Rose needs help

[Mallz]

Hi all!
I need some advice/help with my hybrid tea rose. I originally got this plant 5 years ago however my dad was taking care of it the last 2 years (he moved into my old house) until he brought it to me this August. It wasn't the best time for a transplant but I put it in the garden and at that point about 3/4 of the plant looked like it was dying and had dried leaves. I left it be (besides watering) to see what would happen. 3/4 of the plant still looks dead and the good part seems to have been affected by saw tooth damage. My question is what should I do now at this point? I'm in Canada so the nights are starting to get quite cold and I imagine the first frost will be upon us soon. Any advice is appreciated!

 

[Sheal]

Welcome Mallz.

It's looking very sorry for itself but there is still life there. I would give it a light prune and clear away all the debris from the base which may harbour disease, leaving a 1 foot diameter of bare soil. Roses need good air circulation and clearing the area will help. It looks as if it's in a sheltered spot so should survive over winter. Don't feed it but water if necessary and leave it to settle until spring next year. If it produces new growth and leaves at that time then it can be fed.

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I would give it a light prune and clear away all the debris from the base which may harbour disease,

Yes, but think frost, pruning this time of year can cause die back if there is a hard frost, so leave a couple of buds more than you need and prune back harder to them in spring. Same goes for the debris, true you don't want dead rose leaves around, but a bit of straw for protection if it looks like being really cold might not go amiss.

 

[Sheal]

I understand where you're coming from Oliver. My roses survived day time temperatures of around 0C/32F and below for six weeks the winter before last in an exposed garden. They're tougher than we think.