You should do nothing - again.

Our local Consulting Rosarians, in a very similar climate to what you are dealing with, say that on average, they lose about 20% of their HTs a year. It is the nature of the beast.

If you can't/won't deal with those losses, plant something hardier.

edited because I can't count

This post was edited by mad_gallica on Sun, Oct 5, 14 at 14:56

Concur with mad_gallica. Last winter was an anomaly, the worst in the 22 years I have been growing roses in NJ. Putting any kind of soil or material that will hold moisture against the canes will encourage canker, which is worst (to me).

Plant them with the graft union lower under ground, which helps with keeping viable canes. But, I don't recommend any covering, it is too wet here in the winter.

Pots/containers need to have the root areas protected, but not the canes.

Lots of people use winter protection of some kind. It may cause a greater chance of getting canker but it can help in protecting the roses. You have to decide which risk is greater for you, loss or canker.

One shovelful of dirt on the top doesn't seem like it would make much difference though. If the graft isn't already planted deep to begin with it won't be enough to matter. Most people will mulch at least 6 to 8 inches deep and sometimes as much as a foot deep. You can use leaves or wood mulches and, yes, dirt mounds but it would need to be deep enough to make a difference.

I have been using straw the last few years with much success. I get the older straw bales and separate the 'flakes' and create what looks like a teepee around each rose by resting the flakes angled up against the rose. I avoid the matting/wet problems and I get the wind and cold protection I need.

I do the Seil method. And there are lots of gorgeous roses that are hardy for your zone. In Chicago, I use mounded regular mulch, nuggets or shredded. I occasionally have canker in the spring. I always forget to bury the graft, and sometimes I pay the price, sometimes not. Depends on the winter and the health of the plant. Go to the themes post and you can see my results.

I piled as much snow as possible on the roses that I wanted to protect. It seems to help: both my Duchesse De Brabant and Lady Hillingdon made through the last polar vortex here in 6a/6b Northern Jersey. Neither is cold hardy here, and their growth this season has been wimpy. But survive they did. The "snow mountain" behind my deck did not complete melt away until May, and I had plenty of snow to replenish when the snow piles for my tender roses started to melt.

I had a few bands planted last September. They survived beautifully as they were buried under the snow blankets pretty much all winter.

I like snow, too. we walk the fine line of keeping them cold and not allowing them to freeze to death or rock to death in the drying winds, and to avoid the dreaded freeze/'thaw cycle. Always a gamble.

Snow is good, snow is very good. Wet heavy stuff isn't. Most winters, the ground doesn't freeze hard, or stay frozen for long here, that's why I don't recommend piling with soil. Your roses, your choice.