For all but once flowering roses, stop deadheading or cutting rose boquets 4 weeks prior to your first frost date. This allows rose hips to form. Hips alert bushes to ready for dormancy.

If your climate requires soil mound protection avoid using compost or first year manure of any kind. Snow is a good insulator cover over soil mounds. In severe winters, roses can be covered to the top of the cane tips. This prevents canes from rocking in the ground on warm or windy days. Rocking kills more roses than cold temps.