Question
I have a beatiful Grandiflora rose -Wild Blue Yonder...in a large pot by my front door... I would like to winderize it to come back next year... I live in an 8 Unit condo and do not have a basement, but do have an attached garage..Can I save it for next year?... Can I bring the pot with the rose bush in the garage( and when)? Do I prune it back ( how) and cover it somehow. I live in Wisconsin and have very cold winters....there is no option to plant it in the ground around the building...please help me with this

Answer
Do do anything with the rose until the cold weather has made the rose drop all it's leaves. You want the rose to be totally dormant before you put it into the garage. When the rose is bare and the soil in the container is frozen, move the pot into your garage. If the garage is a heated one then don't do anything just leave the rose there. Because it is dormant then it doesn't need any light so putting it in the dark is okay. However if the garage is not heated, then wrap the pot and the rose with some bubble wrap which you should be able to get at a garden center or even a stationary store. Just make a cylinder type of shape with the wrap from the base of the pot to over the top of the rose canes. Then tie the top up. Also tie it at the base of the rose bush. Tie this part with something you can untie easily as you will be giving the rose a cup of water monthly. You want the soil damp but not wet. When it starts to warm up in the spring, place the rose in the garage near a window if you have one. Finally when there is no chance of a nasty frost, put the rose outside in a protected area on the balcony to start with and finally when the weather has no chance of very cold nights, place it where you want it on the balcony. Then prune it back by about a third, give it a handful of Osmocote 14-14-14 as this is a slow release fertilizer and will last all summer. Placing something like a mulch around the base is also a good idea. Water the rose well if the weather gets hot such as daily otherwise just soak well every three days.