This is by no means a complete list of roses
available. It's just a short list of some that have good ARS
ratings and we have growing in our gardens. Check out the
reviews below by some of our members. We may not all be champion
rose growers yet, but we know what we like and what works
for us. Feel free to let us know if you've had different experiences
with the roses we review.
What our members say
This from Penny...Madame Hardy
was introduced in 1832 and the old girl still looks lovely.
When in bloom in June she is a covered with 400+ blooms.
I have generally had 5-6 weeks of flowers. Tall, 6ft in
my garden this alba has blossoms 2 inches across with a
perfect green button eye. The fragrance is lovely. Foliage
is blue green and tends to be sparse at the bottom so it
looks good with something in front of it. It grows in an
urn shape and when you don't prune it can get rather leggy
and floppy. Prune Madame just once after she has finished
blooming. PNL, Brooklyn Park, MN 2/2001
This from Carole...A MacKenzie (also Alexander Mackenzie)
If you need a bush that takes
up a four foot area, repeats well, won't pout if you neglect
it then I have a rose for you! I planted this rose several
years ago and my only complaint is that it is getting too
large. I can barely reach the top to dead head let alone
see the blooms. Thank God I accidentally put it in the back
row of the rose bed. Most catalogs say four feet but I'm
five feet and I can barely reach the top. Norma's figures
of six to eight feet are more accurate. This shrub was introduced
in 1985. It is a "Winter Hardy" Explorer rose that is highly
resistant to blackspot and powdery mildew. The deep red,
cup-shaped flowers, produced in clusters of 6 - 12, have
an average diameter of 3 inches. The flowers closely resemble
those of a Grandiflora or Hybrid tea rose, but the plant
is much hardier. It grows upright and is very vigorous.
The foliage is shiny, almost waxy. This bush has Queen Elizabeth,
Red Dawn and Suzanne in its background. CS, St. Anthony,
MN 10/2000
This from Kim...Henry Kelsey (medium
red shrub, Svejda, 1984) 
My Henry Kelsey is planted against the south side
of our white garage. This rose has taken a few years to
really get going. In it's third year, it has put out several
sturdy (> 1/2 inch diameter) eight to nine foot canes. The
first flush of bloom has been heavy, but mine has not repeated
much - I hope that this will improve with maturity. Blooms
start a clear red and fade to fushia - which can be a color
clash if you're mixing with oranges! I have had only minimal
disease problems (slight blackspot end of season at the
base, no mildew) with no preventative spraying. Henry Kelsey
has been tip hardy for me in its protected location. This
has lived up to its name as a hardy climber here. KSL,
White Bear Lake, MN 10/2000
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This from Kim...Prairie Princess
(orange pink shrub, Buck, 1972)
Still with buds and blooms as I write this, I grow Prairie
Princess as a pillar type climber around a lamp post. It
has pretty bloom form and is a good rebloomer all season.
Thick canes coming from the base easily reach six plus feet
each season (including its first) - seems like I'm always
cutting the thing back. Prairie Princess is very hardy and
is also the parent of many other hardy roses developed in
the northern midwest and Canada. Disease resistance is quite
good. Mine had been paired with another Canadian hardy climber
John Davis, but for two years in a row, John Davis
completely mildewed while Prairie Princess didn't contract
the disease. I do not spray for foliar diseases and I have
been quite pleased that Prairie Princess comes through with
minor problems, losing only the bottom leaves by season's
end. KSL, White Bear Lake, MN 10/2000
This from Bob...Martin Frobisher
(red Hybrid Rugosa) I think of this Explorer rose as
Martin the Monster. He's supposed to mature into a plant
four to six feet tall, but ours rises to eight, with a breadth
about half that. Light pink flowers bloom all summer and
well into the fall. Even in winter he's impressive, with
canes turned to red and no longer overpowering the Japanese
Upright Yew alongside. Seasonal care is negligible: alternate
organic and chemical feeding, along with other roses, but
he gets less than most. He gets full sun for only four to
five hours. No disease problems have arisen in the four
years he's been in our garden, and we've given him no winter
protection except to tie the tallest canes to prevent winter
wind damage. RJW, Minneapolis, MN 1/2001
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This from Bob...Champlain (dark
red Hybrid Kordesii)
This is an old standby familiar to many rose gardeners and
an attractive addition to any garden. I like the clear,
dark red of the blossoms, the crisp green of the leaves
and the compact size -- about three feet high and wide.
Although we have only one plant, I think a row of Champlains
would make a striking backdrop. Ours gets some fall mulching
but no other winter protection. It's also sturdy, unintimidated
by nearby cotoneaster bushes that in midsummer want to shoulder
it aside, and oriental lilies that would traumatize a less
independent-minded rose. Our Champlain gets normal feeding
and is included in normal spraying for disease prevention.
RJW, Minneapolis, MN 1/2001
This from Debbie...Morden Centennial
(medium pink shrub)
Medium to deep pink (hot weather washes out color), bursting
with blossoms when blooming: 3 flushes on average a summer
of bloom. Very hardy. With no snow cover the canes may die
to the ground, but regenerate in the spring. Drawback: almost
no scent. DR, Lakeville, MN 1/2001
This from Norma...Heritage (light
pink shrub)
Another white with pink edges but with a translucent porcelain
appearance. Fragrance that can fill a room. NB, Apple
Valley, MN 1/2001
This from Penny....Lilac Rose
(pink blend shrub, David Austin) This David Austin 1990
introduction is one of my favorites. Very short in stature
but big on bloom and scent. Held up well in the last 5 day
unofficial heat wave. If you like old world charm you have
to have this rose. PNL, Brooklyn Park, MN 7/2001
This from Kim...Wanderin Wind (light pink shrub, Dr
Griffith J Buck) This is
a wonderful tall pink shrub rose. The flowers are a pale
pink with a silvery reverse, very double, and wonderfully
fragrant often described as and old garden rose fragrance.
I first saw an established plant in August and it was profusely
blooming. I like to mix the once blooming old garden roses
with reblooming shrubs for season long color. I put 'Wanderin
Wind' next to 'Therese Bugnet' (who has a sparse rebloom)
and I have not been disappointed. 'Wanderin Wind' easily
gets to 5', has a nice shape with flowers and foliage from
top to bottom. The plant is regarded as one of the hardier
Buck roses. KSL, White Bear Lake, MN 02/2002
This from Kae...Frontenac (pink shrub)
I admit that I'm not overly fond of single or semi-double
roses, but Frontenac has got to be the exception. For the
record Frontenac averages between 20 and 25 petals, is deep
pink, is winter hardy to zone 3 and was introduced in 1992
as part of the Canadian Explorer series. It blossoms from
June through the end of the growing season. In November
of 2005 I had several buds on the shrub when the killing
frost finally came. However, in its first flush of the season,
you will have trouble finding the green beneath all of the
pink. It has good disease resistance. Originally I purchased
it because I liked the name, and I had use for a pink shrub.
I found out later that our family has ties to Frontenac
in Canada. For a shrub that was supposed to be small, getting
only 3-4 ft. in height, mine has overwhelmingly exceeded
that. So much so that I am afraid I will have to move it
to where it has more room. Last season, I had 4 ft canes
shoot up almost overnight. I tend not to spray unless necessary
though I do feed twice a season. My other roses do get aphids,
but I have never found any on this particular plant. I recommend
it to anyone with halfway decent soil who also wants to
spend time enjoying it instead of pampering it. Most of
the canes have been staying green throughout the winter;
last year I had very little dieback - mostly just debudding
the dead flowers and taking off the hips. Frontenac is splendid.
KaeB, St Paul MN 3/2006
Have something to add about shrub roses and old garden
roses? Let
me know!
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