hans. My experience with the Brownell sub zero roses, is they tend to have thin canes and want to sprawl. At least those I had were like that. Unless you get own root bushes, you should plant the bud union (graft) 4-6 inches below the soil surface in your zone. Regardless, if the rose is hardy or not, the grafts are subject to freezing and separation during cold freezes in winter if the bond is less than good.
That said, unless a roses was stated to be very tender, I successfully grow several hybrid tea varieties in my zone 5a by planting as above. My only winter protection is oak leaves blown into the beds by my garden tractor.

Usually I would not attempt to give advice to anyone who lives so far outside of my climate zone, but since you are in zone 5 I do have some: Run, do not walk to the bookstore and get Peter Schneider's book "Right Rose, Right Place". He gardens in zone 5, and is one of the most knowledgeable rose gardeners in the country. He has advice on old roses, as well as modern hybrid teas that he has had success with in your climate zone. Also it is a gorgeous book.

Jackie

Oh Jackie -- that is a TERRIFIC piece of advice!

Jeri

All I can say is I have a Maria Stern, and just make sure that you purchase at a reputable place such as Pickering Nurseries if you go for the subzero roses. Many places, especially where I got mine, sell virused roses unfortunately. That being said, my Maria did beautifully last summer, but I have yet to see if she survived this winter, being virused, and how she does this spring. Also, just because they say that subzero roses are hardy to zone 3 or so, don't take it for granted, and do winter protect them like Karl says. But, here's a pic or two of her:

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Where are you in zone 5b? Keep in mind that most hybrid teas in the north never amount to much in size as they get a lot more winterkill than hardier roses. I have grown a few and can (usually) keep them alive through the winter, but they just don't seem to recover enough to make that much of an impact before the growing season is over again.

I am into David Austin English roses, for me they bounce back much more vigorously after winter and within a couple years always reach 3-4 feet tall and wide each June, many growing bigger than that and needing to be pruned to keep in size. Every HT I have grown remains very runty compared to the Austins. The Austins are very fragrant and have an old-fashioned flower form unlike a HT.

Kentstar, Pictures like yours of Maria Stern were the reason I purchased her but the few blooms I did get were yellow. grrrr..... Yep she was a body bag for $3 bucks at Home Depot so not much wasted and I put her in a pot so I could keep track of her. I soooo hope she gets some of the orangey color yours has. Judy

prettypetals, maybe yours was mislabeled? Yes, thankyou, she looks nice, BUT she is virused :(
So, part of me hopes that she survived the winter, but part of me doesn't. I guess I just haven't gotten over the shovel pruning fear yet! Besides that, I would have to move my achillea and campanula's that I just planted around her last autumn to hide her bare legs.

Yes I am assuming it was mislabeled!! Boo Hoo!!

Thank you to everyone who responded. I believe that a summary of your comments might be:

1. Consider other rose types other than the Brownell hybrid tea sub zero roses since they tend to be spindly and suffer from winter die back.
2. Perhaps consider Austin roses since they tend to be hardier and put on a good display during the summer months.
3. Buy Peter Schneider's book.

So, I have heard you and I will buy the book. I like the look of the Austin roses but could the site be too hot for these roses? I have read that Austin roses don't like a micro climate that is too hot and will wilt. Any thoughts or alternatives? I live in southern Ontario midway between Kingston and Belleville.

Thank you once again for taking the time to offer your advice.

Hans

I grow about 45 Austin roses (they do seem to love our zone 5) and the heat has never bothered them as long as they are kept well watered. There are a lot of different kinds of Austins in many different sizes (my smallest is Harlow Carr and my tallest, Heritage, goes all the way up to my roof line. So look at size when considering. Best of luck. We all want your rose selection to be highly successful because there's nothing we love better than enabling rose addition in another poor soul! Post any questions you have and the good folks on this forum will be delighted to help.