New Bee -- To be as helpful as possible, all of us will need to know where you live -- and if possible, your plant hardiness zone.
WHERE is really important, for Zone doesn't tell the whole tale.
One piece of advice I will give you, which does not vary by zone.
Seek out, and join, a reasonably-local affiliate Society of the ARS.
You'll learn a LOT from the experienced people who are in your immediate neighborhood.
Then run their suggestions by the good folks here, and you'll have the Best Of Both Worlds.

Jeri

I echo what Jeri said. Go to ars.org. then find a Consulting Rosarian that lives close to you. Call that person,and he,or she will be glad to help you. They will have the info you need for your area. I am a Master Rosarian and I believe Jeri is too. We love to help anyone grow their roses better!

Hi Dan and Jeri,

I am in Northern Virginia, zone 7. Thanks for the ARS suggestion. Some of my questions are so basic that I am embarrassed to ask... was hoping to seek the anonymity of books and videos. :-D

Really basic questions are wonderful.
Give us all a chance to look smart, and ask away.

There are at least a few folks here from your general area.
And remember -- you can always bounce the answers from your local ARS folks against those of us here.

We may even disagree. What fun! :-)

Jeri

Indeed ask away. We are all here to help. My sister is part of the Tidewater Rose Society in Norfolk. Is that near you?

One of the best basic books you can read is "Roses For Dummies". It gives you the basics for picking the proper rose bush for your zone and for the care level you're willing to give. It gives planting and care instructions and is easy to understand. But don't feel intimidating by the rose experts at your local rose society. Most of them started out just like you and they're more than willing to share their knowledge.

new bee

Where in northern VA do you live? Are you anywhere near Fredricksburg? if so, a new small nursery, Hartwood Roses is right nearby off 17 on the west side of I95. The owner, Connie is great people.

Liz

I second Liz, Go see Connie at Hartwood. Don't feel shy--or overwhelmed. We've all in been in your place.Also, Robert is up your way and so, I think is Olga. Give your town and I'm sure your rosy neighbors will pop their heads up here.

Olga is in Maryland (DC area somewhere, I believe), so her winter is a little colder, but she's still hugely helpful!

You can see even more of her posts & comments over on the Antique Rose forum. She has the most amazing pictures of her stuff when it's in bloom!

(Oh, and by the way, don't assume the "antique" roses are more difficult to grow! As long as you pay close attention you may well find that there are some old beauties that will be easier for you to grow. Their genetic heritages vary more, and also are often simultaneously less complex, so it becomes easier to find a set of them that grow well in your particular climate (and other sets that may be impossible without a greenhouse or a maniacal dedication to their growing requirements). For example, where I live in the Boston area is tailor-made for growing the rose classes known as gallicas, albas, and rugosas, but the china, tea, and noisette roses that grow best in the Deep South are far less easy to grow here. You also may find that there are species roses that appeal to you.)

Hey there New Bee, I live in Woodbridge, VA (Prince William county along I-95). Its pruning time here -- yes, my forsythia is blooming merrily in the snow this morning -- good thing you watched Paul's video. My big suggestion is...don't buy hybrid teas unless you want to spray weekly. Our BS pressure is too high, even HTs that are disease resistant elsewhere get cruddy here. Summer rainfall is unreliable so plant your roses where a hose can reach. Rosemania.com has lots of neat articles on rose care, might be another good reference for you.

Hi Newbee
Questions are welcomed here, so don't hesitate. These fine folks have answered all my silly rose newbie questions
and have been very helpful.

Happy growing,
Avalon

Newbee, I am in Maryland, North of DC (Rockville area). Where are you in VA? We could be less then just a few miles apart. I second Cecily's suggestion to start from something more reliable in our climate then Hybrid Teas, unless yo plan to spray on regular basis. Please let us know what do you really want from your garden? Cut flowers, just good looking yard, fragrance, etc? There is a lot of experienced people here and on the Antique rose forum. Certainly there are roses that will work for you and we can help you to find them.
As for rose culture it is not that difficult. Our soil around here is mostly red clay, roses love it in my experience. If you start from healthy varieties all they need will be at least 4-5 hours of direct sun, some watering during summer heat, prunning in spring and a little fertilizer (organic or just cheap 10-10-10)once or twice per year.
You probably also will need to learn to close your eyes or look in other direction when japan. beetles are around :)
Olga

Although I have been into roses for well over thirty years, and am a CR Emeritus, I have found the book, "Roses For Dummies," extremely helpful and recommend it whenever I can. I ordered my fist copy from Amazon on line several years ago, and find it great for the novice and expert alike. It's written in laymen's language and is loaded with lots of great facts and tips for the rose grower.

Wow!! Thank you all for the support! I feel so much better knowing that I have so many amazing resources available to me. I live in Ashburn, Virginia and I am looking forward to learning as much as I can. I definitely need *somewhat* low maintenance roses- I have a two-year old son, another on the way and a 6-month old Golden Lab puppy. And I work full-time. I will definitely be staying away from anything that either needs to be sprayed regularly or is too "delicate." We are going to be installing a fence in our backyard next month- to contain the three aforementioned- and I can't wait to plant a few rose beds along the perimeter. I am excited to start my research now so I know what to plant when the fence is built!

new bee

It sounds like you do have a busy life. I feel the shrub roses such as the Knockouts you already have and the other shrub roses whether they are modern such as Kordes or Buck roses or older roses are the easiest for me at least to care for. mainly because they do not need the heavy pruning each year. I maintain mine by just pruning lightly to keep them in the shape I want them in.

I would ask the others who live close to you for some suggestions.

Liz