In my 6b garden, Champlain is a thin rangy shrub that always has a few flowers. It isn't a big bloomer and the foliage is sparse.The lovely dark red color won't show up from the street. Mine is in partial shade with some root competition. Yours might do better. It is disease resistent in my no spray garden.
In my zone, knockouts would be a good choice. The color of your siding is important. Is it red brick, white wood? Or will be roses be backed by green shrubs?

At my old home I had a hedge of White Simplicity. They stayed disease free all season and repeated continuously.
The Simplicity line is known for being self cleaning so don't require deadheading although I did anyway to keep the bushes more even.
While you don't necessarily need hardy, they were hardy in my zone 5a. I still have them as all were transplanted to my new home 9 years ago. Now they're planted as single bushes and now as then, they bloom continuously but I let them get taller. They were planted 18 inches apart.
I had white siding with a half red brick front. Top two pictures were taken in late summer, single bloom in mid fall.
{{gwi:237801}}
Spray
{{gwi:309090}}
Single bloom.
{{gwi:350158}}
Another I have now, planted at the end of my driveway is Blushing Pink Knock Out. It too remains disease free and blooms continuously all season. It gets larger around and taller than the White Simplicity Those pictured are planted 3 feet apart.
{{gwi:338077}}

I'm really partial to Carefree Wonder.
Take a look at Pappu's hedge in the link below, but hold on to your seat when you click.
Renee

Here is a link that might be useful: Pappu's Carefree Wonder Hedge

My Mayflower is about 4-5 ft tall, and my neighbor's Knock Out is 5 ft. Probably too tall for what you want?

I swear--pappu has the most astounding hedges I've ever seen. Thanks for reminding us of those pics.

Kate

Thanks for the comments. Pappu's roses were my inspiration actually, I like the way he plants hedges and the mass effect it produces. When I planted the new home, I didn't get "one of these and one of those" I got 5 of these and 6 of those.

The siding is a light sage green and the front porch is white trim with a brown brick facade. Anyway, the photo I posted didnt load, let me try again.

{{gwi:350159}}

Interesting to note about Champlain, I would have thought it would do a little better. I too, have been leaning towards Carefree Wonder. Do you think those would look nice in front of the quickfire hydrangeas? There is a climing jackmanii superba clematis on the pillar next to the door and a climbing rosarium utersen on the last pillar.

A rose in a peach, apricot or orange shade would look particularly attractive with your color scheme. My house is also sage green and such a color is most complimentary. Carefree Wonder would also look great I'm sure!

{{gwi:350160}}

Terry

How about Quietness or Carefree Beauty? Both are disease free for me and also very hardy.

The question on your mind is what color rose to put in front of the quickfire hydrangeas. Tastes vary, but for myself, I would avoid pink roses there. If I remember correctly, quickfire hydrangeas are kinda pinkish, but not a pure pink (and white, of course). A bright pink like Carefree Wonder (or Beauty) just might make Quickfire look a bit "off" or dull in comparison. Or even if the pinks matched or blended well (and I don't think they do), it would seem to me to be just too much pink. I really think a contrasting color would be preferable--which doesn't leave you with too many choices. I guess I'd go with a white rose hedge in front of the Quickfires.

On the other hand, I've been wrong before, so I might be wrong here also. Just one person's opinion.

Kate

Kristen, I also like carefree beauty, but after seeing pappus hedge of carefree wonder, I was hooked.

Kate, thanks for your opinion. White roses planted in masses look really nice and brighten the place up. I thought there would be too much white, but then again only the house trim is white and the porch actually is quite dark. Once the hygrangeas leaf out there will be a nice backdrop for the roses as well. I was just worried the white roses would blend into the porch slab (also white).

Dont forget that the first flush of roses will not compete with hydrangeas since the quickfires are a panniculata-type and flower later in the season. The leaves have a nice light green-silver tinge to them, reminds me of a darker lambs ears-type leaf, which makes me cautious about white roes in front of them. I dont know what do you all think?

Quietness is rather subdued - just may be the best bet, but I think it gets rather tall... Anyone have a good idea about a white rose (hedge) for the spot? Iceberg looks nice, (I have grown it before) but I dont remember it being particularly cane-hardy in Chicagoland.

Bolero, a Meilland Rose in the Romantica collection, stays short, compact, and has spectacular full white flowers. It's healthy, attractive, dark green foliage is very disease-resistant and a perfect foil to the glistening white blossoms. I saw it in a mass planting at the Municipal Rose Garden in Tyler, TX and it was the one rose that I remembered the most. It repeats quickly in my garden. I believe that the Romantica roses are cold hardy, but perhaps someone in USDA zone 5 can comment on Bolero's cold hardiness.

Best of luck with your selection,

John

Terry, what is that beautiful rose in your photo?
Renee

I hate to sound like a traitor on the rose forum, but what I see in front of the Quickfire hydrangeas is May Night salvia (dark purple). Blooms most of the summer, but starts earlier than your hydrangea would and the hydrangea probably lasts longer near the end of the season.

And I would probably stick in some bright yellow daffodils in between the salvia--for early spring bloom.

Just a passing thought. : )

Kate

Kate, I was thinking of putting salvia in front of the roses, inter planted with daffodils just as you suggested...too funny. I wanted to bring out the front bed since the front yard is so huge.

How about the Quickfires, a hedge of roses, and then some purple salvia with the evergreen groundcover junipers in the very front? I was shoveling today and am thinking the white shrub roses for the front of the hydrangas and the pink carefrees (or knockouts) going up the front door.

I agree with dublinbay and take back what I said about Carefree Wonder being a good companion for Quick Fire, indeed it would make for too much pink going on together and the two colors might fight. My house has almost the same sage color with white trim, I do not use many white flowers as they only blend in with the trim ... though, if you are really keen upon white, how about something with a bit of yellow in it? This would look especially nice with the salvias!

hosenemesis ... I'm glad you like the rose, it's actually a plant I had hybridized and remains as a single plant within my garden. It's part of my attempt to develop extremely hardy roses that can laugh off the frigid winter temperatures here. This rose is a very good bloomer and I might add does look good alongside Quick Fire, thus the reason I had suggested such a color combination.

Terry (Terrance)

Maybe I'm not understanding clearly what you are planning, but to me that sounds like way too much space extending out from the foundation.

The Quickfires need what--a space of 4 ft?
The roses need 3-4 ft
The salvias need 2 ft and the junipers need how many feet--3-4ft?

That bed will be extending out about 10 ft from the house.

And how tall are the Quickfires? My paniculatas grow 6-10 ft tall. That seems awfully tall for the front of the house.

What I would probably do is plant a hedge of Quickfires along the left side of the house (shown in the pic above), and in front of the house have a hedge of roses fronted by a combination of purple salvia, daffodils, and groundcover junipers.

If the Quickfires and the rose hedge were somewhat separated that way, I could see maybe using a row of pink carefrees (or Knock Outs) in front--for more color, if that is what you really want.

Again, just my preferences. I'm sure there are other plans that would be just as valid and effective. : )

Kate

I think dublinbay may be onto something. The intensely dark indigo purple of May Night will go well with the Jackman clematis and also with the strong dark pink of Rosarium Uetersen. There are also other more blue (& less intensely dark) varieties of Salvia nemerosa that will probably work as well.

(You also won't have to worry so much about diseases with a planting of salvias.)

Thanks for all the thoughtful comments. Kate, the paniculatas can grow large, but I have a hedge planted at my parents house and keep them to about 5 feet tall, and they are perfect. The facade is actually taller than one would imagine, I am ~ six foot and cannot reach the roof standing on the lawn. I plan on keeping the hydrangeas about The junipers are the prostrate ones, no taller than 15" BTW. The are also golden cypresses on the far ends of the border, too. I read up on Bolero and never heard of it before.

I talked with my wife and some friends, and everyone is now leaning to the whites with a hedge of pink roses coming up the door. (I may hold off on the pink roses for a season until I like this combination.

In other news, I found the farmer behind the house would be willing to part with some manure! I can't wait for a little warmer temperatures.

bradarmi--sounds like you are firming up those plans fine. I have to admit, I really like the white hedge idea.

Since I brought up earlier the possibility that certain shades might not blend too well, I should probably, in all fairness, point out that many of pappu's choices for his hedges actually clash--but the overall effect is marvelous. I could never be as brave as he is to put two fighting colors next to each other, but it works for him in his gardens. Probably provides more excitement, whereas some people want more serenity in their gardens even while they admire pappu's results tremendously.

You know, the old "different strokes for different folks" phenomenon. : )

You will post some pics next season, won't you? I'm eager to see how it all turns out--and any of the stages in between.

Kate

I will thanks Kate, I have been driving everyone nuts (lots of people visiting us for the holidays) asking them their preference. My wife now thinks I am nuts but at least it will look good. I will post pics ASAP.

I first saw pappu's photos and thought wow, look at those colors; you're right though, it works. I personally like the disorganized cottage-look, but my wife loves the formal garden look, so the front will be formal (she said so) and the side yard will be "my collection of whatever".

One thing we both agree on is we like things planted in masses. So since our lot is big we have been putting in quite a lot of clusters of plants so far (in the fall I planted 45 blooming lillies from the HD clearance rack of the same color and it looked great).

I am going to try the Bolero so long as it is cane-hardy. I would have never thought about it, but it is frangrant as well as large-flowered with a long-bloom period. I might put the hedge of Carefree Wonder in the backyard or the side yard..theres room.

Did you see the white rose called Lion's Fairytale on the link below? Gorgeous.

They also tell me that the hyrid tea Pope John is terrific also. I don't know--haven't seen one.

Just a couple more ideas.

Kate

Here is a link that might be useful: White Roses

Bradarmi,
Just wondering where in Illinois you live. I live in Decatur

Dan, I am in Lockport - Will County.

Kate - thanks for the link, I guess I missed that one. Lots more roses to go on - I think we have decided to go white. I would prefer not to do a HT because the lot is quite open and I am sure they would reguire extensive winter protection. (HT for the back yard).

Iceberg is really nice, but is it cane-hardy in zone 5? I don't think it is. Bolero is nice also becuase it is fragrant. Lion's Fairytale looks promising too. I thought about the Austin Glamis Castle, but I havent heard much reviews.

Ok, well I went with a white rose after our discussion and with Bolero in particular after the suggestion from tomato breeder.

Thanks for the ideas, folks, I just wanted to post and show you how they were doing after just a few months in the ground. Impressive growth and tons of blooms and the fragrance is nice too! I ordered them from Roses Unlimited and was very impressed. The hydrangeas in the background are Quickfires and they are in the phase where the white fades into green...should be pink in a few weeks, I guess. There are some Nordic Hollies planted between the Quickfires and the roses and the effect really makes the white POP against the green...

thanks
enjoy

{{gwi:350162}}

Looks great now but just wait until they mature!

This is really lovely! I've heard so many good things about Bolero and the plant I saw in a nursery was very pretty. As seil says, this is only the beginning and they'll be fabulous once they're older. I'm glad you didn't go with Glamis Castle since it is viciously thorny with what many people (count me in) consider an unpleasant scent.

Thanks for the comments...I wish it was a better pic (took with phone) but maybe I'll repost once the hydrangeas change. I am also planning a rose-covered pergola over the new patio...and that will be posted later.

I was never a fan of white roses, but this one has me!

How lovely! The white Boleros are perfect, aren't they! And Roses Unlimited was an excellent choice--I've loved everything I gotten from them.

Please do post again when the hydrangeas change. That will be very interesting to see. And we will look forward to the pergola also.

Kate