Oh Sheila that really stinks! I'm so sorry! Your garden is so beautiful though and I know it will come through... just later than any of us want. I can't wait to see your photos in the late spring and early summer. Maybe it's my turn to remind you to think about the strong root systems that are developing?

I am right here with you Sheila

What a crazy April

I have new minis from For Love of Roses that I potted in smallish pots

I have them in a huge cardboard box for protection and all my new bare root roses that have new delicate growth have upside down pots over them. Good grief. Crazy weather.

And I actually bought some Hazen Daz lol.

Here's to better, less windy, less rainy, less freezing nights.

'Midsomer Murders' should help, though maybe not as much as ice cream AND 'MM' would...

Fingers crossed that you won't have any real damage.

Virginia

Oh no! Be nice, April!

Would bed sheets help? I'm so sorry, what a bummer. Please let us know how your roses fared.

I'm worried I'd break brittle new growth and do more damage if I tried more protection. I'm hoping wind doesn't come up and tip the draped chairs over too. Thank god I wasn't this bad with the children. There, I was more survival of the fittest.

Chuckling in recognition here, Sheila. Miserable about your weather.

Sending my hopes and wishes! What a winter-spring in OR, yes? I hope your precautions serve your budded plants well. Let us know how everything fares. I socked in with a Murdoch Mystery this eve. Carol

Sheila, my neighbor, we're getting it, too. We had a blizzard this morning--I drove over the hills and into to town to meet a gardening friend and shop roses. At Edwards Nursery, we met other gardening fanatics, all of us turning white the minute we stepped outside of a greenhouse. But I still picked up a not needed Munstead Wood---my old one needs company, and an Apricot Drift, to add to a Rouge Royale, waiting for me in a greenhouse after all this crazy weather is over. I paid out for some pretty sounding new rose and pink penstemon (last week it was hardy geraniums). We hopped in the car after our puchases and proceeded to more garden centers. The mountains that surround us were shining white in the bright sun after the hours long storm ended, and that made it easier to deal with broken peonies and geraniums with snow dumped on them. We've already had a couple of surprise frosts a week ago. The first time, I covered poor Augusta Luise,now stubs leafing out, a little mound of leaves, with a cardboard box filled with towels. It didn't hurt her, but I decided to forego protection, and let the chips fall where they may, after that night. I don't want to check the temp just now. This winter was a disaster, the flooding continues, and now a blizzard in April, definitely not normal. Hang on Sheila, it's got to get better. Diane

Best wishes to all! That sounds pretty bad. Here in Tuscany it is supposed to get very cold next week, with minimums close to freezing,but not as bad as what I'm reading here,I hope. Of course here things are wayyyyyy further along; the first roses are beginning to open,(it seems actually kind of early in the season for this). We need RAIN, not cold! Crazy weather...

How cold is it supposed to get? We had temps down to 24 a few weeks ago. Any buds I had were zapped, but other than that, there was little damage. I agree that attempting to cover everything can cause more damage than the cold. Make sure your roses are well hydrated before the freeze begins.

I hope everyone's roses are ok. I'm worried about it happening here, I still remember a bad snowstorm that happened years ago in May.

It looks like everything survived. Now let's be done with this craziness lol

Cori Anne, your roses already look fabulous, so far ahead of so. Oregon.

Well... as long as another windstorm doesn't come and rip all the buds off.

maybe you could cut the ones that are showing colour, if the weather does wind up being rough?

Thankfully, like Kristine, my garden seems to have survived the frost. It was about 30 degees F here. I think I have a bit of PTSD from the sad loss of Jesse Hildreth #1 last Spring and living cold, until the last 3 years. Now, I really have my hopes up, and I am so relieved the plants made it. I realize they will be less fragile once well established, and I will be grateful for that. Here, my worst looking plant right now maybe Souv d l Malmaison. It looked terrible last Spring, and really made a valiant comeback last Summer. I think it will probably be fine, but as Ingrid knows, it loves heat. We have not had that yet. The one year old Tea roses look surprisingly good, it spite of the horrible weather. Jesse #2 looks good. I am really impressed by them. In the long run, I realize if plants can't handle this Spring freeze thaw thing, they won't make it here. I think the snow branch breakage and the wind did the most damage. I don't know how I made it all those years in Minnesota/Alaska. Of course now I better get weeding instead of worrying about what I can't do anything about. I really appreciate all the support. I knew you all would understand. Of course, Hagen Daaz would have been nice too. Good luck to all you fellow rose lovers with your weather challenges. This has been a year.

Great news that you came through it ok. 30 degrees is fine. You may get some strange looking blooms if there were buds forming with those temps, but the growth will be fine. I have to say after the cold snap, my roses have exploded with growth. We did have lots of rain and I did fertilize and put down alfalfa, but some of my roses are unrecognizable. I think because I've been dealing with newly planted roses for a few years, I forgot what mature roses can do. One issue I do have is an excess of yellow leaves, some with blackspot. I have been spraying, but I think that the cold snap damaged some leaves so they are just slowly dying. I have tons of buds and some are opening now. It's exciting. And dare I say we are past any idea of frost? No, I won't say it!

One comment more is that Maggie had a strong new basal freeze last night. Boo Hoo! Sadly I forgot the protection on that one. My Variegata di Bologna looks good. I think I have to focus next Spring on the two Bourbons, Souv d l M and Maggie. Hopefully they will be strong enough to withstand these Spring traumas. I'm also noting that these two might have been on colder parts of the property, where I sited the Tea garden backing up to a stucco wall on the South facing slope. I thought they might be the most fragile, but I think I was wrong.

After a warm February we had some cold snaps, and many of my roses aborted their flower buds. I hope yours do better than mine.

I noted some buds froze off too noseometer. There is always next Spring, for the perfect Spring we all want!

You and your garden will persevere, Sheila! It's all live, learn and learn anew. You grow such an amazing array of roses, and I know the rewards will only increase in years to come. I lost a number of small potted perennials this winter, including a couple of rare Tricyrtis varieties and a baby Clematis. Next year, I'll make certain everything is in the ground by November! Sending Hagen Daaz in my thoughts! Carol

At least the Teas will flower most of the year, I would think (they do here), so losing a flush now isn't so bad.

After our blizzard Friday, it dropped to 26F by 1:30 AM, and I brought the plants hardening off on the patio inside, but I didn't protect anything that was in the ground. I'm past that. Luckily, no roses had buds to be ruined; in fact, I have some roses that still don't have leaves. That's how bad it's been here. Last year, my roses started blooming on May 1. It was my perfect spring in 2016. I will be so glad when this is all over. But everything survived the 26F, and all is well. Diane

So glad your rose season wasn't far enough along yet to be further damaged, Diane. Cori Ann had it bad when she got the horrible storm when the buds were ready to open. I'm hoping your season is late, but still wonderful.

I'm so sorry, Sheila. That's hard. I hope your roses bounce back quickly and you're able to enjoy those blooms soon enough. After 6 weeks of unusually warm temps and my roses had mostly leafed out we were hit with 3 nights with temps in the mid to low 20s last month. Most faired well but Rouge Royal and SdlM died to the ground. They, surprisingly, survived the ordeal and are slowly inching up now. What we go through as gardeners!

Glad to hear your garden is okay, Diane. I almost hate asking because of your hard winter but any sign of Augusta Luise?

Thanks, Dave. Augusta is very short but popping out all over. Now I'm more worried about Jude the Obscure and Frederic Mistral. I have some Evelyns that aren't so great either. We had 30F Saturday night, and at 4:30 AM, I was putting non hardened off perennials in the garage. Supposedly, we are not having more cold nights for a while. We'll see. I'm getting a Rouge Royale, and it sounds like yours is a little cold sensitive. I'll keep that in mind for next year. Everyone have a great spring from now on! Diane

You too Diane! I'm really looking forward to your and Sheila's garden photos!

Same to you, Diane and all! Hoping all the best for your post-freeze gardens. Carol

Thank you all. It can only get better. Just a shorter season. Diane

So glad to hear AL made it through the crazy winter. I really hoping Jude and your other struggling ones pull through as well. I hope you enjoy Rouge Royal. In your dry climate he'll do better than here where fungal diseases abound. Some mid afternoon shade, if possible, and he'll be one happy rose.

Sheila, I don't know how I missed this thread but sending virtual Hagen Daaz your way! Keep us posted on your SdlM. She fared the worst here with our unusual cold snap so I agree that she must like it warm.

Hope all is working out for Nanadoll, Cori Ann, Nose, and everybody else being weather-challenged!