Rosa Rugosa, Rosa Rugosa Alba.

Rosa Rugosa, RR Alba

What do they farm in that field? Are the farmers going to be spraying Round Up or 2,4-d? Is there RRD in the area?

Just some things to think about.

Last known reports - no Rose Rosette in either Milwaukee or Washington county. Has shown more in Southwest part of state. Farm grows corn. It is no-till corn. I understand it is more eco-friendly in some regards, but involves weedkiller in April? Fertilizing is done through cover crops. All neighbors have landscaping that backs up to the field and none look the worse for wear.

I'd go for something much bigger. R. setigera can be more than 10 ft without support. Rugosas are only about people size, and I'd think that would get lost against the size of the field.

Carpet Roses/Rose Carpet. Below is a picture of mine which I planted 4 years ago. The Roses are in the front, and I only planted 3 plants there. I have another row across the sidewalk.

These were my first Roses also, all I did was water and fed with Rose food which was easy. They grow like weeds and put on a show all summer long.

I live in the country and they're really showy while I'm driving up the dirt road.

{{gwi:309329}}

Sounds like you're giving your sister a priceless gift of your rose expertise, as well as the roses! Among the ones you're considering, I have or have grown the three you mention. Quadra can certainly handle the conditions you mention, blooming throughout the season on cane hardy branches and probably drooping nicely over a fence. I grew mine as a freestanding shrub for about 5 years because I was too lazy to set up an arch (smile). It wanted to take over about a 6 foot radius of space on each side and grew to maybe 7 or 8 feet tall unsupported with big thick canes. It bushed out nicely at its feet without much encouragement, and didn't get deadheaded often. There's a picture of it in its current state crammed into an arch on an older thread in the roses forum about "celebrating my spring flush". The down side of this one for your purposes would be that it isn't particularly wild looking to my eye at least, and I've never seen it set hips very much.

As several other posters have mentioned, rugosas are made to handle neglect and could handle both the winds and winter just fine. Of the two, I'd recommend Therese Bugnet if you have any blackspot pressure at all. In our summers, Hansa was a two cane leafless wonder most of the summer, and I usually have a very high tolerance for blackspot. I know a lot of folks love it, but it didn't rebloom at all for me after the spring flush. Therese is much healthier, but too young a plant to judge her rebloom yet.

If you're looking for singles, Darlow's Enigma gets huge, reblooms, and gets zero care in my yard, and blooms through the summer. It's white, so it doesn't have the impact, but it might set off something with a brighter color.

Sounds like fun - let us know what you decide!
Cynthia

Oooh, Darlow's Enigma is a good call. I like that idea. What to put with it.....? Personally, I'm a sucker for the Gallicas, but I don't know if a once-bloomer is going to get someone hooked on roses. My sister is a big Jane Austen fan, so something that could be found in a Regency era rose garden to go with Darlow's Enigma. That might work, since I've got one that blooms all summer. Maybe the Old Cabbage Rose or Charles de Mills?

I vote for Old Blush. She's virtually indestructible, blooms her pretty little tush off and doesn't even need or want deadheading.

One thing to think about for a rose newbie is whether these roses will get much care - the big cabbage-type roses like most gallicas look pretty ratty if they don't get deadheaded, and that might deter the "budding" rose enthusiast. If you want to put in one rose of that type for the historical effect, make sure it's fragrant to make her pine for it blooming again. My votes in the fragrant historic category for zone 4/5 would be Madame Isaac Periere, Maggie, Jacques Cartier, or Francis Dubreuil/Barcelona. All of them are highly scented for me, laugh at my winters, and rebloom at least some. MIP and FD would be the biggest contrast to a white like Darlow's Enigma, and for me every one of those roses has a toe-curling wonderful scent (and I have a poor rose "nose"). FD might have the toughest time with a full-sun spot, since he appreciates some mid-day shade.

You could also check out "shrubs" for bright spots of color that need little or no care. Lady Elsie May rarely gets deadheaded in my yard because she doesn't really need it, even though she's right by my front door, and she's a screaming "notice me" neon coral color. She blooms literally nonstop, grows bushy at least 4-5 feet, and is vigorously healthy and hardy in our zone. She would have the relatively wild feel you're looking for without the suckering, and her foliage is always clean. Her color doesn't exactly play nicely with others, so I wouldn't put a dark pink like MIP or Maggie next to her (and this is from someone who likes a bit of chaos), but with FID in front of her or Jacques Cartier bridging the gap between Elsie and Darlow, you'd have an eye-catching display from only 3 roses. There are also plenty of Explorer shrubs that would rebloom at least some, or the hybrid musks (Wilhelm is a dark color), or tough low bloomers like Eutin, all of whom have a certain amount of history behind them.

Just a thought - you have a lot of options!

Cynthia

If it was me, I'd gift two "Darlow's Enigma" (already mentioned) and one 'Basye's Purple Rose' (see link below) to go in the middle. Both are fragrant, rebloom, are cold-hardy, and can be treated as big "flowering shrubs" rather than cared-for as "finicky roses." And I'll bet that both will leave your sister saying "THOSE are roses?"

:-)

~Christopher

Here is a link that might be useful: 'Basye's Purple Rose' on HelpMeFind