I got my protection on late, and I never did protect Cherry Cheesecake. I did move CC to right up against the house in a spot nearly completely protected from wind, but I'll bet she would have loved a burlap dress anyway. We'll see how she does. But, back to topic, when do you remove the protection? I'd like to get some sun to the leaves. We've had warm temps in the 50s which then swing to the 20s.

is this even a thing in z7? in my ground freeze MI ... we want the ground to freeze.. and stay frozen all winter .. in snow cover thats pretty easy ... the snow itself keeps winter sun off the dark soil.. so no thawing of the dark soil from winter sun ... also ... if no snow.. winter winds can pull a lot of moisture out of exposed soil ... and on babe trees .. with not so deep roots ... it could be a problem... since you cant really winter water frozen ground for fear of making an in ground ice cube.. and roots need air as much as moisture .... [not to mention frozen roots that dont really pump water.. and desiccation of evergreen leaves and trunk issues.. in colder zones...] if your ground does not freeze.. and you could basically water all winter long if need be in some extreme winter drought.. then why waste the mulch ... if you need it elsewhere ... one of the problems with the WWW .. imo ... is sourcing of website knowledge ... how do you figure out if the source even applies to your location ... ken

Roses survive winter better if the cover is DRY & ALKALINE like hardwood mulch rather than pine-bark (pH 4). Recently I get to know a rosarian nearby who bought $4,000 worth of roses last year and he didn't lose much, thanks to winter-protection with ALKALINE and dry mushroom compost (delivered to his garden). Mushroom compost (horse manure) has pH near 8. Back in 1997 I lost over a dozen hybrid teas (grafted on Dr.Huey) thanks to winter-protect with wet & acidic maple leaves, but a nearby neighbor didn't lose any of her 2 dozens hybrid tea since she piled up DRY & ALKALINE woodchips up to 1 foot over her roses.

My vote is "not". The cones are typically made of styrofoam and they don't allow the rose to breathe over the winter. Moisture and other products get trapped and various fungal diseases are more likely to kill the rose than the cold, particularly in humid climates. The cones also can require cutting back perfectly healthy canes to make the cones fit and that decreases the amount of cane that can survive the winter, which a rose tends to need to rebound. My rule of thumb is to use natural products for winter protection if you do it. I put filled leaf bags around susceptible roses to create a wind break and a "down coat" effect without closing them in. You could do something similar with filled bags of mulch if you're concerned about it blowing away. Many people make rose collars out of cardboard or leaf bags or burlap or other natural materials to hold the mulch in which also reduces erosion. As important in choosing what (and if) to use for winter protection is choosing when to put it down and take it off. Putting it on too early will encourage critters to overwinter in the mulch and eat your rose for a winter snack. Taking it off too late in spring can encourage fungal diseases. If the rose is already sprouting new growth there is little you can do to stop it, even if you get a late freeze. You can put a temporary cover like a sheet over a rose if you get late freeze warnings. Just my two cents - there are a lot of opinions about winter protection. The best strategy is not to plan roses that need winter protection, though I can't restrict myself to only those roses. In zone 6b most of your roses won't really need much protection - even the HTs - particularly given global warming trends. You can kill a rose with kindness as much as with neglect. Cynthia