I have a Knock Out Rose (I know not really a rose) that my mother gave me that is finally croaking. I am going to replace it with a "Real Rose" but I don't know what to get. I need something hardy for sure, needs to tolerate Oklahoma heat, can be climbing or bush. I had a Joseph's Coat? years ago and really liked it so something along that line would be pretty.
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
I can do irises and daylilies with no problem but roses are out of my knowledge base.

Lori - Knock Outs are real roses. Just some of us don't like them because they don't "look" like a rose. Now, what color, shape, size, scent, etc are you looking for? I'm not too good at picking out roses for humidity as I'm in an exceedingly dry climate, but most of us here probably can help you.

That's just it, I am not real picky about any of that I guess. I just need something that is pretty tough. The Knock Outs were tough but were not fragrant at all and really were not that pretty.

Well, my oldest rose I have is a Mardi Gras.

Rose (Rosa 'Mardi Gras')

I planted that rose in 2008 when I had less than no clue. It's a wonderful rose, almost constantly in bloom once mine gets going, survives my winters with no problems, etc. But if you're looking for scent, Mardi Gras doesn't have much of one. You may want to try a Mr. Lincoln then. Can't go wrong with Mr. Lincoln.

Hybrid Tea Rose (Rosa 'Mister Lincoln')

Actually, Mr. Lincoln, Oklahoma, Olympiad.. those 3, to me, are almost interchangeable as they look & smell almost identical. But Mr. Lincoln has larger blooms that purple as they age and Olympiad are more of a clearer, hotter red.

Rose (Rosa 'Olympiad')
Rose (Rosa 'Oklahoma')

Pure Perfume is a great scented white.
Rose (Rosa 'Pure Perfume')

Golden Masterpiece is a magnificent yellow.
Rose (Rosa 'Golden Masterpiece')

And, of course, my absolute favorite, BlueGirl
Rose (Rosa 'Koelner Karneval')

All of these roses are tried & true in my garden.. so if I can grow them, anyone can grow them!

@enidcandles, Lori ...

How did you determine you are located in zone 6B ? I looked at your historical weather temps on AccuWeather.com

http://www.accuweather.com/en/... (just click on MONTH and then click on the next month in the bottom right hand corner) and saw that your cold temps don't seem to go below 20F which would put you in cold zone 9A. Zone 6B is defined as lowest cold temps being -5F to 0F.

I think your high summer temps are going to be more of a determining factor of the survival of a rose in your climate.

Do you get summer rains ? Do you have a lot of wind during the growing season ? Would you say your climate is humid or dry ?

All of those variables can impact the health of a rose and we can make better recommendations with a little more information.

Smiles,
Lyn

I read that Oklahoma was bred for Oklahoma weather. Maybe that would be a good choice, if you like red roses.

If you have a lot of room, you may want to try an Austin rose. The southern gardeners would have better recommendations on which Austins would be suitable for your climate than I would. They can grow bigger than expected, but I like the old fashioned blooms.

Earthkind roses are tested in Texas, I think. You may want to research them. They have a list of old garden roses and modern roses that have performed well in trials. They judge disease resistance and water requirements, I think. I read about them on Chamblee's roses website, but my climate is much different from the climate tested by the Earthkind judges.

I like to read reviews from other gardeners in similar climates before buying a new rose.

I don't know how far you are from Tyler Texas. Several rose companies are located there. They have display gardens. It would be a fun road trip if you are nearby. Dave wrote about a trip to Chamblees recently.

Lyn, our lowest temps last year were way below zero! It get cold here for sure I know we got down to -10 for sure and maybe lower than that.
I will check into Oklahoma, I surely can't go wrong with one made for our climate.

Andi, we are mostly dry and hot, hot in the summers. Normally low humidity except spring when we could have trouble cool temps and too much moisture. The wind is crazy, sometimes blowing 30-40 mph for days on end so yes to windy!

I appreciate all of the suggestions and will do a little research.

I have humid summers, so black spot is a problem. Black spot is a fungal disease that affects rose leaves. They get black spots, turn yellow and fall off. It can weaken the rose, but mostly makes it look nasty. I use systemic fungicide to keep the leaves healthy and green. You may not have to do that in a drier climate.

My springs are also very wet. We have freeze thaw cycles in February and March. The ground thaws to mush in the day and refreezes at night. It was colder this year, so we just got several feet of snow that didn't melt until April.

You may also want to think about if you are willing to spray the roses for diseases. If you want to grow roses naturally, choose more disease resistant varieties. There are some books about growing roses organically. I gave it a good try for a couple of years, but got tired of blackspot. for what it is worth, the knockouts get black spot in my area as well.

I have gotten black spot on the old climbing roses here so I know it is for sure a problem. I don't mind spraying if I know what to spray with.
We have the same freeze, thaw patterns in early spring sometimes so it can be a mess. We just never know for sure, our climate here is pretty unstable. As soon as you think you know the pattern, it changes.

Enid isn't all that far from me. You have more trees and a little more humidity, but we should be able to grow the same roses. If you're up for a road trip, go to Roses Inc in Tulsa and you'll be able to see the roses in bloom and make a good choice. TLC in OKC has a good selection also.

My strongest recommendation would be to buy Easy Does It.
Next choice would be Cape Diamond.
Belinda's Dream is another safe bet.
For red roses, try Super Hero, Champlain, Linda Campbell, or Kardinal Kolorscape.
Yellow, try Julia Child or Sunsprite (or the improved version, Sparkle and Shine)
Iceberg grows well, has a great scent, if you want a white rose. Milwaukee's Calatrava also has a great scent.
The Austin roses grow really well in Oklahoma without any spraying, but you will need to prune them back or most of them grow huge!
Rainbow Sorbet is a healthy, colorful rose that stays in bloom all summer long.
Seminole Wind is a beautiful rose that needs no pampering. It may be sold as Rosarium Uetersen.

Oh thank you so much Cindi! With only 2 hours between us we are pretty similar. I will have to check out TLC in OKC, I hate going to Tulsa (I always get lost). Thank you again, I will be checking them out soon.

Lori ...

Sorry I got the zone thing wrong. That's what I get for trusting AccuWeather. It depends on where they have their weather station located. For me, they report the weather down in the valley, and my weather is quite different as far as highs and lows. I should have known.

Smiles,
Lyn

LOL Lyn, I don't know where they get their info but it certainly isn't from anyone that lives here!

Lori ...

Cindi lives in a climate similar to yours, so her recommendations have been tested for your conditions.

I do have high summer temps for months on end and of her recommendations, I grow 'Linda Campbell'. It is half rugosa and half miniature. It handles my high temps quite well and has been reported to be cold hardy in zones colder than yours. I think it is going to end up being a big plant in my garden. I don't know if it is as large in Cindi's.

The big concern about 'Oklahoma' is that dark colors absorb heat and the blooms can crisp and not open well. It also is said to have a slow repeat. But when 'Oklahoma' gets it right, it is a rose to die for. When I moved to the mountains, I didn't bring my plant of 'Oklahoma' with me, so I can't confirm whether or not the blooms fry, but I do know it is a rose that likes heat.

Smiles,
Lyn

My Linda Campbell is about 4' tall and 6' wide, and it's been growing in poor soil for 3 years now. It was one of the few who had very little dieback this past winter. I would say it thrives in our extreme climate.
I have grown Oklahoma in every garden I've had, just for the scent. I planted Olympiad next to it here, and Olympiad is far and away the better rose. On the other side of that bed, I have Mr. Lincoln, Chrysler Imperial and Christian Dior. Those three have not earned their space here, in my mind. I have 3 new ones in pots ready to take their places. Oh My, Always and Forever, and Lavaglut have already impressed me with their sunfastness. If I needed long-stemmed, perfumed roses, I would work harder at keeping Lincoln, Chrysler and Dior. They are classics that deserve to be cared for. My emphasis has changed to having healthy roses that grow and bloom easily.
In past gardens, I would plant Mr. Lincoln next to my JFK rose, just because I was a history teacher and it seemed right. This house, I have JFK with Marilyn Monroe, Maria Shriver and Camelot. I think St.Patrick is in there too, but it has never bloomed. None of the roses in that bed do well. Bad karma, I think. Even Pope John Paul II died in that bed.

I have to admit that one of my best and favorite red roses is Scarlet Carpet. It gets about 45" tall and 3' wide, unlike the other smaller carpet roses. It is always clean and blooms all summer.
Today, Monte Carlo Country Club opened several first blooms. I am very impressed with this rose. Zuzu or Sue had suggested it a year or two ago when we were ordering from Palatine. I'll get some photos of it tomorrow, assuming we don't get the deluge tonight that is predicted.
One last note....Pink Home Run is a cheerful, easy rose. I just love it. I need to move it out of my formal rose bed and into a wild area where it can add color to grasses and wildflowers. I don't know if it is just this rose or what, but the Pink Home Run does not get as large as the 3 or 4 Red Home Run roses I grow.
Hope that helps!

It does help. Thank you so much for taking the time to type all of that out, I really do appreciate your efforts. Now to choose just one...surely I won't become addicted to roses too.