You'll find lots of fragrant hardy roses.The hybrid rugosas are extremely fragrant and bloom all season. They also reward you with colorful hips in the fall. Mine will produce them all summer long unless I keep them snapped off to encourage more blooms.
They survive with minimal dieback though the toughest winters. There are many other hardy and fragrant shrub roses. You just have to search them out.

When life throws lemons at you, make lemonade.
Your making the right decision. A Karl stated, with some searching I'm sure you will find fragrant cold hardier roses that will make you happy.

Thanks guys,

My husband just said that I could have about 10 tender roses in the garage, lots of hardy roses outside and then I could buy some more tenders (maybe 10) as annuals.

I know there are some hardy smelly roses, but I really don't like the shape of most hardy roses - they're usually shape-less blobs. But, yes, I can look, there are some nicer ones. It will be a challenge, but we can make it work.

Carol (a tiny bit more hopeful)

It is a PITA. But exactly how cold is it recently when you're lugging them back in? A bit of snow and a little bit below freezing isn't going to hurt them, unless they have really tender new growth (which is probably the case :(

I have a wheeled trolley I picked up a few years ago at a discount store. But I can only fit about 3 pots on it at a time, so it is still a lot of work even just lifting the pots on and off it.

You mean that if I go to the backyard when all the snow is over, the new potted roses (which did harden off before the snow) might be okay??? I just assumed they would be dead.

I have small two-wheeled doohicky (name escapes me), but the pots are too heavy for me to move. I also have osteoporosis, balance problem, etc. (I'm 47) and I just can't do that. It's very frustrating watching the snow come down, and watching my plants getting buried. LOL

Maybe I'm overreacting. I'll let you know in a few days what happened to the roses.

I still might just go with my first plan. It's so confusing.

Carol

Snow in and of itself, is a yawner. I've thrown basement babies out in snow because they were having problems with spider mites, and spider mites really do hate snow.

If you think of snow as cold water, which it is, then the question just becomes how cold is it. I don't even think of bringing roses in unless the forecast is for temperatures below -2°C.

I have a garden cart (wagon I purchased from Sam's Club a number of years ago that holds 12 roses potted in 3 gallon pots. That could be an easy alternative to building one and would possibly be no more expensive.
Regarding mad gallica's comments;
Once I put my potted roses outdoors each year, they stay out regardless of the weather. Wind, snow or cold they all survive.

Here is a link that might be useful: Garden cart/wagon at Northern Tool

{{gwi:270762}}

Karl, thanks for that link. The 400 lb capacity one looks like just what I need. I've added it to my "favorites" so that (hopefully) someone will buy it for me for Xmas!

Kate

Soiless seed starting mixture is much lighter than soil. Modern plastic pots are also very light. You need things as light as possible if you are lugging them to and from the garage. I am gradually finding nice fragrant roses that survive the winter in zone 5a. These include some Austins, Delbards and Generosas. Bolero (Romantica) also survives the winter without protection. OGRs like Rose de Rescht, Reine des Violettes and Louise Odier are also good. I have some rugosas but the blooms don't last very long and the canes flop all over the place. Pierette Pavement has nice big blooms.

predfern
My rugosas stand up like they're on Viagra. None I grow flop all over the place. Mine bloom in small clusters where one bud will open and about the time it falls apart another in the cluster will open, etc. until they've all opened. I then remove the spent cluster and it is replaced in a short time to begin again.

Here is a link to someone who grows hardy roses in zone 2b.

http://www.rosarianscorner.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?s=aacb64aac18e48c02a866ec149f828c2;act=ST;f=22;t=17194

Thanks everyone.

Still haven't gone to look and see if the roses survived; but I can see GREEN from the window - hopefully it's a growing type of green and not a frozen type of green. :)

I didn't know that snow and cold weather (not too cold) might not be that horrible. Thanks everyone!!

As to the potting soil - yes, I use potting soil, but I don't know what soiless seed starting mixture is. ???

Karl - my pots are pretty big - I don't know how many would fit on that cart - 2 or 3 maybe. So I'm not sure that would work. I'll check that idea out this summer though.

We're supposed to have sun tomorrow!!! Yippee!!

Carol

Yippee!! indeed, Carol. :) Hoping for the best for you so that you can grow the roses your heart desires. Great help here . . . .

Debbie

Like Karl said, I really try not to have to bring the pots back in once they are wheeled outside. They would probably prefer if I brought them in on some cold nights, but I do try to cross my fingers and hope for the best, and haven't lost any yet, or even had damage. Although this year, after about a month of nice weather outside, the temperatures turned quite cold, into the very low 20s F, and I did make the effort to load them up and wheel them back in. But if it's just a few degrees below freezing and/or snow, I don't bother.

I have the lightest weight pots I could find (as they need to be large), filled with potting soil, but even those with rose + soil is heavy, more so when wet.

I didnt point out that on my link above, the roses look like the kind you are looking for.

Pamelasy - I went to the link, and it was a rose forum website - so I just left it. Was I supposed to get a password and browse? Confused. If you think it's worthwhile, I'll go back. :)

Thanks Dove Song and Vielchen - It's nice to know that roses are tougher than I thought.

What surprised me is that even my little wee tomato plants are okay!!! New roses are fine. Gerberas and Sunflower plants are okay - I put pots over top of them. I'm REALLY surprised.

Out of 30 roses from last year in pots, only about 7 have growth on them. I know I did everything wrong, so I'm more hopeful for next year. Having said that, I am going to buy some hardy roses, once we get the planting area ready.

Cheers everyone! No sun yet, but maybe tomorrow!

Carol

Carol-----hopefully the sun will be out tomorrow---Sure would love to send you some of this 90 degree yuk we have here--It is too hot for me.

Have you ever checked the roses posted by Celestialrose---she lives in Vermont and has really gorgeous roses

Good luck in your quest.

Florence

I have difficulty imagining what Zone 3A would be like.

Can you grow Buck Roses? Earth Song is a favorite of our's here. It is vigorous, floriferous, exhibition form, and scented. It is not necessary for me to pile on winter cover.

Several of the Austins do not require winter cover, either.

Although there are many beautiful, but tender roses, I just don't have the time or inclination to fight our winters. Instead, I've decided to get more old-fashioned albas, gallicas and damasks and rely on big blooms for four to six weeks...and rugosas for color and fragrance all summer. I have some hybrid musks and a few polyanthas in more sheltered areas, for some later bloom and lots of perennials and shrubs.

I think it's great that you want to keep some of the more delicate roses, but relying on the hardier roses for your background will probably make gardening a lot easier...and more enjoyable. Your tender, but fragrant roses, will be outstanding accents in your beautiful garden :)

(While I don't get many tender roses, I do have star jasmine I buy every year...even though it means hauling it in to the shed every night for the first few weeks. If I ever get a greenhouse, I'll grow it all year round!)

Thanks Florence, Mark and Lavender lass - I haven't been able to keep any Bucks alive; however, in another zone 3 place we lived, I had kept many Austins alive. Although that was with a lot of work winter protecting them in the ground. The only roses I can grow that will live without winter protection are rugosas, rugosa hybrids, Explorers, and Mordens. I can't find any old roses here at the greenhouses, so I haven't tried them.

I don't think I want to start winter protecting them in the ground.

I think my mixture idea of having a few tenders and a lot of hardies is the way to go - just like Lavender lass said.

OTOH - I have two more tender potted roses that have new growth. So that brings it up from 7 out of 30 to 9 out of 30 that are alive. Not great - but maybe more will come up.

And if I have to replace some of my tender roses each year - well then I get to try a lot of different roses!

Sort of a sunny day - high of 12C (about 53F) with gusty winds.

Thanks for the ideas and for listening to me rant!

Carol

Thanks for the tip Karl. I will try trimming the spent Rugosa clusters. I don't usually get much repeat after the May-June flush.