers an arbor, but I can keep it from taking over the place.

Good luck with it!