Chey,

Dead canes, dead as can be. Sorry, but the bushes down low or below ground may still be alive. I too, had a severe winter here in W. PA.....even lost a bush that was heavily winter protected, really surprised me.

There may be some live green wood an inch of two from ground level as you prune them back when the forsythia and large flowered daffodils are blooming, no sooner. That could regenerate the bushes nicely. If dead to ground level, just prune back to there, and wait and see if anything sprouts at or from below ground level.

Don't poke around the soil at the base of the bushes trying to see if there's any life, you may break new growth emerging there that you cannot see yet, but will shoot up shortly and surprise you. Just wait until late spring, and if no growth is seen, pitch the rose.

Own root roses may surprise you and kick in. Same with grafted roses. If grafted roses die at the bud union the bush is gone. The root stock may sprout shoots, but that's root stock growth, worthless.

You may consider winterizing your more tender, winter damage prone roses next November. Works for me in the majority of cases. There are still some very tender roses that die back hard, even with heavy winterization. Good riddance to them. There are plenty of tougher roses to try in their spots.

Moses

I figured that. I just read an article. Thank you for responding. I'm currently mourning my Sweet Beauty.

The canes are dead. The roses probably aren't. You'll have to wait a few weeks to make sure. Be careful pruning out the dead wood, so you don't accidentally break off a young cane.

Sometimes, you don't see signs of life until mid-May, so if you like the roses, don't be in too big a hurry to get rid of them.

What did I do wrong? I covered them with mulch and hay. I started to slowly pull some of the covering away a couple weeks ago. Is that what did them in? I just came back in the house to take a count of "My Black Cane Roses" and there are 25 of them. I could just burst into tears. I know. I know... That's what I need to expect growing roses... Still... :(

It's ok if the canes are black ! Don't worry , they will grow new ones . When it is sufficiently warm, Brew those babies some alfalfa tea , then add fish emulsion, and they will explode with growth ( as long as the grafted part has not died . ). I know it's tough ! Rose growing is such a learning experience. Don't lose hope or give up just yet . We are rooting for you!

Chey,

You need continuous snow cover, 2' deep, all winter long for it to be a dependable defense against winter kill. If you are zone 6b you are not in such a snow dependable zone.

Mulches that are moisture retentive encourage canes to rot. That is why I use pine bark mulch placed heavily in paper bag collars around my winter tender roses, mostly the hybrid teas and their equally tender buddies, with great success.

Moses

I can't say thank you enough for saying kind and helpful words, Moses, Mad Gallica, and LilyFinch. It's so appreciated. I have been perseverating about this for the past couple hours. I'm so mad at myself! Going forward, should I not cover them at all in the winter?

@LilyFinch Do I really brew alfalfa tea and give the fish emolsion? If so, how much and should I do that to all my roses or just the ones that are hurting? Thank you! Chey

Yes chey ! It's a great feed for all of your roses. Of course you can always just use rose tone or something else but I like to go crazy. Each rose gets a gallon. So get a 32 gallon black garbage can from lowes , place in sun by your garden . But away from neighbors! ;) add 12 cups of alfalfa pellets from tractor supply ( $15) fill with water , stir (old broomstick ?)close lid . Let sit for a few days , I stired mine once a day . After 3-5 days ( supposedly no more) when the smell almost kills you add fish emulsion ( also tractor supply or lowes ) ( read bottle for how much I can't remember). Let all the gunk fall to the bottom and pour one gallon per rose . Close all your windows and hide from neighbors .

You can make a second batch with leftover gunk in bottom of can or spread on perrenials beds . Then in a few weeks you will be so grateful you did ! I was blown away in pa how wonderfully mine responded.

Chey, If you want to brew some alfalfa tea, you can order alfalfa tea bags from Annie Haven farms at manuretea.com. When they arrive, you just plop one in a five gallon bucket filled with water and let it sit for 2-3 days. Then just pour it the rose. This method is so easy and helpful in creating new basil breaks. She also sells manure tea which is great fertilizer. I wish you luck with your roses.

Sorry for your rose troubles!! Do you all bury your grafts 3” in zone 6? I bury mine 4-6 inches and never mulch ever. I have been doing this for 20 years, long before it became popular. I just cut the cane down to the dirt in the spring and fertilize and watch them grow. The only problems I have is new canes and low temps. Sometimes I have to cover with a garden quilt to keep them from freezing in the low teens.

Rebecca

I would wait and see if they grow back. It does look like the canes are dead but the rose might still be alive. I thought I had lost most of my roses in 2017 as they all died completely back to the ground, but by summer they came back and were nice and big and flowering like nothing had happened.

Lots of my roses died back to ground level, but new growth is emerging from the ground. I am watching the weather and hope to have them pruned before April. Sometimes the spring freezes are harder on the rose bushes than the harsh winters. Good luck!

Yes, in the future avoid covering the roses.

I've always just spread alfalfa pellets like dry fertilizer. Easier and less smelly than tea, and it seems to work just as well.

My interest in in alfalfa was piqued after reading gardengal's recent comment [https://www.houzz.com/discussions/what-do-you-do-to-encourage-basal-shoots-other-than-applying-epsom-s-dsvw-vd~5186758?n=22[(https://www.houzz.com/discussions/what-do-you-do-to-encourage-basal-shoots-other-than-applying-epsom-s-dsvw-vd~5186758?n=22)

When Lilyfinch mentioned Tractor Supply as a source, I laughed. Forgetting "we" are the Garden State. But, to my surprise, there are three stores here.

Time for a road trip. Thank you, Lilyfinch!

It's way too early to pronounce these roses dead. Yes, there is dead cane above ground but that does not mean the rose is dead. With all that snow on the ground in the pictures it looks too early to prune yet anyway. General rule of thumb in cold climates it to wait until the forsythia is blooming in your area before you start to prune. The ground should be thawed by then and warm enough for new growth to start. You may have to cut off those black canes all the way down to the graft but if the root ball is still alive it will grow back new canes. Be very careful when pruning not to injure any new growth. You need to be patient and give the roses time to show you if they are alive or not.

I was also suprised at the amount of cane damage this winter considering that it never got particularly cold, although we had a prolonged period of zero degree nights and barely getting into the teens for highs back in december. I'm starting to think that maybe it doesnt matter as much how cold it gets as how long it stays cold for. I.e., 2 weeks of 0 degrees does more damage than one or two nights at 10 below.

I agree with everyone above that the rose canes are indeed dead but the roses themselves might not be. You can't know till you see growth come out in the spring. Be aware that the growth needs to come from above the knobby lump at the base of the rose (the graft that Rebecca mentioned) for it to be the original rose you planted. If it comes from below that graft it may mysteriously be a dark red rose even though you didn't plant one, which means the rootstock of the rose has survived and the rose you wanted didn't. We know these things because we've all done this (and continue to do this) in cold zones.

Most of us in cold zones get pretty philosophical about pruning many of our roses down to the ground in spring if we plant hybrid tea and floribunda roses, the most typical roses sold in your average store. Those of us that don't get =dependable snow cover have to deal with rose cane death, even if we try winter protection. There are less damaging winter protection methods like putting up a wind break that doesn't hold in moisture (I set filled leaf bags at the edges of my beds for this purpose) but in most cases if the rose is going to lose its canes it's going to do that regardless of what we do. That doesn't mean that the roses you have planted are dead but the more we plant rose varieties that really want to live in warmer zones the more likely it can be that they don't survive. Don't think that you have to put up with this if you want to grow roses, however! There are literally hundreds of roses that are fully hardy in zones 5 and 6, and if you check into this forum and ask us before you plant roses another time we can help you pick roses that are better suited for your zones. We all learn from our experiences and in at least my case that has involved killing a lot of roses before I figured out the ones that will grow well for me with much less trouble.

In the meantime, don't fret, but you'll be pruning off that dead cane when things warm up a bit more. Usually we start pruning off the dead canes when the forsythia blooms, and that's just an expected thing we do in cold zones. Then keep an eye out for new growth from the base of the rose or any canes that still have some life to them, that might take as long as late May or even June before you give up and call ithe rose gone.

Cynthia

To confuse things, there are always exceptions to the rules. The forsythia in my area started blooming late February, unusually warm Feb. and is still blooming. We had around 8 inches of snow Monday morning. March has been cold.

Waking up this morning to a bunch of hopeful and helpful comments lifted my spirits. Thoughts:

• I thought that you shouldn't completely cover the graft? Most of my grafts are not below the soil.

• Where in the world do I find helpful little tips like the Alfalfa and Fish Emulsion? I knew about banana peels and coffee grinds, but not that stinky witches brew :)

• Don't worry rose friends, I'm good about not pruning until the forsythias come out (April) and always buy for my zone. However, I've never pruned my roses back all the way to the ground. Is that better than leaving 8"-12" of cane?

On a positive note, I do have over 80 kinds of roses. I am fairly new and really started to get rose-crazy two years ago. I'm learning quickly thanks to all of you. If you would like to add any other tips or tell me where to go to read good tips, I would be grateful. - Chey

Sorry about your woes .I cried several times too in the last couple of years as a rose newbie but l am learning patience .Your Local rose society should have tips for your particular area .monthly newsletter by email or post tells you what needs to be done month by mouth.

Chey, here is really good advice from David Austin Roses on how to plant bareroot roses. I skip the mycorrhizal fungi. Notice the photo on how to plant in cold winter areas. That’s us. I go even deeper at 4 to 6 inches. And I water my roses in. I don’t stomp the dirt down. I water, add dirt, water add dirt until the hole is full.

https://www.davidaustinroses.com/us/advice-and-inspiration/how-to-plant-a-bare-root-shrub-rose

The need to prune roses back to the ground is when you grow a rose that is not cane hardy in your zone and winter kills the canes back to the ground. Then you must prune the rose back to the ground. THIS WILL ONLY WORK IF YOU HAVE BURIED THE GRAFT UNDER THE SOIL. That is the purpose of burying the graft. Otherwise, you wil cut the graft off and end up with only the rootstock which is not the rose you have purchased. This does not apply if you have planted own root roses, only grafted.

Here is an example. Both of these roses have dead canes. The rose on the left is grafted and the graft is buried down 4 inches. The rose on the right is own root with the root base down 2 inches. Both roses will have their canes cut down to the ground and both will grow new canes and bloom this spring.

Close up of dead canes.

Rebecca

Thank you so much, Rebecca. This is so helpful. It's easier for me to digest when I see photos.

Chey, I just took some pics of my black canes for you, too.

Lots of black canes.

A closer look and new growth starting at ground level. One morning this week we are suppose to be 24 degrees and that may damage the new growth.

I’m holding out hope for you that your roses will be ok! I get your concerns, I’m terrified that all of my roses are toast, I saw some green as the bases of the canes a few weeks back, but then we’ve had a nasty cold snap for about 3 weeks now. I added some extra mulch to try to prepare for the cold but who knows it it helped. I also have a few body bag roses outside in pots because they’d broken dormancy- though now they look kinda dead...or maybe just dormant. All this to say I totally get it and the heartbreak, and I am wishing you well!

Chey,

Leave all canes that are green and that also have white or light cream pith. Then if you want to prune down further, especially to balance a bush that has several green, good canes, go ahead. Generally, the more good, live growth you leave the better.N

Now, if you have an iron clad, extra winter hardy rose with canes good to 2+' from the ground, you may prune down lower to keep the new growth made that summer from getting too tall.

Moses

You already got terrific responses to your questions, but to summarize:

1. Cold zones bury the graft because we need winter survival. Warm zones don't bury it (that's where the advice comes from) because they don't worry about survival and don't want the rootstock to grow suckers if buried. In cold zones, if we don't bury the graft all we may have left is the rootstock surviving, so we don't really have a choice if we're growing fussy HTs and floribundas.

2. You find the best cool tips about things like alfalfa (spreading alfalfa hay around your bushes in spring really can boost cane growth) and other rose ideas here on GardenWeb. Seriously, that's a good reason to keep checking in here and we try to be helpful when we get questions. Paul Zimmerman also has some good tips on his website, though he's in zone 7 and occasionally some of his tips don't apply to colder zones (like pruning recommendations).

3. We only prune to the ground if we have to. If we have 8-12" of surviving healthy cane we throw a rose party nearby. The recommendations to prune a rose back to encourage new growth are also for warmer zones where they don't have significant cane death and need to prune out old growth to rejuvenate it. That is not an issue for 80-90% of my roses, but the few that always have surviving cane will get maybe a third of their canes pruned down to 2' or so every year or two to keep the canes active. As I say, this is almost never needed on HTs but instead shrubs. I wouldn't do that for a climber since you want the main canes to stay long, but you can prune back the laterals that branch off the main cane.

A bottom line point to keep in mind as you filter rose advice is to take it from places that are similar to your climate. Warm zone advice doesn't translate well to cold zones, and dry zone advice may not translate well to damp climates.

Cynthia

I'm in zone 5 and mine all currently look like that as well:( They seem to be worse this year than the past few so I'll probably be pruning them nearly to the ground. But in cold zones this happens. We had quite a few days/weeks of below zero temps with no snow cover so it's kind of expected. I rarely lose roses even though some have to start completely over in the spring. Planting them deep is a great tip and I'm certain has helped some of mine survive those tough winters . Hopefully yours will recover just fine:) I wouldn't get too upset just yet. It's still early.

@kali_c Do you go to Meadownview Farm in Southwick, MA? -Chey

Chey,

All is not lost for your grafted roses whose bud union is at or above ground level. After this spring's pruning, and your first flush of blooms are being dead headed, probably around late June, get really good top soil and start gradually mounding each grafted rose's crown in two inch increments at a time, at monthly intervals until those crowns have about 4" mounds over them. Do it slowly, not all at once, so the rose can adjust. The mound should be about a foot or so across, 4" high, and looking a little like an anthill.

This will go a long way to protecting the graft. A graft is the most vulnerable part of a rose bush in our colder climate. Every year, maintain that mound height by periodic reapplications of good top soil during the summer, after the first flush is being dead headed, never before, definitely NOT at spring pruning time!

Did you know that newly planted roses naturally settle down a number of inches in the soil for a few years in our freeze/thaw soils. You will say to yourself, "This rose I planted three years ago has sunk down almost two inches." Because of this phenomenon, it works to your advantage!

Also, as rose bushes mature they individually develop more winter hardiness. My own root Julia Childs had a lot of winter kill until they got to be 4 years old. Now I am thinking not to even give them any winter protection next winter, because the tips are winter hardy right now, and I have had a brutal winter, no snow cover either to speak of.

You have a lot of young bushes. Their winter hardiness will increase naturally as they mature.

I wish you all the success in the world. Stick to it, persevere, and you will reap big dividends!

Moses

I cannot thank everyone enough for the time spent giving me detail help, encouragement and tips. I'm saving all the advice I can!

I just bought two 50 pound bags of Alfalfa Pellets. Will get the Fish Emulsion soon as well. How often should I give them that brew / tea? And should I give it to my perennials as well?

Don't forget, Chey, we're all in this 'rose business,' together. We help each other all that we can, and it is our pleasure, and privilege to do so!

As you gain experience you will be in turn enlightening others in need of the invaluable knowledge you have gained through your real life, hands on labors with your roses.

Moses

Chey, if you have a relatively modest number of roses you can brew the tea and put that on the roses every couple of weeks, if you can stand the smell. I have way too many roses to brew the tea, so I put out alfalfa hay among the mulch and let it break down all season. Be cautious if you put the alfalfa pellets straight out into the garden that the pellets don't roll back onto the canes when wet and get packed in there. I did that a few years ago and the alfalfa paste effect after a hard rain wiped out all canes on about 30 roses before I got it pulled away. Many folks use the pellets without trouble, just be careful about placements and moisture if you put the pellets out directly. Folks that were successful with the pellets can comment on how they kept them from matting down when wet.

In general, the more you feed the soil the less you have to feed the roses. Keep a good organic mulch on the soil to break down over the seasons and add material to the soil.

Cynthia