Question
QUESTION: I'am not a rose gardener but fell in love with a gorgeous rose tree topiary. I
bought it at a Home Depot & there was no information other than "Double
Delight". How should I maintain it's form? Is there any danger of it getting too
top heavy & breaking? Does it need special protection during the winter? Is
there anything in particular I should know regarding the care of it (being a
topiary) and its type (Double Delight). Obviously, I need a lot of help!

ANSWER: A tree rose is just a bush rose on a stick! You would prune your bush rose back in the spring so you will have to prune the head of the rose tree back so it won't break. In regards to pruning, I don't know where you are but it depends what type of winter you get. The first thing to check with your rose is the stick that it is tied to. That must be firm because the rose will definitely break if it isn't. Because it is in a pot, water it well by soaking the soil and that will be good for about 5 days. If the weather gets really hot you may have to water every other day so the soil doesn't completely dry out. Give it a handful of any rose fertilizer sprinkled all around the base. Do this now and then again in August. After that it needs to harden off for the winter. If you get a very cold winter, when the leaves have all fallen off then place it in the garage as it doesn't need light when there are no leaves. Bring it out when the weather has warmed up so that there will be no more hard frosts. However in say zone 7 like the PNW, simply place the pot against the house or in a place where nasty weather won't bash it. In the spring cut all the main canes back to 8 inches. Then when it grows again it will be a nice size and not to heavy. Hope this helps.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for the good advice. The rose, however, is not in a pot. I live in zone
5, southern Maine, & our winters vary a lot. I planted it facing west, very near
the house, should I do something to protect it during the winter? If so, what
would I do since it's a little tree?

Answer
Zone 5 is what is called the boarder line for roses in regards to winter protection. As you say sometimes the winters are okay other times nasty. What nurseries are using now is bubblewrap, the stuff they use in the greenhouses to protect against hot sun or cold weather. I am sure you have seen the little bubble wrap material on store china etc What you want is the large bubble wrap the nurseries use. You should be able to get it at your local nursery or any farm and feed store. Get a piece that will go from the ground to past the top of the rose head. Tie it firmly at the base then farther up and finally gather it above the head and tie tight so no water can get in. You will just have to do what I do when it snows, grab a broom and whack the snow off the rose head. You prune roses back to where they will grow back  to where you want them. Most roses such as Double Delight will grow laterals about14 inches. If you don't want that amount of growth then you cut back to 7 inches. Laterals are the canes that grow out from the main ones. Just look at the shape (might even be a wise idea to draw the shape) and then decide which direction you want the rose to grow or not to grow. Cut back harder on the wrong direction and 50% on the right direction. Double Delight can be very vigorous so you may even have to cut it back in the August to save the shape you want it to be. Late summer pruning will stay roughly where you cut it. Don't prune past the middle of August as you don't want to encourage any more growth or the winter will kill it. Also no more fertilizer after the end of July for the same reason plus this rose doesn't need any more vigour, it certainly has enough.