Do you have an unheated garage or shed? I have my potted tree rose in my shed. It's too warm in the basement even though it's unheated and that's why they've sprouted out. And you're right they won't like it down there all winter. You'll get nearly white spindly growth that is not good for the rose. If you put them in a garage or shed make sure they are well watered going in and check them for moistue occasionally. You also want to get the pots up off the floor some how on wood or blocks. Hope this helps.

To answer the two questions in your final sentence above: Yes, they can stay looking good, and they are difficult to maintain. The level of difficulty depends to a great degree on the variety, with HTs being the most difficult. Pruning regularly is a vital part of rose tree culture -- to avoid that lop-sided look, for sure, but most importantly, to ensure greater stability by evenly distributing the weight of the scion over the graft. IMO, all grafted trees (& probably 99.9% are grafted) should remain staked. Some gardeners think that stakes are important not only for support, but should be placed so as to protect the trunk from direct sunlight during the hottest part of the day. I think you're right about HTs being the poorest subjects for tree roses. However, among the most beautiful ones I've seen were two 'Medallion' trees that flanked the door to a greenhouse at a local nursery (since closed). Ofcourse those 2 received constant care by professionals and optimal winter protection. My personal favorites are 'weeping' standards using heavy blooming varieties with small flowers. 'The Fairy' and 'Danae' are Polyanthas that work well. Some of the trailing 'ground cover' varieties would also be good subjects. Whatever the variety, though, they require lots of attention, TLC and a protected site if you live where high winds are likely.

Rose cuttings are usually taken from the last month of summer to the first month of autumn ( middle of August to end of October). To grow them outside, take at least 6, 12 inch cuttings of each type rose in case some don't take. Remove the flowers and cut off all leaves except the two that were underneath the flower. Dip the ends in rooting hormone powder ( for semi hardwood plants) and then make a holes with a pencil 6 inches appart.Push them in far enough so that the set of leaves is resting on the soil. Firm the dirt around the cutting. Keep watered until the fall rains come. Next spring use a mild fertilzer such as fish and don't replant until they have had one year of growth.

Well... I HAD VI Fortuniana and VI Huey, both of which DEMANDED much more heat than i can generate to root and push buds. I HAVE VI Pink Clouds; VI Cardinal Hume; VI Gloire des Rosomanes; VI IXL; VI De la Grifferaie and for warmer situations, VI Mlle de Sombreuil (George Washington Richardson); VI Atmore Lamarque; VI Marechal Niel to be explored for stocks. Why not? They love this climate; they root easily; they grow well own root... From reading old annuals and other rose books, pretty much everything has been explored for stocks. In the early Twentieth Century, the Dutch explored using Rugosa whips for standards. There are many old accounts of standards budded to Rugosa EATING their final homes. Celina is a moss which CAN sucker. Do you want something known to sucker easily? That's how they were originally propagated and produced...digging up suckers. Weird things have always been done. Take a look at this field of Frau Karl Druschki budded to Mme. Plantier in a rose field in January, 1921 at Glen Saint Mary Nurseries in Florida, which, per Google just now, appears to still be in business. Would I ever consider budding on Mme Plantier? Nope. I don't want suckers. "Budding" or "grafting" can mean any method of inserting a bud under the bark of a stock. Budding uses a bud. Grafting can use a bud or an actual piece of stem or cane. Sequoia Nursery didn't bud mini standards from a microscopic bud, but from small pieces of stems inserted under the bark. The same thing can be done with regular size roses. It is just not as easy as chip budding and requires more practice and skill. I CAN "T" bud. I CAN graft short sections of stems from larger roses as well as minis, and I CAN chip bud. T budding is the fastest for commercial production. Chip budding is the fastest and easiest to do at home, particularly if you're using a multiflora type stock. It requires the least amount of skill, attention and practice, and with the thicker multiflora type cambium, it's a breeze! Burling reports that Pink Clouds remains in condition for budding most of the year for her. It's China X multiflora. It has the thicker cambium like IXL, De la Grifferaie and multiflora. IXL is Tausendschön (which is a seedling of Crimson Rambler) X Veilchenblau (which is another seedling of Crimson Rambler). ALL of these multiflora and many of the Wichurana ramblers have been used as stocks. Dr. Huey is a Dorothy Perkins (Wichurana rambler) seedling X Gruss an Teplitz (a seedling of Gloire des Rosomanes). You won't know what might work well where you are until you try. I would suggest making sure whatever it is, it doesn't sucker. Preventing growth from missed growth buds below where you bud the scion can be difficult enough. Why include a root system genetically engineered to push new plants all along the roots? There is MUCH room for exploration and experimentation. Some types are going to be easier to work with than others. You'll probably find some which refuse to be used as stocks. There used to be a Judge Henry Fonda in Mar Vista, by Santa Monica. Judge Fonda had a small mini nursery in his yard for his hobby. He stated he had tried repeatedly to use Cl Cecile Brunner as standard stocks and it refused. He attributed it to "genetic incompatibility". Perhaps elsewhere it might work...or not. It's certainly vigorous enough, making huge, thick canes rather quickly when happy. IXL can produce inch thick whips in a season. Once established and happy, it can be HUGE. If you Veilchenblau, Violette, Rose Marie Viaud, Amethyste or any of the other multiflora ramblers, and you're comfortable they are not infected with RMV, they should make just as good stocks as any of the ones we've discussed. And, you really don't have to have strong whips for standard stocks. Plain old rambler canes as long as they are straight, can make good trunks, as long as they are thick enough for you to bud to them. No matter what is used, they have to be securely staked or they are liable to break in the wind. Jeri's photo supports itself because the head is kept so small and the plant is quite old. If they allowed the head to get huge, eventually the trunk would be in danger of being snapped by the wind. Of course, the thicker they are when you bud them, the easier it should be to actually accomplish it.