Growing roses in rural Michigan has been a learning experience.
While a lot of roses are crown hardy in Z5 living in a rural low lying area has been challenging.
100's of shovel pruned roses later I have come to find that Rugosas are most dependable. I can hear some of you sighing now thinking... blaa Rugosas.... but please reconsider since they come in many of sizes from ground cover to huge shrubs and many blossom forms from single to double. The bonus is their intense, wonderful fragrance and disease resistant foliage that needs no spraying and most of them are non stop bloomers June until October.
Next on my list of cane hardy favorites are Albas. These ancient lovelies are a must have but many shy away from them because they're once bloomers. Well I say POO to that! I wouldn't be without my once blooming roses anymore than I'd be without my once blooming lilacs, peonies, iris, flowering crabs etc. etc.
As one rose lover put it: "Once blooming roses are like Unicorns...you only get a fleeting glimpse of them but you will never forget them."
Some of my once bloomers will bloom up to 6 weeks so they are worthy of your garden space.
A modern once bloomer that everybody should grow is David Austin's "Constance Spry".
Constance will grow in poor soil, has very flexible canes and the blossoms are to die for ... HUGE clear pink globes with magnificent fragrance (if you're into non-typical scents/myrrh/some people hate it). Constance will get real big...8 -10 ft. so plant her where she has room to spread her loveliness around. I have Morning Glories that re-seed themselves every year under Contance so by the time shes blooming she's decked out in pretty flowers for the rest of the growing season.
If you go to my website I have more information on hardy rose recommendations.
"Constance Spry"
