I've been growing roses outside in containers for a good 15 plus years now. While I'm not in your zone, our area is notorious for erractic weather. Single digit and even a sub-zero dip are not unheard of around here. 98% of my potted roses have survived. If you grow modern roses (HT's, Floribundas, minis etc.) many of the yellows and oranges can be more winter tender then other colors, so additional protection may be warrented. Also the bigger the pot the less the problems. Any pot under 12 inches (5 gallon) can experience more damage. Not that you want to put a small rose in a big pot of soil, but additional warmth may be needed (such as surrounding it with the larger roses in pots (group hug), or closer to the wall, or even putting the smaller rose pot in a larger empty pot and filling the void between the two with straw, bark mulch, styrofoam peanuts etc.).....Where you place the rose is also important. Next to a wall is good, and that wall should be on the West or South side. The east side will have more problems. Canes, frozen overnight, are suddenly hit by the warmth of the rising sun, and their cells can burst from the abrupt change in temperature. I have several roses on the East side, and they have had more cane damage then those I've placed on the west/south side in a cold winter. The north side doesn't work for obvious reasons....To echo others advice, get your roses outside if at all possible, don't overwater and give extra protection if needed. No one is in charge of mother nature, but with a little care there's a good possiblity that you will be successful....Maryl

Thanks Ryan (NOL) & Brenda. The biggest part of the deceased weren't cuttings, they were full grown plants (sob!). Of the cuttings that I kept inside, I only lost a few due to missing watering a couple in the back & the ones that the cats knocked off that rolled under the table. I had a container of tall cuttings on the porch that actually had the bottoms frozen in a couple inches of ice (electric off). One just barely made it but was mushy & unhealthy looking so I trashed it. I lost all but the biggest plants there. I have threatened to just bring them all inside & put up lights in every room in the house next fall. We will all happily bask in artificial sun all winter (with the aphids & mites) LOL. Linda

Ethan, I hope you don't mind me tagging on to your thread since starting a new one would be repetitive. I planted bare roots just a few of weeks ago -- I had rose fever from cooping up in a hospital for three months and wanted to take the risk. In addition to being very late for planting bare roots, we skyrocketed into a heat wave when the bare roots arrived, so they were planted when temps were mid 90s. We planted early evening, kept the soil mushy, and shaded the bare roots. Every one of them is leafing out. The ones planted in natural shade are bushiest. Some of the roses shaded with artificial barriers are getting lanky. From the advice in this thread, it sounds as if I shouldn't have been shading them at all -- is that right? Should I now start hardening them off slowly, or . . . ? We had a one week cold snap, but temps are up again -- high of 97F today. Thanks for any advice.

So far the IGUANA cuttings are still looking good. It'll be two weeks for those on Thursday. The leaves dropped and new growth is sprouting and the canes are looking supple. When I did the cuttings outside last yr, they would begin to turn black within about a week. So I think this is going to work!! I'm so excited! Even if I only get one or two to root of each variety I try, I'll be happy!!! And the SHOGUN buds are still holding tight and keeping the darker coloring, despite my cat Lola nibbling on them.