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kay · 29-12-2013, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David Hill

On 28/12/2013 19:38, Frank Booth wrote:
"sacha" wrote in message
...
On 2013-12-28 12:57:11 +0000, Frank Booth said:

Even if they get frosted, they may well have another go at setting buds
later, depending on which variety they are and where you're located.
It has been an extraordinary autumn, just as it was an extraordinarily
cold spring. It's taken a longer time than usual for things to lose
their leaves and be ready to be lifted and sold as bare root and now
with 'warm' soil and warmer weather in some places, they're starting to
think it's spring. You might not get a good show next year if the roses
don't get a good spell of cold-weather dormancy but the plants
themselves are unlikely to suffer long-term.

Yes.The roses are hybrid teas and floribundas It's the potential die-back
that concerns me. After planting I pruned hard beginning of December. There
were only 3 -4 visible buds below each cut after pruning and they are now
all breaking or about to. If all these buds/shoots get frosted and die,
where are new buds going to come from? I don't think new buds will replace
the old ones in the same place if they get replaced at all..

This shows why you shouldn't prune till the worst of the winter is over.
In most woody plants you get more than one bud in each leaf joint for
just such an occurrence, you have the primary bud which is the one that
usually grows, then there is also a secondary bud which will develop if
something happens to the primary bud.
Look at the illustration in the following.
Cornell Fruit
David @ a wind free side of Swansea Bay

My mother's advice on rose pruning was that if you pruned in early winter, they'd put out new growth which would get frosted, and if you pruned in spring, the bushes would rock more in the winter winds, hollowing out a cavity in the soil where water would collect and rot their roots. It all depended on whetehr you thought spring frosts or winter winds and clayey soil were more of a danger where you were!

I've seen advice to cut back a bit in autumn to avoid wind rock, then to prune properly in spring.

back to the OPs question - die back from frost will set back growth a bit, but a healthy rose has a strong desire to live and a good capacity to continue to put out shoots.