Jessica, I feel empathy with your dilemma. Last Fall 2015 I received "Jesse Hildreth" tea as a band from Rose Petals 9/23/15. I planted it in the ground 9/29/15. This was not a success. The rose looked fine all winter, them put up new growth in March 2016 and that got frost damage which started a downward spiral leading to death 5/16. OTOH I planted own root bare root teas received from Antique Rose Emporium in mid 1/16 immediately upon receipt and they all made it. I'm hoping they handle this coming winter and Spring of 2017 well. What the difference was I think was the ARE were older/bigger to start and they started growth later in the Spring for some reason and did not have new growth freeze. Oddly, the earlier planting and early Spring 2016 surge led to disaster for "JH". So I am thinking the older plants are safer to plant now, because yours sound like they have already been in pots a while which put them in the ARE size/age range I would think. I now have "JH" #2 received 7/1/16, and I am planning on keeping it and "Atmore Lamarque" of the same age in a protected alcove for this first winter after my last year experience with the in ground band planting.

I think they'd be better off in the ground. Winter kill can be caused by plants drying out which may be more likely to happen in a pot than in the ground. Also pots experience greater temperature variation especially if they are exposed to full sun.

You'll want to stop deadheading and pruning. You don't want to encourage tender new growth.

Your newly planted roses may be more vulnerable to spring freeze protection than your established roses, so be prepared to protect them.

Even here in SE Virginia (8A) I put about a 12 inch mound of mulch over first-year roses so they don't dry out. (However that's risky if you have voles). I wait until we're close to the first hard frost to do this, since I do want the soil to cool down.

And that said, I have a question for you. Are these roses still in just 1 or 2 gallon pots, or have they been stepped up to larger pots?

Also Jessica, how long have yours been in the pots?

Thank you both so much for your replies!! The roses in question are of all various sizes, Blush noisette is 2 years old & at least 4-5 Gallons in size, Alexander Hill Gray, Mrs B R Cant, & Archduke Joseph, Jessie Hildreth, Mrs Dudley Cross,and a few others are a few months old, I received them as gallon sized plants from Rose Petals a few months ago & all have been sized up to 2-3 gallon pots at various times over the last few months, some were larger upon receipt & grew quickly and some were much smaller, Jessie Hildreth among the smallest, and those tiny ones are the ones I'm worried most about. I must add that last year I had a similar situation with having a few tender roses still in pots through winter, I just huddled them all together and put leaves on top of them, most survived, several did not, those that did were those first planted out this spring/summer and most of those have grown quite nicely, so I know it is at least possible to keep them alive in pots through a (particularly mild) winter.

Good luck with whatever you choose! My protected alcove is a particularly sheltered nook on the East side of my home I belatedly realized (as far as JH #1 was concerned) doesn't freeze, so my decision this Fall is easier with Jesse #2 who is only 2 months here and while doing well might be safer in the alcove this first winter. Your plants are a bit older I see which should help them. I'm a bit ambivalent about winter protecting in the ground in a wet winter climate because I don't want canker.

My usual disclaimer- not an expert. I think that I live within your general area (just southwest of K'ville) and I've killed a rose or two in my time by guessing wrong on when to plant them. I'd say that it depends on where you want to plant them and how big they are. In general, I think that roses are better off in the ground. In fact, I have half a dozen that came to me in late June and early July that I plan on planting when it cools off enough so that they won't fry before they have a chance to toughen up and grow some roots. I am less concerned by winterkill than I am about losing roses to heat and drought.

If the roses are very tiny and will be planted eventually in an area where they will receive the brunt of winter wind, it might be better to either put them in an unheated garage till spring or plant them pot and all in a warm, sheltered spot in your yard and protect them with mulch of some kind. If they don't make it then, they probably wouldn't have made it if you'd planted them earlier, either.

KnoxRose...here in Nashville I keep them on a Southern facing brick wall. And make nests with pine straw. Do you have something similar?

If it were me, I'd plant them all out except the very small ones; those I would try to baby over the winter, and plant in the spring. Huddling the pots together and heaping with leaves sounds good; shelter from cold winds also seems like it would help your babies survive, and I think spots near the house often tend to be warmer than spots further away?

Good luck,

Virginia