This is a crosspost from the New England Gardening forum. I live in New Hampshire where winter temps get to -10 reliably, and often lower.

Several years ago, the utility company cleared a strip of our land along the road. Weeds have now found a happy home there; we want to clear them out and plant shrubs . My original plan was to use house-eating rhodies and possibly mountain laurels, both of which bloom in spring or early summer. But my husband would like long-season color there, so we're thinking about adding some kind of landscape roses to the mix.

The strip is about 200" long, gets good sun, and slopes down to the street. Road salt is not an issue nor is plowing. The strip backs up to woods. We are in southern New Hampshire -- zone 5.

I'm looking for hearty, hardy roses that will reward my neglect with constant flowers. It's a tough spot with no water easily available, so they will need to root quickly. I will water them as regularly as possible the first year, but after that they're on their own, except in extreme dry spells. They will need to be disease- and bug-resistant and self-cleaning, or at least need minimal care. Size and color are not necessarily important at this point, but we do want repeat or continuous flowering.

Am I chasing the impossible dream flower? Or can anyone recommend some varieties that might do well in this spot?