Hello, Tricia. It is definitely hard to tell as we can only guess at what you saw and experienced when living with these plant daily. So I will guess.... 1. Stems that "look" dry as sand can actually be alive. The exterior woody shell which we see is hard and protects from the elements, just like in trees. But the interior where the sap resides could be green. Dormant too. Why do you not experiment next year? Prune off a stem and see if you see green or is it dry dead inside. If dead, prune two inches below that cut and continue until you either find green or hit the bottom. Here in the south, stems that do not leaf out by mid-to-end of May can be considered dead (mid-to-end of June if located the northern parts of the country). 2. Bloomage may be "later than normal" under such conditions but not thaaat late (September?). Foe example: Leafout happens here in April and about 4-6 weeks later (varies a lot) then I start seeing the bloomage. Things should work similarly for you. How about you monitor this interesting question and post updates as you notice changes. 3. I have not seen such a list. But Hydrangea Macrophylla Maculata can be grown in Zone 6 and, if it is hardy to zone 6 then you can assume the wood can withstand temps as cold as -10 to 0F. Maybe less if they warm up the next day. Hydrangea macrophylla 'Variegata' is a Zone 6er and Hydrangea Macrophylla Light O Day is a Zone 5er. Or so the nurseries say. While the wood may withstand these cold temps, I am not sure about the flower buds. Hydrangea macrophylla suffers from early or late freezes since the flower buds have a weak dormancy. Surprise warm weather in winter or early spring causes the buds to emerge from dormancy, grow and become susceptible to freeze damage; see Hayseedman's famous post on overwintering hydrangeas for more info. 4. Late June but feel free to do the pruning I suggested in Question #1 in late spring if you are curious. Luis Here is a link that might be useful: Overwintering Hydrangeas by Hayseedman

I've hesitated to reply because I don't know! only want to sympathize with your dilemma. At our old house growing young roses up a bit in pots was basically a failure,because of lack of light, but here at the new house I can see that it's very different: plenty of morning sun and afternoon shade. So this fall I'm thinking to pot up all new roses,but just for one season. I, too, find growing roses in pots too much work and just can't keep up. Like Kes Z, I am much more concerned about losing roses to heat and drought (I'm in Italy, about a zone 8,but my garden has a south-western exposure, so it's protected from North winter winds, but subjected to terribly brutal summer sun). Still, I've always mounded/protected baby bare-root roses planted out in fall/winter, just in case. I guess in general I'd vote to plant them out in the ground,especially the larger ones,but I think I might protect them. One way that I've done this successfully is by using pieces of styrofoam-you know, those odd-shaped pieces that are used in packaging so many things? I break these up to smaller sizes, if necessary, andmake a sort of little corral around the canes of the rose,holding the pieces in place with stones,earth,whatever. Then I fill in the top a bit with other pieces,holding these in place with sticks,teepee-style,or use wine corks. I like this way of protecting because the materials are efficient insulators, but also sterile so bacteria and fungus aren't encouraged.You'd only mount these potective teepees once the temperature really drop.If some are still very, very tiny, you could keep those few in their pots.

" Really, not many will see this view..." It stands to reason that if the tree were trimmed, and there were grown plants behind it and only hosta in front, that people would see it when they're looking at the front of the house. "I want it to be cohesive and pretty, nice in all seasons." OK. But this is subjective as to what is nice. Some people can't stand to see no leaves. I love the brushy, pastel look that stems and branches show in the winter ... IF they have been developed to show them well, neither abused or neglected. Subjectivity is one of the reasons I got kind of tired of helping people pick plants here. It's easier if they look around where they are, see something that fits well, and then find out what it is. Everyone's going to have a different opinion on it, but my personal thinking about shaping landscape plants, which is mainly by trimming (in addition to making the initial choice of the plant) is that the designer is going to give generally better advice ... advice that is pertinent to the overall design whereas an arborist is going to give advice about the plant, sometimes irrespective of its surroundings, possibly ignoring the job the plant has in the landscape. I know there are going to be exceptions so don't everyone jump on me because of them. But the arborist is going to look at the tree in a way similar to how the farmer looks at his corn. He's concerned about it's health and making sure it lives up to its genetic potential. The designer is trying to make sure the tree, as a piece of art, fits as best it can as an extension of the architecture (if it's part of a foundation planting.) I am not saying that the designer and arborist are wildly, radically apart and typically the result of either of their direction is going to be satisfactory. I'm saying there are degrees of "best" or "better" that one professional might finesse a little more than the other. As another example, I was talking with m nephew the other day, long distance, using photos, about drainage of a difficult piece of property. He's a mechanical engineer and perfectly capable of figuring out a solution that works. But his vision is too much like a series of rigid flumes, where mine looks more like subtle swales covered by a thick layer of melted cheese flowing smoothly over the land. His requires less digging and is less expensive ... but I would not want to see it every day!

I'm about a hundred miles south of you, in Gloucester, VA. It's zone 7B here, but I used to live and garden in the DC area, and I don't think there's much difference. Yes, it's fine to move things and plant things in the fall. September is excellent. The limiting factor is lingering summer heat, not oncoming autumn cold (as if!). I'm going to be moving roses and planting new ones starting this weekend, and I'll just take care to keep them well hydrated. We can still have 90-100 degree days ahead. Make sure you give your roses good deep drinks when you move them, and keep an eye on them especially on hot days. I always give a solution of root starter fertilizer (Miracle Gro Quick Start) when I plant. If you use systemic granules, you can also put those in the hole. btw, with climate change many of my roses are no longer going dormant in winter at all. They don't grow, but they do keep their green leaves. Very last blooms are usually in November.