The best thing would be to get the beds ready now. You can plant in fall, but for your zone i would wait until spring. The best place to start would be a couple of good vendors. You can order anytime and specify a delivery date for next spring, whatever date you would like, usually folks order nov dec jan, but the earlier the bigger selection. roguevalleyroses.com and vintagegardens.com are excellent websites with rose descriptions etc. rogue has zones. if you find a rose with no picture, and more info you can go to helpmefind to get more info.

Here is a link that might be useful: helpmefind

When you order online, you will have to choose between bare root roses and roses already growing in a pot. The first are much cheaper and should be planted earlier in the spring (late March here in Zone 6--probably April for you). Newbies are often intimidated by the idea of bare roots, but they will grow fine--you might want to read up a bit on bareroots. If you go with potted roses, it will be more expensive and they should be planted after the last frost date (late april for my Zone 6--mid-May for you maybe). If you can afford them, order from Roses Unlimited--they send wonderful plants.

Roses also come own-root and grafted. I wouldn't worry too much about the difference--they will both grow fine, but since you are in a colder region, you might prefer grafted since they grow somewhat faster. Grafted roses in your zone should be planted with the graft (the knoblike spot between the roots below and the rose canes above) 4 inches deep--to protect it from freezing.

As you read rose descriptions, keep an eye out for roses described as "disease-resistant" or "very healthy" or something like that. They will require less need to treat them for disease.

You also have to consider "hardiness"--whether they can survive a Zone 5 winter. Most rose descriptions will have some kind of zone hardiness indicated.

If you want climbers, you will need something for them to climb on. Start researching some possibilities now so you are ready by spring planting time.

Other than that, just pick your roses by color, shape, smell, etc. Browsing online nurseries, supplemented by helpmefind.com, should give you lots of choices.

If you use the search function at the top of the page, you can probably find previous discussions of some of these issues.

Soooo--welcome to the world of roses. And have fun learning more about roses.

Kate

There should be a local rose society that can provide you with a list of roses they like for your area. Go to www.ars.org and look for links to local societies. No one rose does well everywhere, and a beginner really should stick with ones known to do well locally. Be sure to ask about garden ratings, as opposed to exhibition ratings; I've noticed that our own society's recommended list tends to include roses that exhibit well in our climate but need way more tending than a beginner wants to do.

I don't know where you are in Ohio, but there are several very active Rose Societies, and you can find them on the ARS site. They have a list of the Consulting Rosarians in your area, and they will give you very good advice. If you are in Columbus, you can go see their great rose garden to get ideas!

Here is the Roses Unlimited website:
http://www.rosesunlimitedownroot.com/

Buck roses and Knockout roses are your best bet, especially if you want disease resistant, hardy varieties. Unfortunately, most Buck roses are not very fragrant and the ones that are - like Siver Shadows - are not very hardy.

Some David Austin English roses have survived in my zone 5 garden, including Evelyn, Abraham Darby, Sharifa Asma, Tradescant, Jude the Obscure and Graham Thomas. Many others have died. All of the above are nicely fragrant except Graham Thomas.

Frederic Mistral is a Romantica with a nice fragrance that has survived, more or less, in my garden. Other Romanticas are not as hardy although Bolero will do just fine if you mound some topsoil on it around Christmas time. It has nice fragrant white blooms.

Rugosas are very hardy (unless you get stem girders) but they are very nonstandard and their blooms get past their freshness date very quickly.

Some Old Garden Roses (OGRs) do repeat bloom but not as much as modern varieties. The three to consider are Jacques Cartier, Rose de Rescht and Reine des Violettes. The latter is available as a potted rose at Home Depot in early spring as part of the "Scentsational" selection.

Canadian Explorers are scentless wonders with poor bloom form. For example, Ramblin' Red (from Knockout guy Bill Radler) has better bloom form than Canadian Explorer parent Henry Kelsey.

The best fertilizer for the casual rose grower is 12-12-12 or 10-10-10, available at reasonable cost ($10 for a 40 lb. sack) at Home Depot, Lowes, and Walmart. Apply once a month.

If rabbits are a problem, make 5 foot circumference cylinders out of hardware cloth or chicken wire and stake them around the roses for protection. Rabbits killed several of my roses before I started doing this.

Here is a link that might be useful: Roses Unlimited

What a very lucky wife you have. :)

You have come to the right place here. I am sure you are going to have, and have already received lots of good advice. Stay with us!........and the best of luck.

Pauline - Vancouver Island

Rosefire in NW Ohio sells varieties that do well in Oh.
Their plants are in pots, and they ship in the fall.

Here is a link that might be useful: rosefire

Try Tamora, Abraham Darby, Belinda's Dream, Our Lady of Gualalupe, Lovely Fairy, Royal Bonica, The McCartney Rose, Memorial Day. Your wife is a lucky woman.

I'm reading all responses. Absorbing every bit of information I can. Keep them coming please.

Rabbits eat roses? The hungry little buggars got all of my late green beans.

Rabbits eat roses, especially in spring when new growth is full of sugars, sweet, and tender.

While growing roses won't grow hair, it can create a situation where you may have to change your handle to just baldguy.
I know it keeps me thin. Before I started growing roses I weighed in at 200 lbs plus. I've been 160 to 170 since and have no trouble maintaining my weight. You get busy with the roses and don't think about food so much. That, plus the exercise!

This spring I planted my foundation bed with the Buck rose Carefree Beauty. I know it's hardy in my zone 4 because there is a several years old hedge of Carefree Beauty growing neglected in front of a gas station in my neighborhood. This rose has no disease problems at all in this area. I always choose own root roses due to our harsh winters. I usually buy container grown roses from a local nursery that specializes in roses. My Carefree Beauties are not in full spectacular bloom today, but here is a picture anyway. Hopefully the color is right (pink). My computer is acting up today. By the way, I'm not an expert.

{{gwi:319274}}

Just my twocents' worth. I too have roses under the eaves - but - they face east and get about 5-6 hours of morning sun daily. They bloom like crazy. But then I live in Central Florida so don't nif that makes a difference.
The only thing is that I have to check how much water they get since they don't always get all they could - because of the eaves and the sprinklers are set fot twice per week which is not always enough for roses.

I think you should change your handle to "sweetbaldguy".

Otherwise, I'm no help, being in Zone 9 Florida. When you browse the photos on HMF, hold onto your hat! You'll see some beauties that will take your breath away. Let DW look over your shoulder. She'll fall in love over and over - with you, too!

Sherry