Question
QUESTION: I have two potted miniature rose plants that I need to bring indoors for the winter.  Two things I should mention: 1) I live on the 18th floor of an apartment complex - every corner of the apartment gets pretty warm during the winter - 65+*F.  2) Minneapolis MN gets pretty cold and at times blustery in the winter so the possibility of leaving them on the balcony can't be done as there is no protection.  What should I do with the two rose plants I have?

ANSWER: Larger garden roses won't survive in a home atmosphere as it does not have enough dampness in the air and the plant dries out and dies. So you can see that a small mini rose is really going to suffer in a dry atmosphere much quicker. Mini roses don't have to keep growing and can spend the winter in a dark, cold place. All you have to do it wait until the rose has dropped all it's leaves when outside and then place it in a cold spot. Give it a quarter of a cup of water monthly so the roots won't dry out and it will be fine and start growing again in the spring when the weather warms up. I am assuming that you don't have a cold place but do you have a friend that has such a place to keep your mini rose?

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QUESTION: Did not think to ask but can these be left outside over the winter?

Answer
They can't be left sitting on the balcony over the winter but you could try this, it may work. Buy some bubble wrap at a stationary store or the post office if they sell it. Wait until the mini roses are totally dormant such as they have dropped all their leaves when outside. Then wait until their soil is dry and then wrap them in a couple of layers of bubble wrap. Finally take something thick like a bath mat or a quilt, and wrap them up in that. Place them in the corner of the balcony that gets the least wind. Once a month, starting in December, unwrap them and pour a quarter of a cup of water in the soil, re-wrap them again and place them outside. The last suggestion would be to put them in the vegetable bin in your fridge as that stays just above freezing. Same routine with the water.