I have not grown The Squire, but I have good luck with all the Austins, planted with the bud union 6" deep. They all survive the winter, some having to be pruned down close to ground level in the spring, but bouncing back and growing to at least 4' by June.

The hardiest DAs I have grown are Crocus Rose and Brother Cadfael. Crocus Rose is nearly as hardy as an OGR, only needing to prune a few inches of winterkill from the tips in the spring. Brother Cadfael is not nearly as cane hardy but a very strong rose with large flowers. Both are fragrant.

Jude the Obscure and Evelyn are two of the most fragrant Austins and about average in hardiness. You shouldn't have a problem growing them if you bury the bud union deep. There are many other v. fragrant DAs you could try.

Well, my zone 5 winter is nothing like yours, but Austins do fine here. I grow Graham Thomas and he's cane hardy if we don't have a late spring freeze. I know Jude grows well here too; a reputable dealer in town sells it bare root.

That would be an option if you're worried about hardiness; get an own root plant so that even if it dies to the ground you'll know what's coming up in the spring.

Best,
Lara

I grew The Squire in Zone 4 and was very happy with him--own root. In fact I liked the color better there than I do now I have him in Zone 9, but he's a bigger bush here of course. I also recommend Evelyn who seemed really happy there in Zone 4, and who is a wonderful wonderful rose all round.

Ermin, what can you tell me about The Squire as a rose? I'm considering getting him in the spring. Is he similar to any other roses in size/fragrance/foilage.

Most of the roses I grow are own root. Still, several own root Austins have died over the winter. I have Evelyn and it is a great rose. I don't know why the Austin catalog downplays hardiness ("ideally suited to warmer climates"). Evelyn survives while other own root Austins have died (The Prince, Eglantyne, Golden Celebration, A Shropshire Lad, Molineux, Graham Thomas). Sharifa Asma, Tradescant and Jude are also survivors.

predfern, that is why I am a little leery of going own root, unless the rose is particularly hardy such as an OGR or one of the hardier Austins. Sometimes they really do need the more vigorous rootstock to put on enough growth in our short growing seasons and recover from winterkill each year.

I have never killed an english rose, own root or otherwise - zone 5 NW IL. I have the following:
Graham thomas, heritage - grafted, dr. huey.
Own root: Portmeiron, pat austin, mary rose, the generous gardener, fisherman's friend
I get dieback on the tips but never total dieback. Hardiest is the generous gardener which I never covered in winter. The others I put leaf mulch on about 6" worth. Just trim off the brown in the spring and they are so vigorous they always have come back for me and bloom.
And last winter was 22 below F. I can't believe they all made it.
The only austin I am disappointed in own root is Pat Austin. It is taking forever to build up a decent size. I think that one needs to be grafted.

William Shakespeare 2000 also died on me. Thanks for all the great suggestions. Let's see...
The Squire
Brother Cadfael
Crocus Rose
Portmeiron
mary rose (Winchester Cathedral?)
the generous gardener
fisherman's friend

Speaking of Mary Rose, its sports Winchester Cathedral and Redoute are all 3 of the hardiest DAs as well.

I grow 20 different Austin roses in Zone 4b. My hardiest are Mary Rose (and its sports Redoute and Winchester Catherdral) and Sharifa Asma. They require minimum cutting back in the spring. Unfortunately, in my no-spray garden, Mary Rose and family lose all of their leaves by late summer. Come autumn, they become quite bushy again. I have never lost an Austin rose due to winter. In the fall, I mulch the base of each plant.

For me, plants that are cut back by winter to their base but grow back quickly and have minimal black sport are:
Graham Thomas
Benjamin Britten
Charlotte
St. Cecilia
Heritage

Sincerely,
Malcolm