joclyn, I do not do anything to the yellow one. But the other two were new last year so I piled the pine needles pretty high to try to get them to survive. I prefer tea roses and I know they do not usual survive our winters.
i always pack the root area with at least 6 inches of crushed leaves for the winter and have never had a problem with any of my plants - even the couple things that are iffy for this zone.
i like the tea roses too...and there are some that are hardy in our zone.
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