Are you sure you want antique roses for this job? I ask, because constant rebloom, vivid colors and glossy foliage aren't a combination you'd be likely to find in Europe at an early date, regardless of thorniness.

My thornless, or nearly thornless garden roses, dating from prior to 1925, are:

Chloris (matte foliage, once bloomer)
Complicata (once bloomer, single, not very fragrant)
"Dr. Peck's"/Charles Lawson of US commerce (once bloomer)
Duchesse de Brabant (some thorns, less fragrance)
Duchesse de Rohan (matte foliage)
Empress Josephine (matte foliage, once bloomer)
Gaspard Monge (once bloomer)
Gloire des Rosomanes (not glossy, and a little thorny, but otherwise fits)
Mme Jules Bouche (some thorns, cream colored flowers)
Mme Plantier (once bloomer)
Musk rose (matte foliage, reblooms for me, but wouldn't in Chicago, single)
Perle d'Or (some thorns, otherwise fits, but not cold hardy)
"Pickering Four Seasons" (matte foliage)
rosa macrantha (once bloomer, single, not very fragrant)
Sydonie (not all clone lines are thornless, and the little flowers aren't very strongly scented)

Out of the rebloomers above, I'm doubtful whether the early Polyanthas, Hybrid Chinas or Hybrid Teas would make it through a Chicago winter, even with protection. Duchesse de Brabant is supposed to be good to 5b, but is the thorniest on the list, and my nose doesn't find it worth bothering over (your nose may vary). Of the others, Sydonie is the only one supposed to be cold hardy enough for the job, and it's far from being a constant bloomer.

Good luck with your quest!

Oh, one I forgot *might* work. Barbara Worl/"Grandma's Hat"

Few thorns, big, wonderfully fragrant pink roses, an explosion of flowers in spring, followed by occasional repeat. Even kind of glossy foliage. Supposedly good to 5b. It blackspots like mad here, but you never listed BS resistance as a criterion, so...

I think there are a few less-thorny hybrid musks you might consider and lots of peachy-pink in the class. All will have some winter die-back and won't get as big for you as they will in warmer climates.

Cornelia immediately comes to mind...I did have to cut mine all the way from 8 feet in height to 1 foot this spring. As long as you have the fortitude to do that sort of thing she's wondrous.

The Polyantha Clotilde Soupert might work too...same potential zone issues for you as the hybrid musks and mine does sometimes just ball up and pout like a jilted debutante (I have her in too much shade, I'm sure). I haven't tried her cl. version though.

~Anika

Thank you for your responses!

ffff - I bet your garden is lovely with all those blooms! I liked the look of Grandma's Hat and am going to research that one a little closer. I really want to try to stick with the best rebloomers possible given my zone, but I so appreciate you listing all your other beautiful roses.

Anika - I liked both your suggestions, most especially Cornelia. I think she will be a great addition to my garden.

Thank you for the advice!

I can't really think of a rose that would thrive in the brutal sun of a western-exposure bed, especially with the added heat of the house behind it. I would think some sort of heat- and drought-tolerant plant would serve you better there.

Ingrid

Ingrid - I have double knock outs in that bed against the house now. I did lose one some years back, which I never replaced. But the others have done fabulously well there - surprisingly enough. Every year as they suffer through that brutal sun and 100 degree extremes and I think, 'Well that should get them...' And every year they grow more and get more blooms. The soil must be really good there or something. It can't be the minimal help they've gotten from me that keeps them coming back! They get haircuts and water and that's it. I am willing to baby their replacements though, especially if I can find something nearly thornless with scent to take their places. I feel like such a whiner complaining about the thorns on the knock outs because I know there are varieties with much worse claws, but the knock out flowers just don't speak to me (except as they are pricking me). When I add in the unscented part, they become more a negative than a positive for me.

If you don't think Heritage or Reine des Violettes would work for a western exposure hedge, what about Iceberg or John Clare? If you don't know of any thornless varieties that might work, can you suggest one that is fragrant but very 'mildly thorned' instead (less thorny than knock outs) that would work for Z5a?

Thanks!

I live in Australia so I have absolutely no idea about roses in your cold climate - but I have just recently purchased/ researched a lot of thornless/near thornless roses to plant along some pathways at my place. These are some of the ones I found - perhaps others could comment on whether they would work for you:

Martin Frobisher (might be good for your hedge), Zephrine Drouhin, Kathleen Harrop, Cornelia, Renae, Pinkie, Devoniensis, Sophie's Perpetual, Reine des Violettes, Eugene Furst, Adam, Aimee Vibert, Crepuscule, Heritage, Mortimer Sackler, Mme Legras de St Germain (once-bloomer), Banksia Lutea (once-bloomer). A lot of the old teas are not very thorny, but I don't know how they would go for you. In Australia they seem to prefer warmer climates.

From what I've seen so far, "Pickering Four Seasons" might be worth considering. Mine are small still, but only have tiny bristles, and they look more gallica than the Portland Rose (zone 4b) does, suggesting the possibility of at least equal cold hardiness. It might be a tolerable flush rebloomer for you, if blooms were picked or if you deadheaded. The flowers are beautiful, much like a more double version of the Portland, with similarly wonderful fragrance. "Pickering" is clean for me despite continuous exposure to rust, blackspot and mildew. Non-shiny foliage, but it shouldn't need pruning to fit under your window. Nobody has posted info on hardiness for "Pickering," so it fell off my radar when considering the original post, but I think it'd be fine.

The original white Iceberg is a great rose, cleaner than Knockout in this area, and some clones of it have pretty good fragrance, but I can't drive to the grocery store without passing a dozen of them. In this neighborhood, it's like an overplayed song. Burgundy Iceberg mildews badly here, and I don't recall finding any that pleased me with its fragrance. Since white was at the bottom of your color preference list, I figured I'd put in a plug for the "Pickering" before you headed down that path.

Kew Gardens (David Austin) is thornless, shade tolerant and survived this horrible winter remarkably well. I'm not sure of it's size potential yet, mine's a year old but it's supposed to reach 5'. It doesn't have strong fragrance but as a single rose it makes a wonderful accent mixed in with transitional English and old roses. I find it really charming.

Marie Pavie is new for me this spring - supposed to be thornless, fragrant, shade tolerant, and very hardy.

I was on a quest for shade tolerant, thornless, fragrant roses this winter. I don't grow these, but FWIW, here are my notes on what David Austin calls thornless or nearly. Perhaps others who grow these will chime in. They should all survive zone 5.

Shade Tolerant
A Shropshire Lad 5 x 4, Very Hardy, supposedly zone 4.
James Galway 5 x 3.5
Malvern Hills 12'
Mortimer Sackler 5 x 3
Royal Jubilee 5 x 3
Tranquility 4 x 3
Wollerton Old Hall 5 x 3 (Very Fragrant)

Not Shade Tolerant
Heritage 5 x 4
Queen of Sweden 4 x 2.5
Snow Goose 10'