It would help greatly if you stated where you live. I presume you're in zone 6 from your signature in the post. Disease resistance and cold/heat hardiness are quite variable and rather location dependent. Your chances of getting good suggestions from people who garden near you and who have experience with roses which are happy and disease resistant where you are will be much greater when we know where you are.

Otherwise, about the best advice you can expect is Knock Out. Kim

Also it might help to browse through an online rose catalog or two. When some people say rose bushes, they might be thinking of hybrid tea blooms, others might prefer single petalled roses, still others the full packed multipetalled look.
Also, some bushes are a mannerly three feet or so; my Mermaid rose bush at my previous home was easily 20 feet across. My suggestion is to find several roses which appeal to you, and as Rosseek says get more specific suggestions from those who grow near you.

I live in SE Michigan. Lucille, I looked that the different types you mentioned and I'm not a fan of the single petaled look, but I like the hybrid teas and multipetaled.
Also, the area I want to plant in will tolerate a tall plant, but not a super wide one. I've thought about putting in a trellis there to encourage height, but not width. Are there varieties of roses that are better climbers?

Hello mint! I'm in Metro Detroit too! St Clair Shores to be exact. We have 3 active rose societies in the area that you might be interested in, Detroit Rose Society (meets in Troy at Coolidge & Big Beaver), Metropolitan Rose Society (also meets in Troy at 15 & Dequinder) and the Grosse Pointe Rose Society (meets at Chalfonte & 7 Mile/Moross). I can put you in touch with what ever group is most convenient. With the help of someone in your area you'll be able to find just the right rose for your yard and they'll be able to guide you in it's care. Contrary to popular belief roses are not hard to grow and do not need to be a ton of extra work to care for. PM me and I'll send you the info.

There are a lot of roses that will do well for you that aren't Knock Outs and have that fuller bloom look you like. How wide a space do you have? 2 or 3 feet or 4 or 5? It will make a difference. And do you have a color preference?

I second Seil's against Knock-outs. I killed my big and healthy Knock-out recently. It's our warmest winter in a decade, and its viscious thorns look ugly on the bare branches. I got pricked by Knock-outs many times, one person reported getting infected by a Knock-out thorn. Small polyanthas and drought tolerant Flower-Carpet roses are better choices than Knock-outs.

For safety down the road, it's best to choose ones with tiny prickles that won't pierce through gloves.

Hi this message is for Seil, I am pratically your neighbor. Shelby Twp. here. I would also like the info. On our rose societies in Metro Detroit. Thanks.

I presume with only one rose you don't want to be spraying fungicide regularly, so you need a variety that is resistant to blackspot disease. Most are not.

I'd suggest 'Earth Song,' a terrific bloomer, hardy and resistant, 4'x4'.

Here is a link that might be useful: ES at HMF

Earth song is a beautiful rose. Mine never stopped blooming here in Michigan. And very winter hardy up here. Mine is going on 5- years already. Great rose.

Most roses have thorns, it's a fact. With some care you can avoid getting poked...too much. But you will get scratched eventually. I don't base my rose choices on their thorns but rather on their blooms, health and hardiness. There are some roses that are thornless but that narrows your choices dramatically.

Hi dainty! We are neighbors! I'll send you the details on the societies too. If you are interested the Great Lakes District Spring Conference is this Saturday, March 17th at the Troy Quality Inn at I-75 and Rochester Rd. and there's still time to register! We have a full day of great rose programs and a nice luncheon planned for $35.00!

Earth Song or most any of the Buck roses would be a good choice, Michael. The Bucks do very well here and are healthier than a lot of other types. Besides that they're lovely!

The width of the area I want to plant it is about 3' wide.

As far as color preference, I like roses that have blend of colors, like the link below, but I'm not excluding solid colors either.

Earth Song is a very pretty rose. Does it climb well?

Here is a link that might be useful: Abraham Darby

For a short climber, you might consider Austin's shrub/climber called St. Swithun--lovely pink/white blend. The description at helpmefind describes it as shrub, but if you go to the David Austin site, it says it can be a shrub or a climber, depending on how you prune it. (Basically, don't prune it if you want it to grow taller and "climb")

A couple reasons I picked it for you are that it is blackspot resistant (usually the biggest problem) and it is hardy to Zone 5--as well as it being lovely.

Kate

Here is a link that might be useful: St. Swithun climber at helpmefind

A lot of David Austin roses will get tall enough to put on a trellis. You just have to research which ones. They are black spot prone here though. I have Golden Celebraton and Graham Thomas both on trellises but they both spot. GT spots more but it also blooms more. GT is much slower to repeat for me.

You can do some research at a site called:
www(dot)helpmefind(dot)com(slash)roses
In the advanced search you can put in the breeders name and you can look at all of his roses. Or just pick a color and search. It's a great place to explore!

Daintybess, I can't PM you so please PM me with your email address so I can send you the info.

Earth Song is a shrub, not a climber. With normal pruning it is 4-6' high. You could probably get it to 8' with support.

A 3' wide space is not suitable for climbing roses.
Canes need to be trained out semi-horizontally to bloom well.

Not that it is at all easy to find, but I'm wondering about Lafter. A hardy, healthy, very upright quasi-climber.