Climate isn't an issue as long as you stay away from Tea and Noisette roses. Nearly all our OGRs are grafted, but you might try Roses Unlimited in SC and Vintage Gardens in California. Not sure what benefit you hope to gain with own root--since I've heard Teas are pretty useless if they die back to the ground.

RU and Vintage are good choices. Another good nursery is Antique Rose Emporium, in Brenham Texas. They list the hardiness zone for each rose.

CornHill Nursery in New Brunswick will have a larger selection of own root cold hardy roses than some other potential sources.

Coastal CT is prime country for Rosa multiflora so if you are open to trying grafted roses, both Pickering and Palatine (also both in Canada) sell hardy roses on rootstock appropriate to your area.

Here is a link that might be useful: Corn Hill

I have two own-root hybrid teas from Roses Unlimited (Fragrant Cloud & Paul Shirville). Both died down to the roots a few winters ago when we had that freaky, really mild Dec. & Jan. followed by a sudden brutal cold snap in early Feb.

I lost all top growth and it wasn't until the next July that I saw any new growth at all. Both are back, although since they grow in a pretty shaded area I would describe both as "still recovering".

Pickering Nurseries is my favorite choice. Northern-grown and grafted on multiflora. Good quality stock.

I second what Zack and the others have said. If you stay away from teas and nosiettes and tell the nursery where your garden is, they will be able to supply you with hardy roses. You can also double check on helpmefind which lists the hardiness for most roses.

There is a debate about the merits of grafted v. own root regarding various characteristics, but own root roses are per se not hardier than grafted ones, perhaps even more tender when they're still small, so it may be a good idea to first plant them in a pot for the first year or so and move them to a sheltered spot (garage) in the winter before you plant them in the garden. But once mature, they're more likely to rebound from winterkill than grafted roses.

Pickering is usually very good for grafted roses, OGRs and others. So is David Austin Roses. For ownroot, the nurseries mentioned by the others above are all very good. Another good source is Rogue Valley Roses. They also carry Paul Barden's creations, new roses in the old style, among them his gallicas (hardy!), check them out!

Andrea

Here is a link that might be useful: Rogue Valley Roses

I don't think you asked for a debate about own-root vs grafted. You said you were interested in "own-root" roses, so I'll limit my comments to that. These four have given me great service and quality plants.

Own-root suppliers I have had good luck with:
East Coast - Roses Unlimited
West Coast - Vintage & Rogue Valley Roses
Texas - The Antique Rose Emporium

Randy

The question was who has own-roots suitable for coastal Connecticut. The problem is that in New England, going own-root on a dieback rose costs you about a zone or two in functional hardiness. So 'suitable own-root' roses become the hardy types which are actually quite hard to find own-root. Corn Hill has a good selection, but costs a small fortune to get border clearances. The southern own-root nurseries actually tend to have extremely poor selections when it comes to hardy roses, and dealing with the western nurseries can become a logistical nightmare.

So we just buy from Pickering.

I'm in a colder climate than you are and I have had very good luck so far with two Fantin Latours I purchased from Heirloom Roses in Oregon. They were small when they arrived, but I put them right in the ground and they did great. I ended up having to move them twice (deer found them, then windows had to be replaced) but they did fine each time. The roots are getting very long, which is a good sign too. I may have to move them again this spring, but they seem very hardy. I don't want to get grafted, since the chances of die-back are greater here. What kind of OGR are you thinking of trying?

Some excellent suggestions have been made already. You might also check into High Country Roses, own root roses selected (for the most part) for severe climates.

Rosefolly

Thanks to all of you. I'm a member of a group volunteering in a small open to the public garden. We have a OGR garden bed about 30'by 10' which originally contained 16 roses. These were badly neglected for five years so that five have died. Left are La Ville de Bruxelles and Marchesa Bocella both in bad shape and totally shaded out by a twelve foot tall Maidens Blush. Fantin Latour - a mess flanks them. To the east of these are Rosa Mundi, Rosa Communis, Louise Odier, Marie Louise, and in front of these Felicete Parmentier. These five are total thickets. This fall we dug out several others and many suckers just to find the above. All these roses are grafted and I believe on Dr. Huey judging by blooming suckers. Most are up to thirty years old. We have cut this bed to six feet wide, left a five foot grass path and dug a new bed six by thirty fronting the old one. After much agonizing we have decided to buy six new plants for this new bed instead of attempting to transplant the old ones. I'm in favor of own root because we would be able to sell suckers we can identify and because these plants have survived here on the more southern rootstock for many years. I would love to hear further comments from you.
Marianne

Uh, no. Unless you stick with well behaved roses (I have no idea which ones these might be), own-roots will just give you a bigger mess sooner. Also, selling own-root suckers is very much a matter of finding the right purchaser. Otherwise, they are almost impossible to get rid of, except for certain specific exceptions. Right now, the only once bloomers I even try to donate for sale are obvious foliage plants like R. glauca, and herb garden plants like the Apothecary Rose.

To keep them separate, which is what has to be done to know what they are, requires a fair amount of distance between the roses. It sounds like that was the original mistake that was made in planning the bed, and one that is going to be repeated. There may be room for four roses in the new bed, keeping them far enough apart that they don't run into each other.

The Dr. Huey really isn't part of this conversation. Those suckers should be readily identifiable pretty much any time of year.

Sorry, I missed the own-root part. Pickering offers mostly grafted, if not all, I think.

But I agree with Madgallica re: advantages of growing grafted vs. own-root.

Bury the graft union deep and you shouldn't have a problem with rootstock suckering.

I've grown several OGRs own-root, and let me tell you, it's not a picnic trying to dig up suckers and keep the rose contained. It is especially not a picnic trying to dig up suckers to pot up to sell at a plant sale or give away. It's not just a matter of grubbing them out and sticking them in a pot. I have found the best way is to sever the suckers from the mother plant underground and leave it be several months before transplanting so they start to grow sufficient roots of their own. Otherwise they wilt terribly and need to be coddled along if they survive at all.

If you really want to sell suckers, why not divide and transplant some of the roses you already have, just as an experiment? Personally, I wouldn't sell them unless I knew they would survive both the hot days of summer and at least one winter.

Marianne, have you considered growing this?

Here is a link that might be useful: Marianne

trospero, that makes me smile. However I am only one member of a team of hardworking voluntees, so a rose with another name may smell as sweet. We also prefer plants that were grown before 1850. But thank you.

You're all forgetting Northland.

The best hardy own roots I've seen yet.

I have several specimens from her, ordered 2 years ago as bands. All are healthy productive bushes surviving winters down to -20º and quickly replacing any lost growth in spring.

Rob

I have had great luck w/own roots, getting the bands and potting them up, lots of water and attention, then first winter in a 3' deep ditch covered with leaves and snow, second year into the garden. Last year I tried compressing that, put some 09 bands into the new garden in July - all had arrived in April, been repotted, and had grown from 50% to double by July. We'll see.
Re suckers from grafted rootstocks - I don't know what I had - but a grafted Roseraie de l'Haye was swamped by long arching canes of something nearly thornless, with lovely apple blossom type single blooms that were really fragrant. It was a border bed that I had decided to ignore in favor of putting energy and money elsewhere, and so last year it was a Brer Rabbit jungle. But whatever it was,it was really ungainly, clumsy long canes and the young man helping me with landscaping pulled out thewhole mess. You could barely see the Roseraie, in the center of the thicket.
I don't find the suckering from own roots a problem - if I want a new plant, I do what Veilchen described. If I don't, i just cut it out.
Come on guys, it only has value if we want it to - otherwise, hello compost pile.

Marianne- Northland Rosarium is a good idea. They have some beautiful old garden roses and Carol seems very nice. I plan to go visit the garden this summer, since it's about an hour from my house. She's in zone 5, I believe, so if it grows well for her, it should grow well for you :)

What a great idea to restore an old rose garden. You and the other volunteers deserve a thumbs up! Do any of the nurseries offer discounts for this type of thing?

Also, Rogue Valley Roses has some nice old garden roses, too. They're in Oregon and seem very nice on the phone. I just had to change an order and they were very accomodating.

ACKKK! I meant to provide a link...

Here is a link that might be useful: Northland Rosarium

I order mostly from Chamblee's and High Country Roses. The Antique Rose Emporium is also a good source.

I would go with grafted as well,

Pickering is the best as well.

I have lost too many own roots at my own ignorance, you can grow own root cane hardy roses, if you are going to try to grown anything with major winter die back, you are going to be in a severe trouble in a couple of years.

Silverkelt