Hi Barbie! I,m so glad you,re finding some solace with you roses, in such a difficult time. I hope my advice is helpful then, be it what it is. ...In the fall, just as the temp.,s begin to drop consistently, you give your roses a good watering, with no ferilizer,as they will no longer be growing as winter sets.Wait until the ground just begins to freeze. Then you,re ready to begin mulching them. Waiting for the ground to freeze,and then mulching, keeps the temperature stable later in the winter,when there,s alot of freezing/thawing,which hurts the roses the most, and sometimes, is the cause that will kill them.Waiting that little bit, also prevents encouraging rodents from nesting in the bases of your roses, and chewing the canes over winter,which,also kills them. Find good,rotted manure( sheep or horse is best..), or well rotted compost, and hill up the bases of your roses by a good foot or a foot and a half ( 12-16 inches deep) . These need to be rotted materials,as otherwise, you could burn your plants, as freshly decomposing materials will hurt them. You may wish to supplement this by also covering them up with fallen leaves, or rotted sawdust, or straw, another 12inches or so. Some people use cages to surround thier roses in,and fill them up with these materials. ( prevents the winds from carrying off thier protection..) Some people cut thier canes back abit to prevent them from whipping around in the winds ( causing windrock in the canes, which can split and damage them..) but, it,s sometimes better, to just tie them to a support of some sort,and trim them in the spring instead, to prevent infection on the freshly cut places. ...
Come spring, you only begin removing the mulch in small amounts, when you,re sure the frosts are over,and that the ground is beginning to warm up. You remove it small amounts at a time, bit by bit, maybe some each week or every 3 days or so, so that the rose can begin adjusting and growing to the new season. Be careful not to hurt any new growth that might have started under the mulches. Be gentle. Before leaves come out on the canes, cut and prune them( books might help, or use this site for more info..) and spray them with a lime/sulpher dormant spray to help protect them from any fungus spores or insect eggs that might have wintered over , near or on your roses.Most people say to wait for when the forsythia is blooming,as a guide for spraying times. After that, it,s spring,and you can enjoy your messing about with them again. I,ll be thinking of you, Barbie, and hoping that you are with us for a long time to enjoy roses with all of us. Many Blessings, Lenage.