Question
I received a small white mini rose as a gift for Halloween. It has orange-yellow flowers and it is very pretty but I am afraid to put it outside, what do you suggest. Take cuttings?  Is it hopeless? I would like to try to save this and grow it.  I live in Connecticut.

Answer
You may be Zone 7, but I see no reason at all why you can't grow those Roses outside - with the right sun and TLC.

First, let's go to your question about how big they will ever be.  Your Roses are genetically programmed for Mini-size.  Like blue eyes and fair skin, your Roses will only get wee high.  The look you see, right now, is most certainly these Roses at their little best.

I'm sure it will come as no surprise that they were grown under perfect Rose greenhouse conditions, with growth regulators and flower enhancements, perfect light, air and soil.  Your biggest challenge: Duplicating those perfect living conditions.

One thing I am sure of: Your Minis will do better OUT than IN.  Unless your indoors is a greenhouse.

Roses NEED a period of dormancy to do their best.  These are not Plumerias you're growing.  These are woody plants that can't survive in the Jungle.

Of course, some Roses can take more cold than others. Local Rosarians know - intimately - which Roses thrive, which ones fail.  Rain, humidity, highs and lows, sun angles and summer length - these are just some of the factors that make Roses happy.

One problem (and this is only ONE problem) is the temperature range they need.  Temperature climate wood plants NEED a dormant period.  Cold temperatures and short days trigger that dormancy.

If you have grown Roses before, you know they can be high maintenance plants.  They need lots and lots of sun.  At least 7 hours minimum of bright, strong, summer sunshine -and the more, the better.

They also need rich, fortified soil and scheduled fertilizing.

Although Roses in general have a serious root system, Miniature Roses have smaller roots - and that makes them more vulnerable to things like drought or over-fertilizing.

When you do decide to set these in the Great Outdoors, it's VERY important to do it soon.  Keep your potted Minis outside, but protected, near the door or foundation, away from the worst evening chills, so that they can "harden off" until you are able to plant them in the ground.  

A sudden cold spell, even a simple frost, will cause bring pain and suffering unless they are accustomed gradually to cooler temperatures.  If you set them outside now, while night temps are still mild, sugars and carbohydrates in the stem tissues will steadily increase.  That's how Roses have been surviving winter temperatures for thousands of years.  They have their own builtin sugar-carb Antifreeze.

By the time it gets really cold, your Roses will have developed enough natural Antifreeze to survive.  Different hybrids have different levels of hardiness.  Roots also come in different strengths.  But the basic woody-plant need for dormancy is still there.  They will wind down and happily slip into dormancy until spring.

Incidentally, if you are hoping you can "trick" a woody plant into growing and blooming continuously, and escape a cold dormant period, it would work temporarily. But eventually, they would die.  This is not a choice.  This is their natural God-made natural growing cycle.

Colorado State Cooperative Extension
(http://www.colostate.edu/Depts/CoopExt/4DMG/Flowers/Roses/minirose.htm) posts a page, "Miniature Roses: Versatile Plants -- Indoors or Out!" by one of their master gardeners.  It's a wonderful website.  I want to make a special note about their planting instructions: "When planting outdoors in the ground, minis should be set slightly deeper than they were when growing in the pot.  That's because they grow on their own roots with no bud unions."  That extra bit of soil is a way of protecting them from any bitter cold nights this winter in Connecticut.

I would like to add a short word about dormancy.

Woody plants often set buds during the late summer/early fall.  They are programmed to break those buds after a MINIMUM number of hours of winter cold - technically, the number of hours the plant sustains temperatures below 45 degrees F.  

Peaches need AT LEAST 800-1200 hours.

Walnuts need AT LEAST 400-1500 hours.

Apricots need only 100-400 hours.

European plums, as much as 1700 hours.

Miniature Roses will appreciate the winter rest.  They'll THRIVE!

I'd also like to add something about Mulching - a subject I doubt you really need to know, but just to explain cold hardiness a little further: Roots have limited tolerance to sub-freezing temperatures.  This is why we mulch.  Not so much to protect the stems, but to protect the roots.  Mulch for winter as soon as the temps plummet.

The bottom line is that these woody plants are well adapted to cold weather.  Plants are NOT like people.

As far as cuttings, I think you should get your Rose through the winter first.

It is my understanding that the first Noisette Roses were in fact grown from seed in South Carolina by a Rose breeder named Mr. Noisette.  That should give you a clue about how the Rose-friendly South Carolina weather is.  Miniroses began as hybrids of the definitely hardy China Rose.

After many years of special Rose crosses, there are now 2 kinds of Miniature Roses: European Minis - sold by florists - and American Minis - sold by garden centers.

Most of those Florist Roses come from Poulsen Roser, a specialist in Denmark.  This grower sells 3 out of every 4 potted miniature Roses sold by florists.  What makes these Poulsen Roses so special?  They boast a long shelf life; larger flowers on diminutive plants; a tolerance for
low humidity; they agree to set buds and flower in a short-day cycle; and they're tough enough to ship 1,000 miles or further.  And they come in 18 colors.  Yours apparently comes in two - white and orangeyellow.  Sorry, you'll have to explain this one to me. :)