Question
I live in a VERY snowy location.  We moved in here last spring, so this is my first winter.  I planted roses, they were beautiful.  We got over 5 feet of snow.  We still have over a foot on the ground, however, my rose bushes are now showing.  They are CRUSHED!  Still alive, just broken and not doing so well.  I'm not sure what to do with them.  Should I trim them to just below the "snap".  Some of the branches have broken off at the very base.  I don't know what to do to salvage them or how to protect them from next year.  This was a mild winter, we typically get 5-8 feet of snow each winter.  (Home windows often have to be boarded up or they will smash in...it's really that deep!)  I have other bushes destroyed, too.  A holly looking bush, that was here before we moved in.  It's been flattened and looks like it will never "pop" back up.  And a large lilac that has broken at the base.  Some of it is laying flat.  Should I pull them up and tye them tight???

Answer
Snow is really an excellent insulator and roses really can go through a winter covered in it but a with a lot of snow the roses need some sort of covering to protect them. Also roses will grow back after being cut right down to 2 inches. So any rose bush that is crushed , even the holly one, should be dug up and replanted properly. After planting larger bushes or trees, because the roots have been disturbed, use a stake to make sure they don't wobble and disturb the roots again. Treat these roses as if you have just planted them and give them extra water and a mulch as they will be under stress because of the broken canes.  You may even have to wait until they are growing well to see exactly how much they were damaged.
Next fall you can cover your roses with specially made cones or even make some boxes yourself. You wait until the leaves are all off then you cut the roses back to about 6 inches, cover the bush with compost, leaves, mulch or soil and finally you place the boxes over them. Here is an explanation plus pictures on how to go about protecting the roses.
http://urbanext.illinois.edu/roses/winter.html
You can always grow roses in containers too and then place them in an unheated garage for the winter. Sometimes you can just find out what other gardeners grow in their gardens which go through the winter without any problems and select what appeals to you.
I am not a tree expert but there must be certain trees that do better in your area when they get a load of snow on them so certain trees would be better. Then you can tie the tree branches up with rope and stop snow from breaking them. Even evergreens should be a  tied up tightly before the snow falls.
You could have a beautiful garden if you select trees that are not large, shrubs that are not brittle and perennials that dieback in the winter and then come back in the spring. The problem is anything that you don't want broken will have to be protected with a wooden covering or tied up tight. It is always amazing what odds gardeners can overcome.