Roses really can grow just about anywhere. In fact, wild roses grow naturally in northern temperate climates, including those with harsh winters. While most roses prefer USDA hardiness zones 6-9, a few will tolerate colder climates up to Zone 4. And some species roses – Rosa rugosa, Rosa glauca and Rosa spinosissima – are even more hardy.
‘Morden’ Blush is a low-growing, ever-blooming shrub rose that’s a member of the Parkland series.
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
If you’re looking for a cold-tolerant hedge rose,
‘Prairie Joy’ is a good option.
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Large clusters of brilliant red, 1-inch, very double blooms cover the mounding
Scarlet Meidiland™ rose.
Photo Credit: ©2001 Dolezal Publishing/John M. Rickard
Of course, gardeners living in these cold-winter climates didn’t necessarily want to limit themselves to growing only these roses in their gardens. And thanks to wonderful advances in rose breeding, they don’t have to! Today, home gardeners can enjoy beautiful sprays of various rose blooms just like their Southern counterparts – provided they select hybrids especially bred to tolerate cold and resist disease.
The best rose choices for cold-weather climates are those that grow on their own rootstock, since grafted bud unions are vulnerable to damage from freezing temperatures. Researchers at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the University of Minnesota and House Meilland in France (among others), have created beautiful roses that reliably survive temperatures to USDA zones 2 and 3 with limited winter care.
Some hybridized, grafted roses are better able to survive freezing, expanding the choice if you live in Zones 4-6. The Parkland and Explorer series – developed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and named after prominent Canadian landmarks and pioneers – include several shrub roses with excellent cold tolerance. The various hybrids include roses with large blooms that are single, semidouble and double.
If you do choose roses that are grafted, they should be planted deeply in cold climates: Protect the graft and lower stems by planting bud unions 2-4 inches in the ground. Also tie canes in fall to prevent wind damage, and allow rose hips to ripen to enhance winter hardiness.
Of course, even cold-tolerant roses need some protection to help them survive extreme weather. Pruning, mulching and rose caps may be required in the coldest of regions. And tree roses – which are very susceptible to cold – may need to be moved indoors in winter (or tipped and buried; see Extras) to prevent damage. In fact, in the very coldest climates, shrub roses can also be protected by tipping.
So just because you live where snow falls, it doesn’t mean you have to give roses the cold shoulder. Rose breeders have created so many lovely plants that do well where winter winds whistle and blow – just off your plants a little cold-season protection, and they’ll bloom beautifully come the growing season!
