Hi, Becky. You're very kind. ;o) I left this on the tree forum when the subject of early onset of growth due to warm temperatures was posed. It also would apply to roses. "The primary stimulus for the emergence of deciduous woody plants from quiescence (a post dormant state where plants are capable of growing, but are prevented from doing so by low soil temperatures) is rising soil temperatures. Usually, even prolonged periods of warmth in mid-winter are insufficient to induce post-dormant plants to move; however, sustained soil temps above 45* F. can/will induce onset of growth & accompanying substantial loss of cold-hardiness in many plants." The preceding was written about in-ground plants. Early onset of growth is the norm in containerized plants over-wintered in a building like a garage or shed, but not usually THIS early. Resist the urge to bring the plant indoors. Give it light, but keep it as cold as you can w/o allowing temperatures to drop below freezing. There is more good info in the post I took this from that will likely answer your questions. If not, pose them here & I will try to fill in the blanks. ;o) PS I overwinter about 50-60 woody deciduous plants in my garage & this is a problem every year. When it occurs later in the year, I simply put them on a large wagon I can roll outdoors when it's warm enough and back indoors when frost threatens. Of course, it's probably impractical for you to consider that strategy now. Al Here is a link that might be useful: Click me and I'll take you to the exact post Al was talking about. ;o)

Dear BettyLu.. Just a quick note. I'm a member (since 1978) of the American Begonia Society living in Saint Charles, Missouri. There is a small group of us locally just now starting a branch here in Saint Louis. i thought you might be interested. i will be sending out an e-mail newsletter shortly, if you are interested. Or you can ask specific questions, if I can be of any help, Doug Hahn 3156 Flatboat Station Saint Charles, Missouri 63301-4699 doughahn@aol.com Cell (636) 233-1772

Are they still just cuttings. Why not continue their growth cycle by putting them on your window sills. Just don't let them be touching the window glass and turn them 1/4 turn every day. Whether you put them under plastic is up to you but draw them back somewhat from the sun's rays that can build up through the glass. A cutting cannot survive given a place where the temperature falls to near or below the freezing mark. They should be kept damp until roots are well established, then transfer to soil or combo of perlite/vermiculite or vermiculite/peat moss. During the initial phase, the use of a growth hormone is also up to you but is recommended.

Well you've certainly gotten them off to a good start! I don't think you need to be all that worried in your zone 7. Your winters are milder than mine and I don't do much of anything to winter protect my minis in the ground. Most minis are on their own roots so even if they die back to the soil they usually come back from the roots anyway. I wouldn't use the bark mulch. I think if you have a supply of leaf mulch that would work just fine. And don't worry about those branches. They're stronger and more flexible than you think. Roses are very tough and hard to kill, even the minis! I don't know when your first frost date is but you want to wait until after you've had several HARD frosts before you do any kind of winter protection. The roses should be fully dormant before you winterize them. They'll start slowing in growth as the days get shorter and cooler but they don't go dormant until it gets really cold.