I think VG is trying to clear out inventory before posting their spring availability list. $2. off is not bad if you choose a $13.95 cultivar. Heirloom considers $15.50 to be a sale price, and many other nurseries are asking $18. and up for roses.

I want Swantje, a floribunda from Tantau, as part of my ongoing white floribundas which are not named Iceberg project.

You need to buy 4 to qualify for the sale price. I have a long chain link fence, with a southern exposure facing a neighbor's yard I would rather not have to see. The New Dawn family of climbers have so far done very well for me here in NY.

The cultivars I am considering are:
Coral Satin
Morning Dawn
Cherryade
Lybelle
Pirontina
Rosy Cushion.

All of the above are available no where else in North America, so far as I can discover.

I have grown two on the list, Cherryade and Morning Dawn in CA, where neither grew at all well, in spite of having an east exposure and afternoon shade. I am beginning to suspect that this family of climbers and pillar roses doesn't like excessive heat or drought.

My climate is cool and wet; and the zone is 5b rapidly becomming 6a.

Please share your experiences with these roses, and tell me which are worthy of being preserved.

You say you have shade, but in your zone you probably need to either thin out your trees so they can get more light, or find a more sunny spot, some roses do like cool damp climates, but you have to watch for blackspot and fix the problem right away, sunlight helps!

What I've read here is that you need to find roses in the next coldest zone, so when the winds blow, and the temperatures drop then you are fairly safe.

Wrapping roses to protect them from temperature extremes is a good idea, I've heard a natural burlap is good, you want it to breathe, so no plastic bags. Karl Bapst (aka rosenut) had a post a few months ago here at GW with his favorite climbing roses-I can't seem to find it now (even with a Google search!)

I looked up the climbers at HMF (putting in for fragrance, repeating, and zones 4a, 4b, 5a) below are are results that are still showing as available at Vintage Gardens as of this posting. They do work on a first come, first served basis. There are other nurseries that carry other roses tht will be good for your area.

I used HMF's "Climber" category, but Vintage and HMF classify the same roses differently, some are tall roses that can be used as climbers. I didn't put in for zone 5B, but I'm sure there are more, but in a cold climate you might lose most of the canes to winter.

4A:
Paul's Lemon Pillar
Asta von Parpart

4B:
America
Chamisso
Harlekin
Titian
Trier

5A:
Blossomtime
Viking Queen

Some trees were taken out before I moved in, so shade is not really a factor. The lot lies on an East/West axis, with a fence and cedar hedge along the long north edge. The house sits at the east end of the lot, so the back yard is actually something of a u-shaped suntrap, with the empty part of the u facing south. The most difficult part of the yard for roses is along the west, which is where the trees used to be. I have the albas there. Some roses are wrapped in burlap, two are tipped and covered with dirt and compost, and all but the albas, rugosas, and a hybrid setigira are mounded with dirt and straw.

This last winter has been quite mild, with only one night of lows near 0, and the ground not staying frozen--I am glad I mounded, even if I do get some canker.

Melissa

I'm glad Karl saw this post, re-posted some of his climbers, he really knows his roses. I've been looking at the rose lists at Vintage, and Hartwood, and Karl sells roses as well. We are in good hands!

Thank you for the list, rosenut. I already have a New Dawn and Awakening as well. There are some on your list of which I have never heard. Do you sell roses privately or through a nursery in your area?