Gardengal101, I think those roses are going to be hardy
enough for you. I've read posts from lots of people in
your zone that grow those yellow Austin's and have success
with them there. I hope people in your zone will add their
input for you, but I say, go for it!!!

I grow a number of Austins successfully here in zone 4 of Michigan (northern tip of the lower peninsula.) I do not winter protect but rely on deep planting, some mulch and (mostly) reliable snow cover. That said, I often prune close to the soil in spring but they keep comin' back:

Abraham Darby
Gertrude Jekyll
Glamis Castle
Graham Thomas
Heritage
Lilian Austin
Mary Rose
Mrs. Doreen Pike
Tamora

Graham Thomas is a favorite, but to be perfectly honest I have lost him to winter a couple times over the years - I'm currently on my third plant of GT. Still, I think that he is well worth replanting! (I suppose if I would make the effort to winter protect, he would face better odds.) I presume other yellow Austins such as you mentioned would be comparable to GT in survival rates unprotected. I have a co-worker who overwintered Golden Celebration last year with no big problem, but we really had more of a zone 5 winter so that's no true test, I'm afraid.

The rest of the Austins I grow are very hardy in so far as they have no trouble coming back from their severe spring pruning. Mary Rose always wins hands down for most live cane.

I agree completely with what AnneCecilia says regarding the Austins. I also give mine the same type of winter protection as she does which is quite minimal. I haven't lost any yet but a few have been slow to regrow each spring and haven't amounted to much. Molineux was one that didn't come back very well and I finally got rid of him.

The varities I grow:
Abraham Darby
Charlotte*
Chianti*
Christopher Marlowe**
Crocus Rose**
Eglantyne*
Graham Thomas
Heritage**
Jude The Obscure
Leander
Noble Antony*
Pat Austin (quite tender, but survived her first winter mounded w/ wood chips...)
Pretty Jessica
Redoute (sport of Mary Rose)**
Scepter'd Isle
Sharifa Asma**
Tamora
The Dark Lady
The Mayflower***
The Prince
Tradescant
Wildeve

The varieties above with a * by them have come through winter the best and have been vigorous enough to bounce back after being killed down quite low. Jude the Obscure and Graham Thomas are the only two right now that aren't doing so well. Both are own root and maybe grafted plants would spring back and grow more quickly.. Personally, I like the Austins enough to take chances on hardiness and so far I've been very happy with the results.

Gardengal, the page you linked to at the Austin site is a reasonably reliable guide to the most cold-hardy Austins. Crocus Rose and Mayflower are two of the hardiest Austins. Mrs. Doreen Pike is in a class by herself, as might be expected from her rugosa parentage.

Well he is not yellow, but William Shakespeare is certainly worth growing in MN zone 4a. He had only the slightest tip damage this past winter.

Regards,

Charles

I will second that G. Thomas is not the hardiest, but I have had two Charlottes for 5 years now.

Thank you everyone for being such great enablers, I can't wait to get to work on my new planting bed and order up some David Austin roses!! If anyone has any pictures to share of these roses in their garden, I would LOVE to see them!!

Be careful though,

The only one I know of that is truly hardy here is Applejack. It is a large rose worth looking into...If you dont mulch them in the winter you have a fair chance of losing them. Just remember to mulch mulch mulch.

here's a link to My Photobucket Account
There are quite a few pictures of Austins in there. If it would help to see some in person you are welcome to visit my garden - just send me an email through my member page.

I'm in zone 3a. I plant deeply, mulch and provide snow cover. These are the Austins that I have found to be LESS hardy:

1. Molineux
2. The Dark Lady
3. Abe Darby

These are the ones that have done the BEST

1. Brother Cadfael - wow - came through really well!
2. Gertrude Jekyll
3. Golden Celebrations - great rose
4. L.D. Braithwraite
5. Mary Rose

There are lots that I still haven't tried and lots that are new to me this year.

So if you try some from my bottom list, you may not have to winter protect them.

Hope this helps.

Carol

I had problems with Austin roses back in zone 4/5 (Wisconsin). A couple, like Heritage and Mary Rose, were cane hardy but I found I had to winter protect others like a HT to get them thru an average Green Bay, WI winter. I found Graham Thomas to be very tender. Most of the Austins have a lot of cane winter kill but will bounce back once the soil warms in the spring. However, because they die back practically down to the ground over the winter they didn't get much larger than a HT by the end of the season...

I have nurtured the pillar rose Abraham Darby for 10 years by tipping it and covering with leaves/mulch/soil each winter. The incredibly beautiful blooms with intoxicating fragrance are worth the effort. Without winter protection I lost 2 out of the original 3 that I started with in 1998. Next year I'll give Golden Celebration a try , too. ( I hope that won't require tipping , however).

We live in Eden Prairie, MN, zone 4. So far only Gertrude Jekyll have survived. A very tough lady!