Question
We live in rural NE Pa. and this year we bought some rose trees and we have decided to keep them in the pot in the house instead of planting them. Where is the best place to keep them and should we be watering periodically? Please keep in mind we will be lowering our heat considerably during the winter months. Thanks

Answer
Placing a rose tree in a house sounds like a good idea but it really isn't. You won't have  an attractive blooming house plant. A rose tree is no different than a rose bush and likes the same conditions over the winter. The roses in the garden will drop their leaves and go into a state of dormancy. This gives the rose added strength for growing the next year. If you keep a rose in the house it will not be happy at all unless you turned down the heat to freezing. Even then the dryness will cause problems. Roses hate warm, dry atmospheres and that is what they get in a house. They need dampness to be healthy. They will also start to make thin, frail growth which you will have to cut off in the spring as it won't hold up the flowers. If you want your rose trees to be healthy then placing them in an unheated garage is the best way to go. Give then about a cup of water monthly, just enough to keep the soil damp but not wet. The roses won't need light because they will be dormant. Then next spring place them outside when the danger of a hard frost is over. Cut the canes back to about 6 inches as the rose will grow back and you don't wan a large head that will break with the weight of the blooms.
Keeping a rose in the house will definitely guarantee  that they will get spider mites as these mites are on the rose outside but don't like the wet conditions  so they don't do any damage. However inside they multiply like mad, suck on the leaves and generally weaken a rose plant.  Also if you have any other house plants they could also get infested with the mites.