Hello, Hope this is in the correct forum. My rose bush has lost all its leaves. I transplanted it from Montreal to Ottawa last summer and it began this year with full hardy green leaves and blooms. I'm concerned it may not survive the winter. Any advice? Lynette
It does not sound promising, but it can't hurt to mulch the plant as heavily as possible, and don't cut it back at all until next spring. Any winterkill will hit the upper branches, and possibly leave the roots and crown alive. A thought to try.. My Mom has a gorgeous shrub and I was asked to propagate it. So I layered a couple of branches and they both did well. So if your rose still has some green branches, and they flowered at some point earlier in the year, it might not be too late to try layering a couple of them. A cane must have flowered first for layering to work, is what I read. Take the canes you want to layer, bend them down to earth and bury them for a foot or so in shallow hole, maybe six inches deep. Fill in, tamp down, put a big rock or such over top to hold them down. Bend them upright at the far end and tie them to a post or stake so they'll grow upright, rather than on a slant outward. I've read it takes about 8 weeks to for roots to grow enough so you can sever the new plants, but I'd be tempted to just leave them in the ground and see if they make it over the winter. You've nothing to lose if it doesn't work, and maybe you'll have good luck. Mulch them heavily too, for protection over the winter.
