I know your in zone 5, but, what state? When your daytime/night-time temps stay steady above 32 degrees, remove the protection. If left on to long the canes may develop canker.
Check your local 10 day weather forecasts.

I am in WI. Our night temps are steady over 35 now.

Then, i'd remove your protection now! If you were to have a sudden drop in temps below 32 degrees, you could recover with a sheet or something if concerned, remove sheet when temps rise above 32 degrees.
But, those protectors heat up fast, in spite of holes in the top.

You can remove the covers and put them into storage for the year. Even if the temps drop into the 20s your roses will be fine. Roses are not sissies and will take some below freezing temps with no problems.
I've removed all the leaves from mine and am not worried about any more cold temps.
Regarding the other problem, you'll have to contact the website or check your settings. Perhaps you have something disabled that prevents the e-mails from coming through?

I should remove all the leaves also?

If I were you, i'd seek the advice of local rose growers/ local rose society on proper Spring removal of the type of protection your using.
I did find this article on Wisconsin:
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"SPRING CARE for ROSES: If you used a rose cone for winter protection, try to remove it on a warmer day when the temperature has begun to rise above 45 degrees. Be sure to put it back on again at night - and continue this process until night time temperatures stay above 45 to 50 degrees. Once it is warm enough to remove the cones for good, carefully wash away the soil around the base. Be certain that the danger of the last frost has passed."
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Full article: But, please still ask local sources for advice.

http://www.hawksnursery.com/archive/wintercare.asp

good info, thanks!

Yes, last seasons leaves can be removed as Karl states.
I also share Karls views in his above posting with our roses, but, alittle afraid to share that view with others. lol
I would never want anything to happen to someone elses roses, so, I'm cautious. lol

I appreciate it.

I was up here eating Easter dinner at my moms and then it hit me. lol. I'm very mixed up today!
Weather wise I was going by as if you had already pruned your roses. I feel like a dummy today. lol
Unpruned roses in Spring can take the lower Temps as Karl suggests in his post.
It's after you prune them that sudden freezes in the low 20's could possibly kill the new growth.
I'm going back to finish eating. Sorry!

I'm removing the leaves as I prune.
Don't worry about the new growth. It contains a lot of natural sugars that acts as an antifreeze to protect new leaves from below freezing temps.
Each year we seem to get a cold spell down to the mid to low 20s after I prune. I do nothing to my roses when this happens and they've all survived with little or no damage. Any leaves damaged very bad will be quickly replaced from dormant buds on either side of a leaf.
Mom Nature's back up plan!

So as long as I don't prune I'm fine?

when would I be able to plant new flower carpet roses?

Yesterday, today, or tomorrow.

hmmmm, are you sure/ we have some snow in the forecast for Thurs believe it or not.

Not sure where you are in Wisconsin or what roses you grow, but here in southwest Wisconsin all of my roses are showing new growth. I only winter protect with leaves. But I generally don't push the zones on roses. I mainly grow zone 3 or 4 and maybe a few zone 5 roses. I removed the leaves this past weekend right before we got 2 days of rain. You should see all the new growth since the rain. I have started my spring pruning and hope to have it done by this weekend.

I know it seems a little early for spring pruning here, but with all the new growth, I figured I might as well.

What if it snows the next few days?

They get snowed on. Lots of things get snowed on and don't suffer permanent damage. My car, me, my roses. I'm less sure about the cats, but I think that is mostly psychological damage. The black one in particularly seems to be freaked out at the prospect of turning white.

I'm guessing you're planting bare roots rather than growing potted roses or bands?
Bare roots should be dormant or just coming out of dormancy. Covered with a hill of soil as they should be when planted. they're protected from any late season snows or cold.
Growing potted roses can be covered with a bucket, rose cone or box to protect them from snow or below freezing temps.

So if tonight the temp is below 32 it won't matter if they freeze? I don't understand....

Roses are not like annuals...annuals will die and freeze when it gets below 32F. Two years ago it got down to -22F in January for 3 days in a row and my Carpet Roses did just fine....and they had no winter protection at all.

What if I just planted them last May?

They had all summer and fall to acclimate to your area. As fall progressed they hardened of and went dormant. This whole process has made them quite able to handle a little cold weather. Roses aren't sissies.
Relax and read a good book. Quit worrying about your roses.
I've planted 10 bare roots and transplanted another 15 bushes. Half my roses are pruned and have lots of tender new growth. Tomorrow night a freeze is forecast. What will I do, absolutely nothing except get myself in out of the cold.

Since I just purchased them last year how much should I cut off? Everyone says cut 2/3 off, but my flower carpet roses have 10 inch stems maybe.....If I cut 2/3 off there would be hardly anything left.

Also, do I take the dead leaves off of the stems or leave them and just clean underneath?

2/3 is for areas that get no winter dieback. The roses stay green all winter and need to be cut back to promote new growth. There are no hard fast rules that fit all growing zones. In areas like ours where most rose canes die back severely, removing dead and damaged canes will usually take care of your pruning. The cane or two that might escape any damage should be cut back to the same length as the others. This might mean cutting off new growth but it will soon grow back.
Mine are typically 2-4 inches long after I remove the winter kill. By late May/early June I have flowers.
The dead leaves will fall off as the new leaves grow. I take mine off as they come away easily.
Check out the link below for rose societies in your area or contact them for the best info on rose care in your growing zone.

Here is a link that might be useful: Wisconsin Rose Societies

Wow 2-4 inches? So how long do they take to grow back to 10 inches or so?

dinosaur1,

Just prune what you need to take off at the proper time for your growing zone and soon enough it will grow back and be blooming.
Like Karl said, contact your local Rose Society for any questions you have for your colder zone.
Have a great 2010 growing season ;-)

Wisconsin always reminds me of the frozen tundra of lambeau field in green bay. lol

I was told by Tesselaar to put a plant protector. Now the rose society is telling me I shouldn't do that. My roses could have disease and maybe even die now because of it. Great....:(

First off dinosaurwi they are only roses and they can be replaced. Chances are they will be just fine. So turn that frown upside-down.
Where did you read about the rose society saying about plant protectors?
Share the link with me/us. Thanks!

Here is what they tell me.

Good evening.

I would get the plant protector (styrofoam rose cone?) off immediately. Â If the cone is not vented the temperatures inside the cone can exceed the ambient air temperature by 40 to 50 degrees. Â This can damage the rose and cause any disease spores lurking in the soil to begin the process of infecting your roses.

Typically in our growing zone, the carpet roses need no winter protection if planted properly in your garden. Â You should only do pruning in the spring once you can see the new growth emerging from the bush. Â Depending upon the severity of the winter, this may be be at the base of the plant, or if we are fortunate, farther up the canes.

No fertilizer should be applied to the the soil until the leaves are developed. Â The plant can not make use of the nutrients until the leaves have reached maturity.

Hope this helps. Â Please let me know if you have any other questions.

If your roses are planted correctly, then there saying you need no protection for those types of roses.
Contact them again and get them to clarify for you what proper planting means for your carpet roses to survive your winters.
If there are any differences in the way you planted them, contact them again to see what you can do.
As long as the heat from your cones haven't already damaged them, they should be just fine.

They bloomed very nicely last year so I take it they were planted correctly. I guess time will tell if they are damaged now.

Mine grow back within a few weeks after the weather warms up. They're usually fine by mid May and setting buds right after that.
Tesselaar gave you generic advice for a cold zone. It doesn't take into consideration the variences between and within the zones
You worry too much! Clean up your beds, prune and enjoy your roses. That's what I'm doing.

dinosaur1,

Just remember we learn by our mistakes, roses can be replaced and it's not the end of the world.
Hopefully, they grow and bloom well for you this season!
Best of luck and let us know how you make out and post a pic of your blooms.
Now, go relax and enjoy!

I'll take pics when they hopefully bloom, thanks...

so far...here is how they look...
http://picasaweb.google.com/pewaukeedp/FlowerCarpetRoses#

I cut the brown parts off. A little bit of green is showing on the bottom so hopefully they will do well. I just planted them last Spring and they bloomed very nicely all summer....

dinosaur1,

I'm posting your pics so others do not have to use the link to open them.

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dinosaur1,

It's hard to see the canes because they mix in with the
background of your soil/mulch.
Some of those canes look dead to me, but, hard to tell from the the pics.
Do you know anyone in your area that grows roses, that could take a look at them and maybe share there expertise with you on pruning, etc. ?

How low should I cut the canes?

Let Nature guide you. In your area, cutting off the dead and damaged portions back to green wood should be enough. In my area, doing it that way leaves me just a few inches of cane on all but the hardiest bushes.

I cut mine down to 3 in inches. How quickly do they grow back. When should I start getting concerned I they don't?

You will just have to be patient now for alittle while.
Can not give you an exact time period.
If you go out and look everyday, it will seem like it's taking forever. So, I suggest focusing on something else for alittle while. LOL

patience....sure thing. I have alot of that...lol

dinosaur1,

Don't forget to let us know how you make out with your roses. Best of luck!