For me in a 5b/6a area the once blooming Gallicas, centifolia , not variegated Variegata di bologna, father hugo’s rose wnd rosa xanthina spontanea have come through the winters with flying colors. so far of the repeat bloomers, Heritage, screaming neon red, Blue for you, and bliss parfumahave gotten through with little to no damage. everything else has been imacted some to almost all of the plant. ( excluded is above and beyond, which hasnt been in the ground for a year yet)

I still miss Olga and her tips for growing and pruning gallica roses. I don't know if anyone here ever found out what happened, but she stopped posting several years ago. She was a fount of knowledge, and had a lot of unconventional wisdom gleaned from experience, rather than from "experts" or books. And no one's gallicas were healthier or lovelier. I don't remember where she lived, but it was considerably north of me, lol.

Olga lived in suburban D.C. Maryland, I think. She was growing a lot of the same roses I grow not because she needed the hardiness, but because she was very intolerant of blackspot.

Olga was one of the reasons I first joined the GardenWeb rose forums. She and Lynette were priceless. Olga specialized in gallicas; Lynette loved climbers/ramblers. Now they're both gone. We've lost so many of the "oldtimers" (no reflection on age, just legacies, lol), and there just aren't as many young 'uns coming up. Even with so much wisdom being catalogued here, it might as well be lost forever if someone doesn't as least know the questions to ask!

EDIT: I know we're somewhat off topic, but talking about old hardy roses just naturally brought Olga to mind. She grew them to perfection. Hopefully others from the Great White North will chime in and share their gardens.

I remember those days, and the people Rosefolly . I can't see campanula without thinking of " Camps ". To be honest, I feel increasingly more like a spent bloom.

Do you remember Northland Rosarium's roses she carried back then ? All of them Old Garden Roses ! It's astonishing when I think of it. I'd love to walk through Carol Newcomb's old garden but I can't drive anymore . Rose Forum is the closest I may ever get to seeing photos and hearing of the old roses again.

Years ago, after researching every single rose on Paul Barden's "Old Garden Roses and Beyond ", I launched into the deep and bought dozens of collector roses from Northland and Burling. Through the years the once bloomers left my garden , an attempt to have longer flowering roses . My old treasures are gone now, they are ghosts from the past with only one I regained, Reine des Violettes. I asked my neighbor to take in Madame Hardy a decade ago. That great rose lives up to her name, clothed in her exquisite white gown every Spring. Madame Hardy might be my favorite rose ever.

It's been difficult to face looking at my roses to check for freeze damage, afraid of what I might find. I glance at them between snowstorms. My stubborn bullydog Amara refused to go out in the cold for her walk this morning , so I went out alone to survey the roses. They needed close inspection since pruning time is approaching . Rouge Royale may have succumbed to the cold, despite my efforts to mound the dirt around the base. Happily Reine des Violettes is green to the tips. RdV also had green leaves longest going into Winter. Paul Neyron is a zone 4 rose , but doesn't look as good as a few others. I totally forgot to check La Reine .The roses that received the best care over the Summer really paid off, my roses in crummy dirt have struggled through Winter.

I hope Kitty will write about herOGRs.

i'm interested to see what people have to say in this thread. i'm planting a bunch of ogrs this spring in z 4/5.

I have no real right to comment here, as I live in a zone 8 Mediterranean climate that recently has been acting like a zone 9 or even 10 climate. So I can't comment on hardiness at all. What I do have is a good number of once-flowering old roses, some of them not widely grown. There are two reasons for my growing these roses. One is that, greatly as I love the warm climate roses, it's very difficult to create suitable soil for them. All the ones I have grow around the house, in terraced beds with added soil on top of rubble that offer the drainage they need, while the once bloomers can be coaxed into growing in our generally terrible soil. The other is that, for my tastes, the once-blooming old roses are, along with the warm climate old roses, the most beautiful. There are other rose groups I admire and would grow if I could: the Pemberton Hybrid Musks, the David Austin roses, the early spring yellows; but generally these fail in my conditions. The roses that I find beautiful and can grow are the Gallicas, Damasks, Albas, and Centifolias, and the Mosses closely related to them.

I agree, the once flowering old roses are treasures here too.

I have a few OGR in zone 5a Wisconsin. The majority are new to me so I can't comment on performance, but I look forward to hearing how others are doing.

Reine des Violettes

Leda

Souvenir de la Malmaison

Yoland d'Aragon

Bullata

Gipsy Boy

Rush Family Gallica

Has anyone tried the Griffin Buck roses? And what about the sub-zero series of roses bred by the Brownell family? I have wondered about those.

I have two Buck roses in zone 5 Colorado.

Calico Gal on June 13 2023. Planted as a band from High Country Roses 8/19. Calico Gal continues to bloom right up to frost and is always frozen with buds on it. It has stayed small and well controlled for me so would fit nicely in a tight space. I don't smell it often enough to comment on the fragrance because it is so short.

Amiga Mia gets much taller. Has a lovely fragrance. This picture is July 10, 2023. Planted as a mature plant from High Country Roses 8/18. It is close to 6 ft tall. It does stay compact so it is a good rose for a location that doesn't spread. I have alot of lovely roses but Amiga Mia is one that alot of visitors comment on liking alot.

Here they both are Oct. 10th 2023. I would say they are both pretty continuous bloomers.

Galico Gal Oct. 10, 2023. You can really see the pointed petals in this picture. Also at this point in the year Calico Gal gets quite a bit of shade.

Amiga Mia Oct. 10, 2023. She is a blooming machine in my garden.

Here they both are after having been exposed to several frosts.

Oct. 23, 2023. At this point we are no longer deadheading. We leave the spent blooms on in the fall to encourage the plant to stop producing them. You can tell alot of blooms have already frozen on the plant. However, if you click on the picture to expand it, you can also see that the ones that were in bud still bloomed, even after several freezes.

Amiga Mia, Oct. 24, 2023. Seems to be self cleaning the old blooms. It may be because it is taller and exposed to more wind.

Close up of Calico Gal fall flowers.

Oct. 20, 2023. Younger bloom.

Oct. 23, 2023. A little more aged.

They come in many forms.

Oct. 20, 2023. Final stage of bloom. I find all stages of Calico Gal's blooms attractive.

Close up of Amiga Mia fall flowers.

Oct. 19, 2023.

I've been through a handful of Bucks, and a handful of Brownells, and the only one of the lot I'd recommend is Applejack. IMO, Bucks are terribly overhyped. Dr. Buck started out working on hardy roses, but later got sidetracked into novelties.

Sub-Zero was literally just a marketing term. A typical HT is 'sub-zero' hardy. That's where the hybrid tea line is - a couple of degrees below zero.

Thanks for starting this thread @Rosefolly z5! This’ll only be my third growing season in my current garden but I can share what I’ve observed so far. I supposedly garden in zone 5b now with the updated USDA hardiness zones but was and I beleive more correctly is zone 4.

OGRs that are thriving:

Loiuse Odier (the only bourbon thriving)

Queen of Denmark

Mme. Plantier

Stanwell Perpetual

Ispahan (doing a little too well - I need to move it this spring)

Sydonie

Belle Sans Flatterie

La Reine

Hansa

Too early to tell:

Mme Hardy

Paul Ricault

Botzaris

Belle de Crecy

Leda

Chapeau de Napoleon

Comte de Chambord

Jacques Cartier

Isabella Skinner

Henri Martin

Not thriving, may be removed:

Variegata di Bologna

Mme Isaac Pereire

Mme Dubost

Parfume de l’Hay

Tuscany Superb (has hardly grown, maybe need a grafted specimen?)

I am growing Buck’s Enchanted Autumn

and Prarie Sunrise. I lost two of my 4 Prairie Sunrise the first winter even though they were well protected and mounded mulch at the base. Enchanted Autumn didn’t bounce back well after last winter either. Somewhat surprising to me, most of my Austin’s have been doing very well. I hope to try some Brownell roses soon if I can get a hold of them.

Prairie Harvest in my front yard:

Hi Rosefolly,

I thought I would chime in from Summerland in Canada. I am in the midst of expanding the OGR collection at the Summerland Oranmental Gardens. The list of varieties that we currently have is as follows:

Buff Beauty

Félicité Parmentier

Armide

Belle de Crecy

Kazanlik

Charles de Milles

Tuscany Superb

William Lobb

Variegata di Bologna

Sidone

Old Pink Moss

Cristata

Rosa Alba Semiplena

Goldfinch

Many, indeed most of these are new plants, still heeled in in 5 gallon pots while we finish preparing the display bed for them this coming spring. I can say, that we had a very harsh winter with arctic catabatic winds and temperatures to -27C for a week in early January. Those are zone 5a temperatures. I was up at the Gardens yesterday afternoon to do a late winter inspection and all of them came through the latest polar vortex unscathed. They will be planted in the new display bed this spring and then my biggest worry is have we given them enough room. Some of these varieties get very large and many sucker, so those such as Charles de Milles will have to be sunk in barrel size containers to prevent a garden takeover.

All of our new plants were acquired from my friend and collaborator Jason as Fraser Valley Rose Farm in Deroche, B. C. They also had a week long spell of arctic temperatures to -25C and outflow winds there. So I guess we can call that a cold climate as well this year.

Jason put on an Old Garden Rose Tour his garden in May last year. He has a very large collection and the linked video is well worth a watch for anyone who likes these rare dowager roses. Enjoy.

Cheers, Rick

Hi Rick, I wondered if you might chime in! I had not seen you post for a long time. Glad to see that you are still rose-ing around.

@Rosefolly z5

@User

Hi, Happy to chime in!

I am now in zone 6b, NY. I used to garden in CA and Oregon.,

i have started an OGR collection a few years old. i have had roses for 37 years and finally put a collection together. I have wn OGR thread on this forum…. “2022-2024 MY FAVORITE OLD GARDEN ROSES.” I just updated tgread name to be current for this year! I may need to add a few more roses to it to bring it current for 2024 spring/summer blooms coming up! .

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6274114/2022-2024-my-favorite-old-garden-roses

I can share a few photos here…

I love Bourbons….

Mme Dubost is a favorite.

She’s one of my first bloomers and fragrance is very very intensely old garden damask.

A few more of my OGRs…

Benny Lopez

Variegatta di Bologna

Reine des Violettes

Jacque Cartier

Ardoise de Lyone

Yolande de Aragon

Souvenir de ka malmaison ( had in past)

Mme Isaac Perierre

Louise Odier

La Reine

Bloom to he shown later….. beautiful blooms!

I also have a few newbies last summer who will be blooming this season…

Gloire de Ducher (Gorgeous wine color!)

Honorine de Brabant

Barbara Oliva

Comte de Chambord

And considering ordering a few more…

@KittyNYz6 It’s so exciting to find someone on here who is also growing in NY zone 6b! (I’m in Ithaca). I would welcome any and all regional tips you might have. I’m an experienced gardener (I actually work as a greenhouse consultant) but I’m brand new to roses. My feelings about my pending rose orders alternate constantly between sheer excitement and trepidation 😂

Spectacular photos Kitty, what a great line up.

I felt like giving up today, all of my roses are brown and black sticks - no leaves, nuthin.

Then I saw your Madame Dubost . My little Madame is waiting patiently at High Country for our North Idaho Spring. There's always hope.

Thanks, Rosefolly, for starting a thread on these roses, and I'm so glad that folks have joined in! You're right that we don't hear so much about these kinds, and they hold a good part of my heart. So I'm happy to listen in on gardeners who are growing them.

Berrypiez

You are not that far from me, almost due East and in the same supposed hardiness zone. I expect that the Kootenay River Valley, if that is where you live, had a similar winter to the Okanagan Valley with the cold snap in January. I have no idea what type of roses you might be growing, but if they are shrubs, or Austin roses, you might wish to go outside and look at the stems right at the soil line or an inch or two below to see if there is live cane. The English Roses here survived, all of them. The few Hybrid Teas also survived, barely, but were cut pretty much to the ground. Anyway it might be worth another look. Good luck.

Rick

Berry and Friends,

I have had winters where I cut a few roses way back to the ground removing black canes, too. Looking way to the ground to see if any green canes I wouod keep. amy secret temedy to this is ”cut them back to reveal sny green canes andvtyen pour luquid fish fertiluzer on them weekly until they grow at least 1-2 ft or more. Alaska Fish fertilzer gas been the best for me and tye inly remedy that finally boosted their growth. (It is hard on roses to be cut back more than 1/2 way or dien to the roots, but you will see amazing fast growth if you weekly use this fertilizer!) I have Alaska Fish Fertilizer & Alaska Morbloom Fish fertilizer, which I mix, and use on all roses, esp. those that need extra help! Together they work miraculously well!

@Jena Ithaca, NY 6a/6b

Hi, Jena,

I live in Geneva!!!! Just over on Seneca Lake from you!!! Woohoo! Maybe will can visit in the future! I am pretty versed in growing roses in our climate. I have tried out over 250 roses in my garden here, and now have about 130 successful roses I like most. I have about 14 OFRs now. i have many DA roses. Kordes roses usually good in our climate-I have many Kordes.

I have a new garden bed of Japanese and European roses. I can recommend the most hardy roses for you, if you need assistance I have had a lot of fun experimenting w/ roses! You will, too! Write me anytime?

Check out my OGR thread above…..

I am also on the ”Sliding into Spring Seasonal Thread,”

https://www.houzz.com/discussions/6421214/sliding-into-spring-seasonal-thread#28972666

Happy Gardening!

Tried to write earlier and my post vanished as usual - don't know why this is happening. Thanks Rick and Kitty for the encouraging info.

Berry,

The Houzz Gremlins are back! I tried to correct typos and Houzz just looses the whole post! I give up!

No worries! Your roses will be fine! That fish fertiluzer is fabulous! I have seen roses grow keaps & bounds due to weekly fish fertilizer that were not growing all summer!

Next winter, maybe bury them in bark & burlap. I do that for some. Lol!

Time to think about new roses and enjoying seeing fresh growth soon to emerge!