Hardiness zones for roses

Canadian Zone Map 

United States Zone Map

Many of our rose friends have asked us to indicate the hardiness zone for the varieties we list on our website. We have not applied zones because we believe it is not of value for the majority of rose varieties. To our way of thinking the hardiness zone should identify the coldest zone the plant can survive in without suffering significant winterkill to it’s branches, which excludes from zone 5 and colder all Hybrid Teas, Floribundas and many other varieties. Unfortunately most roses require care and protection to achieve their full potential in colder areas and restricting oneself to varieties that are identified as being winter-hardy in zone 5 and colder excludes many varieties that have been grown successfully here for many years. 

As such we offer these general guidelines:

Winter protection for roses in zone 6 and colder

Types that need no protection - we consider these to be reliably winter-hardy in zones 6, 5, and 4 under normal conditions.

Polyanthas, Explorer Climbers, Ramblers, most Shrub Roses, Rugosas, Albas, Cerntifolias, Damasks, Gallicas, Hybrid Foetida & Moyessi, Hybrid Musks, Hybrid Spinossimas, Mosses, and most species varieties. 

ALL other varieties should be protected for winter. 

*There are undoubtedly specific varieties within the less winter hardy categories (Hybrid Teas etc.) that can be grown without winter protection but, individual experiences notwithstanding one is best to provide protection when in doubt. 

Protecting roses for winter doesn’t need to be complicated, or involve purchasing special materials. Simply hill the plants up with a mound of soil about 10” deep over top of the union. You can use rose collars or cones to keep the soil from washing away. This provides ample protection for the winter. Remove the remaining mound in early spring, when buds are swelling on deciduous trees and shrubs.

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