I think it also depends on the nursery location and their shipping method. Roses Unlimited has a great reputation, but they are in South Carolina, which is clear across the country from me. My roses spent 8 days in a box and they arrived in poor condition. Roses Unlimited also delayed shipment until May, because they were having a harsh winter, which meant my roses entered my brutal summer way too early. Now I only order from nurseries that are close to where I live. Heirloom Roses is in Oregon, the state next to mine and their plants arrive to me extremely green and healthy. Burlington Roses is in California and she uses USPS to ship the plants. She sells young bands, but they arrive to me in no time and in great condition.

I highly recommend them. I've been ordering from them for years and just got an OSO Easy Paprika from them which is huge and blooming! They are a safe bet.

6 OSO Easy babes arrived from IN safely w/ just 2 small stems broken ~ no big deal. I temporarily/promptly parked them in containers (prep'd in anticipation). I meant to keep them there for at least a week to get over the stress of the travel but today was a gift from Ma Nature ~ cool & sunny ~ lower 80s temp w/ nice breeze & clouds to break the sun, intermittently ~ couldn't ask for a better day, so all 6 OSO Easy (4 Mango Salsa & 2 Paprika) babies are now in their permanent homes! I felt like Christmas in August! BTW ~ Peachy Cream baby since planting in the ground (Mid Jul) has been a non-stop bloomer ~ started by producing 1 bud at a time daily, now for the first time has a stem w/ multiple buds to flash soon! Honey Bun has been in the 1-bud-a-day stage as well as Paprika #1 (heat-wave may have delayed adjustment time)! FWIW

Although I don’t have cold winter issues, I actually like the smaller sized containers that High Country Roses sends out. I find them easier to deal with, when it comes to digging the holes and planting them. The really large potted roses that I’ve purchased locally are a real pain to lug around, especially if they’re going on my slope. A 5 gallon rose does bring instant gratification, but digging a hole and installing a gopher cage of that size, is too much work for me these days. I’ve been really happy with all my roses from High Country Roses, and when I’ve called and left a message, Matt returned my call promptly. He’s super helpful and friendly, too. I wouldn’t hesitate to call and ask him for some suggestions. He’s passionate about roses, and seems to really enjoy talking about them. I’ve gotten many of my roses from Burlington Roses. She’s really good about responding to emails. I think she’d have some good suggestions, if you emailed her with your requirements. Her shipping prices can’t be beat, either. Like I said, I don’t know anything about cold climate roses specifically, but I’ve been extremely satisfied with those two vendors in particular. Lisa