Are you sure the roses will get enough sun in that spot? I have Ramblin Red here in zone 4a. It can get 8 feet, but I keep mine pruned because I don't really have anything to support it where it's at. Hope for Humanity is another pretty red. Ramblin Red has zero disease issues for me.

Here's my Ramblin Red:

{{gwi:287381}}

Rosa rugosa 'Hansa' will get you all of 6' I'd bet. I have to whack on mine pretty good to keep em at 4', but then I'm in zone 8 too. Flower color is probably on the pinker side of red but they are bulletproof and hasslefree. Here's two pics of mine.....both were labeled 'Hansa' but have different flowers. I have 6 total, five are like the first and one like the second. The redder one is a bit shorter for sure, probably in the 4' range max. (I'm thinking it was mismarked)

They use them here a lot for roadside and median planting and they seem to thrive on neglect.

{{gwi:320449}}
{{gwi:320450}}

Blanc Double de Coubert - white
F.J. Grootendorst has everything you want except scent.
Jens Munk - pink
Martin Frobisher - pink
Quadra
Red Rugosa - fushcia colored

Hope that helps.

Carol

I would recommend Quadra. Fits all your criteria. Healthy, hardy, thorny, vigorous, great rebloom, strong red color, pretty flowers.
Only one negative -practically no scent.
Olga

uh, guys I am shocked! can any rose withstand water runoff from Salt????? Uh, maybe some of you missed one of the criteria listed... Wouldn't this spell trouble for a rose?

* Must tolerate meltwater from a sidewalk that is salted in winter.

Robusta meets most of your criteria. It is unsurpassed for color. A very brilliant, unfading red. Further it is a continuous bloomer. Extremely thorny.

Well all roses have their faults. R's has a tendency to BS toward the middle of the season. Needs spraying although I've never sprayed mine. It is also scentless.

I wonder if any rose can handle salt runoff. Maybe Rugosas can although I know of no red equal to that of Robusta among Rugosas. Well I should modify that as R is a rugosa hybrid. Maybe that's why it is Z4 hardiness.

Rugosas can handle salt spray and seawater flooding. Compared to that, any remotely responsible deicing salt use is kid stuff. However, rugosas can be finicky about soil, and come in magenta as opposed to red. I wouldn't trust either the hardiness or the disease resistance of a red rugosa without a lot of research on how it did *locally*. However, Quadra is going to be bigger, and aside from the fragrance, fill the requirements. It may need some sort of support.

If the sidewalk deicing is under the OPs control, I'd recommend switching from sodium chloride to potassium chloride AKA 'runway salt'. Then that issue goes away.

Dear Rosarians,

Thank you for your support. I have been tracking down information on the above varieties and by now I am starting to want at least a dozen of each.

To answer a few questions:

kristin_flower, I have been studying the light in that area. It's not eight directly sunlit hours a day, but it is at least six. I don't expect absolute peak performance, but think I should get enough growth to make the project worthwhile. The Rosa Ramblin' Red looks like a sound way to get some height in the display.

boxofrox, The Rosa rugosa 'Hansa' is clearly a magnificent plant. I'm going to poke around and see if it has any close cousins that run more to a pure red flower. All of the Rugosa roses seem to meet my technical specs nicely.

canadian_rose, the Rugosa F.J. Grootendorst and the Rugosa Quadra are solid contenders. As olga_6b said, They seem weak on the scent issue, but realistically I didn't expect to get absolutely everything all in one plant.

serenasyh and mad_gallica commented on the salt issue. The Rugosas do have have some salt tolerance. I have already switched this property from Sodium Chloride ice melter to Potassium Chloride ice melter. However I've noticed that nearby Yew bushes will develop orange colored dead spots in the spring. I believe these spots mark places where salt laden snow gets on the foliage in winter. I also get long thin dead zones running along either side of the sidewalk every spring. I believe this is from the salt, Potassium or no.

jim_w_ny, I'm afraid I don't know what "a tendency to BS toward the middle of the season." means. In this context, what's BS?

I have also been told about "Knock Out" roses, developed by William J. Radler, the same fellow who came up with the Rosa "Ramblin Red". I now have a wealth of candidates to work with and would like to thank you all.

Thanx folks, Ken_McE

Few roses on that list will attain a height exceeding 4 or 5 feet in a Zone 4 climate. None but the Rugosas will tolerate salt exposure. Although a decent, carefree shrub, 'Knockout' will not likely exceed 4 feet and I doubt it will put up with salted roots, which once again leave you with the Rugosas. 'Hansa' would get my vote.

Well, there is zone 4 and there is zone 4. Here are some observations from tropical Minnesota zone 4a.

Hansa, is probably your best shot for height, fragrance, and salt tolerance. However, it it is not really a true red. It is a deep magenta pink and in some conditions tends towards fuchsia purple.

Robusta, here is not robust. It typically dies to the ground each winter and has a tough time recovering any size. It is a nice red though if it is hardy in your area.

Knockout here is only crown hardy, and that only after it is well established. There is no chance of Knockout getting to four feet here. It will get to two or two and one half in a good year. It is however, a very nice compact landscape plant with almost constant color and no particular disease problems.

Ramblin Red and Quadra, both have varying amounts of die back here depending on the winter. They will send up canes that will get to six feet or more, but the bulk of the plant is much lower and the long canes can use some support. Both are close to red and have nice large flowers. In my opinion, they are not landscape plants, but suited for a trellis or pillar or against a fence.

F.J. Grootendorst, grows to three or four feet here. It has large clusters of small red blooms and shows color most of the growing season. To me, it looks better at a distance than up close. It grows in a vase shape and a hedge of FJG looks a little bare legged. Perfectly hardy here.

A good contender for size and color would be Hope For Humanity. This Canada rose gets four to five feet here and has large clusters of medium size, blood red flowers. No scent to mention. It is generally cane hardy here and will increase in size from year to year. The flower clusters are mainly on the ends of canes, but the plant has compact foliage to the ground. Its salt tolerance is unknown.

Too bad that Winnipeg Parks is so short. It lacks only height to be almost perfect. It doesn't get much sidewalk salt here, but it does tolerate salty slush plowed up from the street without complaint.

I would probably go with Hansa unless real red was needed. If Hansa is happy where it is planted, you will eventually have some work to keep the plant in bounds.

Regards,

Charles

Charles

Now that is a great summary.

Ther is another rose that I have had little experience with although I have 2. Parkdirektor Riggers. Deer ate the buds. It is red although lacks the brilliance of Robusta. It is supposed to be a climber. Pickering carries it which I always grant a plus as they seem to be very astute when it comes to choosing roses. And then come to think of it I have no idea as to its' hardiness. Rated z5 in ARS Encylopedia so proabaly not that hardy. But that would depend on how well it regrows.

Just a thought!

And Hansa sounds good. I need to try it!