I can recommend White Cap as a lovely healthy beauty. I wanted Aicha but never stumbled into it. I know White Cap was also a winner at the New York Botanical garden so I think it does well in different climates.

I grow it here, but also did in Alaska where it was not really z 3.

Disease pressure in Colorado is pretty low. Back in the dark ages, that's where I sent my serious blackspotters like Baronne Prevost and Comte de Chambord.

White Cap wasn't hardy for me. It was part of my farewell order from Pickering, and I was expecting good things. It just wasn't hardy.

At this point, I don't remember if I've lost Nevada, or was just warned off it.

Sheila, good to know White Cap is a healthy rose., though unfortunately I am getting mixed reports on its hardiness.

Mad Gallica, good to hear from you, as I think you are something of an expert on cold climate roses. I am happy to hear that disease pressure is low here. I suspected that it might be but I really have no experience here yet.

Mischievous Magpie, I am very happy to hear from a fellow Colorado rose grower. I wonder if you are anywhere near me, northern Colorado. I don't want to spray and I want to do as little winterizing as I can get away with, and plan to select my roses with that in mind. As you probably guessed, I have a color scheme in mind, lots of whites and soft warm yellows and a few soft apricots with (non-rose) blues for contrast. I will be breaking this palette one time to make room for Tuscany Superb, my DH's favorite rose.

I can see I will have lots of questions for you. For example, do you agree with the astonishing statement I found that the noisette rose Alister Stella Gray is zone 5 hardy? I do love my old roses and would love to include this one, though of course I will include some modern reproduction roses because I want most of my roses to repeat.

Do you have any recommendations to make? I would love to hear them. I have been studying the catalog from High Country Roses along with the advice from HMF and Harlequin Gardens.

Can you get a oopy of Lois Hole's rose book from the library? She lived on the east side of the Rockies in Alberta or Sask. and she owned a rose nursery. The continental polar winds that will be your worst problem were her problem as well.

Also look to the roses that Frank Skinner developed up in Manitoba. His gardening book is really good and concise and interlibrary loan should be able to get it for you. (My university library had it, who'd a thunk it?)

Percy Wright and J Erskin more recently are also names to watch for.

Rosefolly, I'll be back to answer the recommendation question later but for now I will say that I had a conversation with Erasmus about Allister Stella Grey and came to the conclusion that it wouldn't reach a respectable size here if it was able to survive at all, which I have my doubts about. I haven't tried it myself though because I am only interested in roses hardy enough to gain good size here, and all the better if they can get huge. But it is beautiful in photos!

Ann, I have actually never even heard of Lois Hole, and there are no copies of books by her in my public library. However, I have just ordered used copies of her rose book and her perennial book as well. Thank you for the tip. The only Frank Skinner I could find was a comedian.

MM, I will be looking forward to your return.

Look on HMF roses in the breeder's listing. Skinner is a famous Canadian plant and rose breeder.

Good to know!

https://www.producer.com/farmliving/celebrating-the-beauty-of-western-canadian-rose-breeders/

Hi Paula, You know I'm in zone 8, but I think I could add something. I think Polar Star must be bulletproof. On the other hand it is terribly thorny, if that bothers you. I haven't seen disease on The Gift(also thorny). I didn't know that Bolero was hardy. I love that rose for rebloom and fragrance. I think it is mostly resistent. I've grown Nevada for many years. It is a bit disease prone. I'll let you know if I have any more ideas.

Frank Leith Skinner googles up when I searched with this

frank skinner arboretum canada frank skinner

His son, Hugh, took over after his Father's death and along with the nursery (which became part of the park/arboreteum was also taking care of his mother. I had talked to him about rose rosette and ordered roses from him. He sent really good plants. I don't know if he is still propagating.

I've wanted to visit that part of Manitoba.

One other place that was interested in cold hardy roses was the High Plains research station in Cheyenne WY. (It's just west of the air base there. They tested hundreds of roses, and when we visited them, they still had the 3x5 cards with all of the info. I called them about a decade later and they didn't know what I was talking about. From the earlier trip, only four rose bushes survived and they were species or one offs. Not worth a specific trip.

In the Hole rose book is the most extraordinary (my opinion) picture of a hedge of Hulthmias in full bloom. Not the more recent introductions, one of the earlier ones. IIRC she wrote she keeps it alive by shoveling snow on it. Having read about the wild weedy hulthemia sp. in the not frigid Middle East (To Persia for Flowers) , I didn't expect to read about them in Alberta, much less a flouisihing hedge of them.

Thanks Pamela. That information is quite helpful. I cast a broad net when making my list (more than I posted here), and am busy whittling it down. I don't think I will have room for more than 18-24 roses at most, so I want to select wisely. And thorny does matter to some extent.

Ann, I am looking forward to the Lois Hole book. Sad to hear about the research station in Cheyenne.

Feiw, there is spot of snow and skiing in the mountains of Irsn. Iran. The steppes are cold at night. Don't know how high up the R. Persona grows.persica. Great thread I would love to see that Hedge.