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Find detailed plant information:
Other Hardy Roses:
 Polar Joy: A tree rose hardy enough for zone 4, finally! This diminutive ornamental, 4 to 8 feet, is covered with continuous clusters of pink blooms. Rose trees are often a bit of work in the North and Midwest, ‘Polar Joy’ is requires the least care, as easy as any tree or shrub. It was introduced in 2007 by Bailey Nurseries in Minnesota, experts in winter hardy plants. Do protect this little darling, minimal to moderate just in case, and be sure to get “own root”, if it is truly a ‘Polar Joy’ it WILL be own root. Most rose trees are grafted to the stem of unknown variety, ‘Polar Joy’ generally is not grafted. Gardeners who have grown ‘Polor Joy’ in Minnesota’s zone 4 rave about its’ hardiness with no protection whatesoever. A stunning accent to a front entry or patio, or underplanted with groundcover roses or perennials. Does beautifully in a large container. Matures to a 5-8 foot tree, may be pruned to control size.
 Red Ribbons Groundcover Rose: This creeping rose is mentioned specifically because I have found it to be easily hardy in zone 4. I have had some trouble with black spot, but the plants have always revived. Rich red double blooms appear throughout the season, and are stunning in their first flush of the season. Red Ribbons is only about a foot high and trails across the ground to 5 feet. Some winters I have failed to protect them, some years I have provided minimal winter protection. I planted 2 in 2000 and 2 more in 2004. One had to be replaced in 2006, but I think that’s because it was planted right behind the “3 point shot line” for our basketball hoop. I have since strategically placed a bolder. Red Ribbons is available from Jackson & Perkins mail order, as well as rose, white, yellow and ‘Happy Chappy’ which is colorfully orange, pink and yellow. Jackson & Perkins rarely provides zone hardy information on their roses, so this is worth noting.
 Meidiland Landscape Roses: Prolific blooming shrub roses requiring minimal attention to pruning and spraying. Some can be hardy as far north as zone 3 and most are grown on their own roots. So if you do experience dieback, the plant will reproduce true. The Meidiland series seems to be a little generously zone rated, so you may want to protect these. ‘Mystic Meidiland’ blooms open in a coppery gold and as they mature progress to salmon pink then creamy white. It is very resistant to black spot and displays orange red hips in winter. Grows in a nice rounded form to 3 feet and should be hardy to zone 3. ‘Sevillana’ blooms brilliant red in dense clusters all season and produces deep scarlet hips in winter. 3-4 feet high and wide, hardy to zone 5. ‘Scarlet Meidiland’ is a groundcover rose growing 3-4 feet high and spreading 5-6 feet wide. Scarlet blooms appear in June and repeat through summer and fall. Will tolerate some shade, hardy to zone 5.
‘Ramblin’ Red’: A William Radler hybrid of ‘Henry Kelsey’ Explorer rose. Generally considered the best climbing rose for zones 3 and 4, requiring no winter protection. Disease resistance is improved over th ‘Henry Kelsey’. A climber with continous red double blooms, 3-4”. Will reach 6 to 10 feet and is hardy to zone 3! Again, minimal winter protection is advised in zone 4, moderate protection in zone 3.
 Flutterbye: This is a very unusual floribunda that produces blooms with lemon yellow, coral, orange and pink, all at once. The colors and tones change continuously. A spicy fragrance adds to it’s attraction. Grows to 6 feet high and 8 feet wide, it is pretty tolerant of harsh weather, but needs moderate winter protection in zone 4 and minimal in zone 5.
 Simplicity Hedge Rose: Vigorous shrub rose, easy to grow, with abundant blooms. These rose bushes grow about 4-5 feet high and are ideal for a striking rose hedge. Where the growing season is cold and short, plant about 1 1/2 feet apart to form a dense flowering hedge, further south, plant 2 feet apart. They are easy to care for and are available in white, pink, yellow and lavender blooms. They are not particularly fragant, except the lavender which has a light citrus scent. Hardy to zone 5 with minimal protection suggested, should be fine in zone 4 with moderate protection.
 Iceberg: One of the most popular rose bushes, fragrant, pure white bloom clusters are produced prolifically. Blooms are 3-4” with 35-40 petals, producing a honey scent. 3 foot plants have a mounded growing habit, growing to about 3 feet high. Iceberg is disease resistant and nearly thornless. Will tolerate some shade, but prefers full sun. Hardy to zone 5, moderately protected in zone 4.
 Livin Easy: A floribunda with clusters of 3-4 inch apricot blooms with a fruity fragrance. A lovely cut flower. Black spot resistant, 3-5 foot plant. Hardy to zone 5 with minimal protection, may be hardy in zone 4 with moderate protection.
 Outrageous: This floribunda has large clusters of yellow tinged orange blooms and is honey lemon scented. Blooms are a large 3-4” with 25-30 petals. Stems are 14-18”, excellent for cutting. Bush reachs 3-4 feet high. Requires full sun.Very hardy and disease resistant, minimal winter protection is suggested for zone 5, moderate protection for zone 4.
The variety of floribundas, grandifloras and tea roses is seamingly endless, but they also move further from being considered hardy. Most floribundas, and some grandifloras, will be fully hardy in zone 6, hardy with minimal protection in zone 5, and hardy with moderate protection in zone 4, perhaps even zone 3. Hybrid tea roses, and some grandifloras, need to be Minnesota tipped in zone 4 and north, zone 5 would require moderate winter protection or tipped, and zone 6 may require minimal to moderate protection. This kind of critical information is generally not provided by mail order catalogs, or by growers on the garden center tags. Your best source of specific winter care information is from knowledgeable customer service people or fellow gardeners. Just remember that if you under protect a rose bush, it may be lost. There is no loss in over protecting.
Floribundas, grandifloras and tea roses are all beautiful, are similar in size and disease resistance, and require roughly the same winter care. So figure out how much time you are willing to devote to care, decide on a color, and pick one out! For a few ideas to get you started, check the next page to see a few photos. We would all love to see pictures of your new rose garden - Send them in!
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3/08 Hardy Roses
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