Question
QUESTION: I live in Minnesota, zone 4. I have a weeping rose tree and was wondering if I put the tree in a heated garage for the winter would that be o.k. the garage stays about 40 t0 50 degrees, it is in a pot, do I water it or let it dry out. Thank you

ANSWER: A rose tree won't survive the winter unless you dig a trench and bury it. A job I wouldn't wish on anyone so the only alternative is the garage. However roses do much better when they get a long dormant per where they shut down and don't put out any new growth. They go dormant when the temperature is around freezing but it takes a few weeks to go dormant because at 40' the roots are still active. If you are going to put it in a heated garage at 40' the rose will sill put out frail growth. Here is the best way to make sure your rose will make it through the winter. Keep the rose outside until the soil in the pot is frozen and all the leaves have fallen off then you will know it is totally in a dormant stage. Bring it in and place it where there is no sunlight and is the coolest part of the garage. When the soil has defrosted, every month give it two cups of water if the pot is large, just one cup if the pot is a two gallon. This will keep the roots moist and they ill not die. Don't prune the rose but it will probably put out thin weak new growth, just ignore it. When it is warm enough to put it back outside, that is the time to prune it very hard. Cut it right back to about 18 inches from the graft at the top of the plant. It will look severe but you need to make sure you get rid of all the winter's weaken growth. Give it a handful of any rose fertilizer, water it so that the soil is damp but not asking wet, and the rose will grow well for you. Every spring after taking it out from the garage, just cut it back a little less that you did the last time. If possible, try and repot it into a larger plastic or fibreglass pot and get one of those bases with wheels on them so you can just push or pull it around easier.

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QUESTION: Would this rose tree be better in a garage that does not have any heat? but I am sure that it will get below freezing temps in there, how cold could it get before it would kill it. thank you

Answer
Rose nurseries store their bare root roses in a warehouse that stays around 34 to 36 degrees. If a rose gets below freezing for more than three or four days, it needs to be protected somehow such as soil, much etc piled up around the base. If you want to keep it in an unheated garage, then I would wrap it in bubble wrap from the base to the top. Also don't put the base of the garage floor, place it on a box to raise it above the cold cement. You can probably get the large bubble wrap from a stationary store cheaper than a garden centre. Just make sure you can still give it water.