Moving to Zone 5a: Which Roses do you Recommend?

7 years ago

Hello Everyone!

I have been getting ready to move all the way to upstate NY in zone 5a. From what my boyfriend is telling me, it's gonna be COLD!!!! We will see how I will adapt as I was on the west coast of Florida for 4 years. Anyways, the unnecessary details aside, I thought that I might ask the gardeners already up in zone 5a what are your favorite roses?

I have a feeling I might have to leave my roses behind to my family. I'll be moving around December, so I was wondering if I could just haul them up there while they are dormant, but Jude the Obscure is listed RIGHT at 5a for the hardiness zone. With recent years' weather trends of colder winters, I sure am worried! Also worried about my Olivia Rose Austin. So please give me some insight as to what your favorite roses are that can survive the winters! I especially love pastel-toned roses as well as all shades of peach/pink! I wanted so dearly to grow a climbing rose, but where I am moving does not allow climbing plants on the walls for maintenance reasons.

Before I go crazy and start looking into new roses to order, please let me know which roses are growing nice and healthy for you and survive the 5a winters! If I can take my two roses up, that is even better! I have my eyes on a new rose called All Dressed Up, but it is also listed right at zone 5 for hardiness. As for other flowers, I'm having the mentality of growing everything as annuals since I will not be in upstate NY for more than 3 years and I like to grow different flowers! I feel so crazy I'm going from zone 9b to 7b to 5a all in one year... and this gardening hobby started this year. I'm SO thankful for the internet and online gardening webs like this! PHEW!!!

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Original Author

7 years ago

Wow everyone thank you so much for the suggestions. If worse comes to worse in regards to overwintering in pots, I am willing to rent out those garage spaces that apartments have! We could fit one of the tiny cars in it, too. It’ll only be for the winter months anyways! I do have pot bottoms that roll (though I’ve broken so many wooden ones so I will get new iron ones when I move up). Moving them shouldn’t be too hard. From what everyone is saying, it looks like there is a fair shot of my potted Austins being able to survive! Thank you guys so much for your input! :) Before investing in more I want to work with my current children! LOL
I absolutely love this rose forum and how fast and helpful everyone is!! If I could post a bajillion heart emojis, I would! Heart heart heart!!!!!

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Comments (9)

seil zone 6b MI
7 years ago
It depends a lot on what types of roses you want to grow. Are you looking for modern roses like hybrid teas, floridundas and such? Are you interested in old Garden roses? Are once bloomers OK? You mention two DA roses. Are you looking for more of those? Or would you like a mix of all of them!?
User
Original Author
7 years ago
Seil,

I’m looking for roses with good repeat and potential for cutting :) fragrance also a plus! As long as they stay around/under 5ft I will be able to manage them in big pots! Guess that falls into Hybrid Tea, Grandi, and Floribunda categories. Although I hear that Hybrid teas don’t do too well in cold climates so I might just not get them. I DO love DA roses, but I am open to trying out new types. I would love any suggestions. Thank you for narrowing it down for me!
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Krista_5NY
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
I grow Austins and Hybrid Teas. Queen Elizabeth and Perfume Delight are two of the hardiest Hybrid Teas that I grow. Hybrid Teas are vulnerable during the vortex winters.

Some Austins are more compact than others. Olivia Rose Austin is hardy here. On my Profile page under Ideabooks I have a list of the roses that I grow... I collect fragrant roses; Queen Elizabeth is one of the few that I have with light fragrance.

I don't spray and the roses defoliate from blackspot. Olivia Rose Austin does not get as much blackspot as some of the other Austins.

I don't grow roses in pots, my experience is only with roses in the ground...
sharon2079
7 years ago
Have you looked at any of the the Buck Griffith roses? They were bred for the colder climates and they are very beautiful. Some also have a great scent too.
flowersaremusic z5 Eastern WA
7 years ago
Many of the Canadian roses are big fellas, but there are also garden size plants, such as Morden Blush, Morden Sunrise and Campfire and there are others. Some Canadian roses are rated to zone 3. I never have any cane loss on these.
Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
7 years ago
Are you planning on overwintering these pots outdoors or will you havew someplace protected to keep them during the cold?
seil zone 6b MI
7 years ago
Most potted roses will need to be seriously protected to live through a zone 5 winter. About the best way to protect them is to move them into an insulated but unheated garage. So you'll need to be sure you have the space and the pots are movable.

The Griffith Buck roses and Canadian Explorer roses are a good selection but not all of them are hardy to zone 5. So you'll need to research which ones would be best. I really think you need to contact someone local for more specific advise I'm sure there are some good rose societies in NY, And there are some fabulous rose gardens that may also be able to help you.
nippstress - zone 5 Nebraska
7 years ago
Grace -there's a thread that just resurfaced that Seil started about a sustainable garden in cold zones. There are a lot of terrific suggestions in there as well as pictures. My summary of the hardiest roses for zone 5 would be - once bloomers, Canadians, Lim (Easy Elegance), Kordes, and Buck. Most of those are not fragrant, so it's often a decision between hardiness/frequent bloom and fragrance. In my zone a lot of Austins do well and they're often fragrant. The most fragrant Austin is Sharifa Asma in my admittedly poor fragrance detecting opinion.

Cynthia