That is such a shame, so sorry for your loss there Dave.
Quite a few factors have to be taken into consideration when rating a rose for cold hardiness and also disease resistance, is it on its own roots, or grafted? How old is the plant? Did you have extremely cold temps with snow or without snow? Was it exposed to alot of rain and/or wind?
How deep was it planted? Did you prune it last year or the year before? And these are just a few ??'s that you have to ask yourself, and not just you Dave but everyone that grows roses.

Now for disease resistance.....
What zone do you live in? What state do you live in? What is your weather like in the summer...do you get high humidity or low? Do you get alot of rain....and would that be in the morning or at night? How old is the plant? Is it planted near a wall or fence? Does it have good air circulation around it? Are you feeding it regularly and watering it this much but not too much? What kind of soil do you have....have you had it tested? Is it on its own roots or grafted?

Now I am sure there are more questions that anyone can add to these that I've posted. But the bottom line is that these questions should be taken into consideration by rose producers and hybridizers before they put them out on the market and in magazines with fancy pictures and "false promise" advertising.

Or you could grow your own.....

Thanks ramblinrosez,

My "Senior Prom" is not actually lost. It just dies back so far that top growth is basically starting over each year. The roses in my small garden are pruned, sprayed for disease and insects and fed. They seem to like my heavy clay soil. I prefer hardier roses because they get a jump on the growing season, increase in size and produce more blooms.
Speaking of the misleading ad copy, finding actual garden results is what I come to forums like this for :-)