Oh Carol, in a way I am sad, only because you mentioned recently how you felt about it, and later said that you would not be going to Calgary after all. Now it has come so quickly. One thing for sure is, that it really is not too far away from Edmonton, I have stayed in both cities over the past year or so. But I did not see too much of Calgary as we stayed with friends for two nights and we drove to Lake Louise, Then met up with a group of our friends and travelled on the Rockymountaineer back to Vancouver. It was wonderful. I have been to Edmonton more times though. Early summer I stayed with my grandson's foster family. We have become good friends with them and I just put my grandson back on the plane to Edmonton this week after he was with us for a whole month. Which was wonderful. I think being in Calgary you will have to do extra winter protection for your roses. Do you plant them all in the ground or will some be in moveable pots? How long have you had Paul Shirville. I am very fond of that one, but of course I do not know it's winter hardiness. That is one that I would probably want to take with me. It is so floriforous and fragrant. I believe having some of your own roses with you will make you feel at home very soon. Hope you and your family meet some great new people and you settle down really quickly to your new lives. Please remember to send us some pics of the before and afters in your new garden when your own roses are getting established. I wish you good luck with your move and hope you, your family and your roses will be very happy there. Hugs! Pauline - Vancouver Island

Okay - I win the "dumb dumb" award - the answer was in a question that I had asked earlier about the "old wood" I thought that it must be in a different post - sorry Fern

Hansa (and other rugosa roses) will be super-hardy for you, the city of Edmonton (zone 3a) uses it in lots of city plantings and it appears to survive right to the tips without any care. Some rugosas can look a bit straggly without pruning, Hansa seems better shaped. It gives one big flush of flowers in early summer, then comes back with another flush later on, though not as impressive as the first flush. At least that's how it grows here. I personally prefer Therese Bugnet, a rugosa hybrid, as it has a more delicate appearance and nicer looking flowers but it can get very large. The Explorer and Parkland series of roses should do well for you, and will have more repeat bloomings. The Parkland were developed in Morden Manitoba I believe, so should definitely be hardy in zone 5. Champlain is part of the Explorer series of roses. I personally find these semi-hardy in my zone 3 backyard, with the lower foot or two of branches surviving without protection, but winterkill above this. Some people here find them fully hardy, maybe it depends on microclimate.

Going vertical would be good. Some climbers up the fence would take up less space and you could probably get a few shrub roses in front of those. Prairie Joy is a fabulous rose, but for me in its 3rd year it reached 5'x5' easily, shading out my Charles De mills which I then moved and killed Since it is so bushy, I don't know how it would work as a climber. John Davis is in the same colour family and makes a lovely climber with good repeat bloom. Winnipeg parks is, I believe, more tidy and also a great rose. Morden Blush (maybe too light for your palet?) and Morden Sunrise are also wonderful cold hardy choices. Centenial gets too big.