By Clementine
British Columbia,
Canada 
Rose - Flower Carpet - Amber - Height about 30"
Planted this spring.
I live in British Columbia, Canada and our snowfall can be up to 17' of actual fall for the winter. It settles to just above top of leg height. This is the norm. Since we can get one foot overnight I am wondering if this rose should be pruned back before snowfall. Our temperature drops each winter for about a week, to -20, the norm being about -20C. We can also have -20 before snowfall on the odd year.
I shall mulch it, after a ground-freezing frost with one foot of garden soil.
An answer on pruning back this rose would be much appreciated as I have not grown such a low rose before. Mostly I have David Austin roses.
Thank you. Clementine
9 Nov, 2010
Hi Clemantine
I wouldn't prune it until the spring. There is a lot of energy stored in the canes that the rose will use over the winter. Don't worry about the canes getting broken. I've found with the ground cover roses that they mostly just bend under the snow. If any do break you can prune them off in the spring. You may even find that the canes will have very little winter die back if you have that much snow cover.
You sound like you're in zone 5ish same as me. I'm in Kamloops...where are you?
10 Nov, 2010