Graham Thomas and 'Pierre de St.-Cyr' stand out as likely havens for black spot (the latter only because of its class, not because I've grown it personally) - and Graham Thomas isn't always hardy in the north, so you'll probably want to give it winter protection to get it through your winters.

Other than that, I'd say you have a good start!

Gloire de Guilan has hardiness problems here. It also blackspots. Ispahan is the good damask. I agree with Stephan about Graham Thomas.

Begging to differ about my zone 5 Graham Thomas... I do winter protect, but I've never seen a trace of black spot. Very lovely profuse blooms and a good repeater. Even though he had leafed out before the devastating spring freeze, he bounced right back--all my Austins did--and is giving a great show.

Thank you! Do you have any suggestions for a yellow to replace Graham Thomas?

St. Cyr is interesting to me because both my son and neighbors derive their name from 'Cyr'

I'll try Ispahan as well.

What about Cardinal de Richelieu?

It wouldn't replace Graham Thomas in a design, but easily the best yellow roses I grow are the early blooming species and near species.

Rosa hugonis is a favorite. It covers itself with perfect yellow cups, nearly a month before the main rose season. It forms a well shaped shrub, requiring almost no pruning. The foliage is small and pretty.

Our Rosa primula is younger, so I have less of a feel for it. It seems to be as good a shrub as hugonis. The foliage is supposed to have an incense scent when touched, though ours is modest. The flowers are larger and paler than those of hugonis, though perhaps not as nicely formed. Anyway they open full sooner than those of hugonis. Rosa primula blooms even earlier than hugonis, May 1 being the all-time Channery Row record.

Here is a link that might be useful: Some pictures of pimpinellifoliae in our garden

Many yellows are going to be either tender or sensitive to black spot, or both. I hesitate to recommend any because I haven't personally found any mid-yellow roses with OGR form that were satisfactory yet, but you might try Molineux based on what I've read from others. It'll still need winter protection but disease resistance is improved (GT does well for some people in some gardens, and perhaps it's an issue of good clones/bad clones). Otherwise I would wholeheartedly second the recommendation of the yellow species and their near hybrids, which are first-rate garden citizens.

I haven't grown 'Gloire de Guilan' myself other than a few young seedlings, I only know that it was able to bloom its head off at a nursery not far from where I grew up in Minnesota - but it was a very short shrub, so it might have suffered winter injury.

Bourbons usually survive in spite of their disease issues, so don't feel as though you can't plant one. Just be prepared to hide it with something :)

CdR has a lot of China in it, but I'm assuming it will be fine in zone 5. Some of the hybrid Chinas take a few years to mature before they stop dying back a lot, so be patient if that happens. I didn't find it terribly fragrant when I sampled it - sort of peppery, but not much sweetness. It could just be my nose.

St. Cyr is VERY BS prone based on my experience, more hten Madam Isaac Perrier. Otherwise is very similar to MIP, just a little difference in color.

Olga