Not really a good answer to this one.

When we rooted a lot of roses, SOP was to keep them in the basement under lights for the winter. Some of the once bloomers didn't like this, and much preferred dormancy in the unheated, attached garage, but that meant careful watching so they didn't dry out. The basement is cool and damp, so was a good place for growing plants.

Any time I've tried to winter over young roses outside, in the ground with a lot of mulch has been disastrous. It is just too wet out there as a general rule, and small roses lose too much reserved energy is they lose top growth.

When I was a kid in western Pennsylvania, I was getting some HT cuttings through the winter without anything. Those had been rooted in the ground.

If she doesn't want to fuss much, planting them in the ground, then ignoring them isn't a bad plan. I just have yet to hear of a winter protection scheme that doesn't involve a building that works in a winter wet climate in a place without awesome drainage.

I have wintered them in the ground, in pots sunk in the ground, in a small greenhouse outside, in the shed (we don't have a garage), in the basement and just about any other way you can think of. Sometimes they work and some times they don't. It's pretty much a crap shoot. The one place that I think was the worst one was the basement. They kept trying to grow all winter and just didn't have enough light or humidity to be happy. Most all of them died. I think letting them go dormant is the best for them. They don't use up energy they can't replace.

If she has a garage that's easiest but do make sure they get watered about once a month all winter. Otherwise, sink the pots in the ground completely, plant and all, and make sure the spot is marked so you can see it all winter so it doesn't get stepped on and so you can find them in the spring when you dig them out. When I did this I put tall stakes in each pot with a red ribbon tied on the top so they were very easy to see. Having the stake in the pot made finding that pot much easier when I wanted to dig them out. Otherwise you could break one off trying to find it.

She does have a garage Seil. Should the windows be covered to stop light from coming in?

No. If she wants, she can put the pots in a cardboard box. That will keep them dark, and provide a bit of insulation.

We put small pots in an unused refrigerator in the garage.

This will be my first time at overwintering roots rose canes. My plan is to put the small pots they're in into a much larger pot so that most of the cane is covered by soil. Then I'm going to cover with blankets. I'm also going to water once/month after December. Make sure you water them really, really well before they go into the garage.
Carol

Ok thanks mad_gallica, Seil, & Carol for the info!

I'll let you know if they make it through the winter.

I have a Mister Lincoln in a container I have to try and overwinter... We have no garage so not sure of my plan of attack yet...