You could use straw for winter protection. it's light and easy to do.

First off, I accidentally signed off as Thorntorn, which is a very old Roses Forum name I used before Houzz took over. When Houzz was in its early state, I had difficulty getting on board, and Thorntorn was rejected by Houzz as an already used name (ME!), so I called myself Moses. So, Moses I am on the Houzz Roses Forum.

When I joined the Ourfigs forum, I reused Thorntorn there, and currently go by Thorntorn there.

Moses

Thanks, Mad Gallica, I should have listened to your wisdom on winterization years ago, but being stubbnorn, which sometimes pays off for me, hasn't in this case. Maybe those roses that I assume will succumb, will surprise me and continue on flourishing. Just in case, I want to be prepared for any contingency.

Living, is learning to change when necessary.

Thanks again.

Moses

Of those on your list, I have Bliss, Figi, and Wedding Bells - all should do okay for you. I’ve had them multiple years and don’t do anything to winter protect. Figi and Wedding Bells didn’t even get mulched last year and came through just fine.

South Africa thrived in the Las Vegas heat, and while I know there are roses that are supposed to do well in the extreme heat and cold temperatures, I was always cynical regarding most of them. Hopefully someone in a Zone 6 or lower, with conditions similar to yours in PA will chime in regarding S.A. . I grew it in Las Vegas, but did not place it on my short lived PA list of roses.

No longer Desertgarden as Austin,TX is not a desert!

Moses - I have Sweet Mademoiselle and it is really a good one. Good disease resistance and large blooms. Mine is only one year old and it is in a 7 gal pot. Right now, it has a few flowers open and 14 large buds getting ready to open. The blackspot in the background is from another bush that is behind Sweet Mademoiselle.

Moses - I also have Bliss. It was an own root plant from Roses Unlimited and it is still in a 3 gallon pot and doing great. The best disease resistant rose in my garden. Never has had a bad leaf, even when many others were looking awful. Only had it for one year. Blooms are gorgeous.

I've only had 'Poseidon', own root, for one year but it came through last year's arctic blast winter just fine. I don't think I had to prune anything on this rose; maybe a few tips that got a cold blast before they were hardened off. It's 3x3 or so right now, bushy, disease resistant (so far), and did its best to give me several blooms. Japanese beetles got many of those, and some did fry in our summer here. I'm pretty hopeful it will grow out of the frying with age based on what others in even warmer zones have reported.

Some have reported he tends to get BIG, but most of those seem to be dealing with multiflora-grafted roses. I want to say I got mine from Roses Unlimited, but I'm not certain.

Might I suggest another Kordes rose to add to your potential replacements?

Ruby Ice is a blooming machine - pumped out dozens of these little red and white reverse blooms from spring until frost! Also in it's first year for me, but just as hardy and disease resistant as 'Poseidon' so far. I don't think it had ratty leaves even at the end of the season. No scent, and the blooms are small, but there's a lot of them and they hold well as cut flowers. It's also quite thornless! I got mine from Chamblee's.

Thank you all for your extremely helpful input so far, but please keep the advice coming. I surely will put it to good use.

Moses

I have to agree with Mad. I had to stop winterizing a couple of years ago when I got sick. The last two years i haven't lost any more roses than I ever did before when I did protect them. Of course that will depend on how severe the winter gets. In super polar vortex winters I still lose a bunch and some I would never have thought would die. You just never know. But I don't think of them as losses now. Instead I think of them as opportunities to try new roses!

This is just my opinion coming from a variable zone with wicked winter polar blasts but no snow cover with possible 60 degree days sandwiched in between, and then sizzling hot summers with extremely high humidity and BS and JBs galore. I would not expect any of the roses on your list to thrive and have no tip die back without some winterization. They are mostly in the HT family and not known for great survival rate even when rated to zone 5. Own root selections may come back each year from the ground but eventually may become too stressed to have any size. If you truly want no maintenance/winterization then you will probably have to start looking to the semidouble Canadian roses, Buck roses and once blooming gallicas and other OGRs, and even those here require at least a smidge of protection their first year in the ground. But as I said this is just my opinion. I have a Poseidon planted this year grafted on multiflora and it is still just 10" high and my Moonlight Romantica is a dud and barely blooms - interesting that the U of Georgia trialed that rose and had the same problem as I do. So everyone's experience is totally different from the others.

I am glad to know you are feeling better, Seil.

I have South Africa and it certainly passes the BS proof requirement and it has flush after flush as well. BUT it is small and after two years has not put on much additional size. I've ordered another for this spring from Palantine who sends such good sized, healthy bareroots hoping to give it a kick start.

I'm likely warmer than you--technically 7a but I can't grown any of the warm climate roses at all. Our cold-warm-cold spring cycles are brutal. I really, really like this rose: