Will height make a difference with the deer? Here they seem to love bark as well as shoots.

So, in Italy, it's all bite and no bark?

I don't think our whitetails eat bark much.

The deer will decimate a Hugonis; you will have to fence it.

BTW: you can find all about any particular rose on Help Me Find Roses. Search on the rose and then check the tabs under the header. You will find 'Buy From' on the right. Click on the tab and it will tell you every vendor that sells the rose. Apparently, Rogue Valley Roses also sells R. Hugonis.

Here is a link that might be useful: 'R. hugonis' rose Nurseries

The apple orchards would disagree, Michael. Roses seem safe from that, though.

I'd recommend a rudimentary cage. I'm trying to remember exactly how Clermont protects young evergreens. It's something not terribly different from good, homemade tomato cages - a cylinder about 4 ft tall made of reasonable heavy gauge wire with 2 or 3 inch openings. It protects the plants from being completely destroyed, but isn't difficult to construct or install. They seem to be left in place, and for a rose, could stay in the plant until they rust away.

Regarding Austrian Copper, I've never seen it in the East. I have seen it's sport parent, R. foedita. Dead. More than once. It seems to have issues beyond mere blackspot in this climate.

Depending on what you are looking for, R. moyesii 'Geranium' may be more what you want.

Thank you, everyone, for your advice. I accepted the fact that deer would attack whatever roses I will eventually grow there. I don't mind they eat the lower parts as they would be blocked from view by the confers anyway. As long as the plants are tall enough, I figure that I at least can get SOME flowers.

I am intrigued by Geranium, which seems also perfect for that location.

Thanks again for the input, including saving me from the probably disappointment of growing Austrian Copper.