If I talk about roses, I'm talking Tennessee, still in the south, but also the southeastern extent of the great plains and the winter blasts from the continental polar air masses.
In my gardens, there are fairly healthy representatives of all the different classes of roses except for those that are half (or so) R. gigantea in their breeding. Those require winter protection.
If you'll go to the Tenarky District website on www.ars.org and look in the Katnips (district newsletter) archives, there's a write up with a few pix of our gardens and my philosophy of growing roses and what can grow here.

redsox, i don't think anyone will give you a guarantee. Next year i am going to order some chinas or teas. (out of zone) i figure if nobody does it who's gonna know? morethan likely they'll prob die of something other than cold. sometimes the plants that aren't suppose to grow here
do better and thrive more than ones that are suppose to do well for my zone. IMHO i think the zone thing is way over-rated unless i was planting a tree.

Having spent a few weeks in winter in Louisville, I can tell you that you are not 'south'. You may be south mid-west, but your conditions are entirely different than mine here in north Georgia. I suppose it depends on where exactly in KY you are. But IMO, you winter is perhaps not colder temperature wise, but more consistently and for longer than ours. I was amazed how 'grey' and chilly it was there compared to our winters in ATL.

I don't know the temp limit for teas, and I've just started with them here. They seemed to not lose any leaves at all until it got below 20 degrees and had little dieback.

As len says, I would try one or two, put them in a spot that doesn't get a lot of wind or is protected (against the house) and see what happens.

I don't know if this will answer your question, but I know that the Antique Rose Emporium here in Texas has roses hardy to zone 4. Check it out.

The University of Minnesota has a list for Selecting Hardy Roses for Northern Climates that might help. Some of the roses mentioned are grown here in zone 9 as well as zone 4.

Do you wear shoes in the Garden? South
wear them in Jan.-not deep south.

I once wore shorts and a tank top while putting up Christmas lights. I'm deep south:)

I have too gone without shoes in the winter. And a couple of years ago, we sat outside on Christmas even, sans jackets, drinking wine. I don't need the cold to have a great winter.

Now regarding the roses, seriously check out the Antique Rose Emporium. One of my favorties which is a non-stop, year round bloomer is Mutabilis.

Better not go w/o shoes in the south or the fire ants will EAT YOU UP! Brandy

I confess in Jan.usually need them.-rest of the time I go barefoot in the garden.The neighbor has holly bushes-they are the pits.

Many Christmases I have run the air conditioning and built a fire for Easter.

Buford you really got the idea of our winters. I live in Louisville and there it is more gray in the Winter than when I lived in Boston. I think Maine has more sun in Winter. Total gloom.

I might try Mutabilis.

Mutabilis is a very tender China, not recommended for zone 6. I even get some die-back in my zone on occasion.

When I went to Biltmore (Asheville North Carolina) and visited the rose garden, they had a bed of 15 Mutabilis. They had all been killed by the Easter Freeze.

In the ARE catalog, it says zone 6-9. I am very confused about this rose.

The Mutabilis is recommended for zones 6-9. Mine make it through the Christmas 2004 6" snow storm that we had here on the coast. It was the first snow in over 120 years. It stayed cold for several days, and all of my roses made it through. The Mutabilis was up and blooming shortly thereafter. Why not give it a try? If it makes it through the winter, then that is great, and if it doesn't then you are only out about $20.00. It is one of my favorites roses.

In my 6B zone Mutabilis is fine. Gets a little dieback but not much. My sister grows it here for more then 10 years, there were some really cold winters here during this period. It is at least 7x7 feet and I prune it for her each spring, taking approx 1/3 off. Gets BS and defoliates several times per summer, but continues to grow and bloom.
I lived in Louisville for 2.5 years more then 15 years ago. I grew roses there too. Much friendlier climate for roses them MD in terms of BS and JBs in my opinion. Minimal temps, if I remember correct, are quite comparable between KY and my part of MD (North West of DC).
Olga

Well, I certainly acquiese to anyone who has grown Mutabilis in zone 6, and Olga has far more experience than I do. I was just basing it on the fact that Helpmefind gives it zone 7-9 and the fact that it was killed to the ground in my garden on Easter Sunday past. I suppose there is a real difference in growing it in a climate where temperature changes are gradual and growing it in an area where temperature can go from 80 to the teens in 24 hours.

I apologize for misleading. I will just go back to lurking.

patricia43,

Don't apologize for anything. That is how we all learn by comparison. We know what growers tell us about growing conditions and hardiness zones, but each garden is different and unique. So what grows for some in a certain zone may not grow elsewhere although they are in the same zone. And of course, soil types and soil temperature have so much to do with it, along with wind, humidity, rain and temperature. What I might be able to grow here at my house, might not be able to be grown just a mile down the road.

If I offended you, I apologize. I certainly didn't mean to do so.