If you're a zone 6b, like me (though I have a hunch you might be milder) that you can still plant gallicas and rugosas.

Roserie de L'hay is a beautiful shrub. Mutabilis, while a china, is nice too, I finally saw a mature specimen down at the Maryland zoo, and it was beautiful. Mine is a baby, apparently they can get as big as a Volkswagen, but the one down at the zoo wasn't that large.

There is an excellent and underappreciated rose garden with over 2000 different cultivars in Lexington at the arboreteum near the football stadium. It's a four hour drive for us and worth the time. You might enjoy seeing mature OGR plants there and see if you like them or decide that they belong on your "not my favorites" list..
Since I think Chinas and Noisettes are excellent roses for my growing conditions, I'll pass on making specific recommendations.

Thanks, Oath5. Those are both great suggestions.

Ann, Do you know the name of the arboreteum and when it is best to visit? Lexington is not terribly far (over an hour but maybe not much more).

which means that the gardens are probably still in best bloom. Its name is the Kentucky Arboretum.
For fragrance, early morning visits; for photography early morning or late evening.
The website has enough of an address to yahoo or google a map.
(If you're near Frankfurt, the mature roses in the state cemetery are probably still in bloom. It's a neat place, too. But none of the roses in that cemetery have been studied according to several locals I've asked.)

Here is a link that might be useful: The Arboretum's homepage.

I too am from the north, transplanted 3 years ago to KY - the hybrid musks do very well for me here, and my experiments with bourbons and chinas have done well also. I just started with teas and have had some success although the late spring frost this year spelled death to my climing teas and tea noisettes. Since the teas take a while to build their structure I'm growing quite a few of them in large pots until I can evaluate their survival potential. I don't winter protect them and so far I've done fine with them. I do grow some of my old northern favorites, rugosas in particular because they are so undemanding, smell wonderful, and can take some of our less than favorable soils.

I don't have many roses yet - maybe two dozen varieties with some repeats in the ground and almost that many in pots that I'm watching - but I'm beginning to develop favorites. I can identify certain varieties but, like Ann, I think seeing first hand at a public garden is invaluable. You can really separate the good "doers" from the weak in those situations simply because maintenance in a public garden can be less than in a home garden situation. Being a lazy gardener I tend to choose the easiest to maintain. I mix the no smell, "will grow in pavement" types with the divas, and yet I never spray. So it's fun to experiment and discover what you like and how you like to garden.

Have fun.

I live about an hour north of Louisville. I have several roses that are in about their 3rd year. I seem to order mostly Gallicas, I love the deep colors. I have Charles de Mills, Tuscany, Tuscany Superb, Hippolyte, Ombree Parfaite, Chianti, La Belle Sultane, Belle de Crecy, Paul's Himalayan Musk, and a few others I can't think of now. The Uncommon Rose was my favorite place to order from, and I placed an order the week before they closed. I don't really have places yet to plant them all. You would be welcome to stop by to see the growth habits of these roses if you are ever in the area. We are on the way to the French Lick Springs Resort-that would make a nice weekend getaway.