Question
I purchased a climbing josephs coat bush at a local hardware store back in June, and unfortunately haven't planted it in my yard yet.  From what I've been reading, it seems that I live in a bad zone for growing it successfully; and since it's so late in the year, it most likely won't survive the winter even if I planted it right away.  Am I correct about these things?  What do you think I should do?

Answer
Josephs Coat will probably survive up to zone 5. It should be planted now and then after a couple of hard frosts, mound the rose up to 12 inches with soil, compost, mulch etc It may die back but it won't go below 12 inches. 12 inches is enough for the rose to start again and make a good bush. If you garden in a colder zone, then I would wait until the leaves have fallen off and bring it indoors in an unheated place such as a garage. Give it enough water to make the soil damp but not wet. Because it hasn't any leaves so it doesn't need any light until next spring. Hope this helps.