hi buzzy..boy are you in for a change!! we grow climbers in zone 5..but some varietes that you grow in zone 8 probably won't make it through a winter here. that said..yes..we get dieback, some winters more than others, but they seem to just grow fast and make up for lost time!!winter protection..we mulch well..a good 6'', or we hill up soil around the canes to a good 6'' or more. i just mulch.as for austins..i grow many, and they do well here. there is a method of tying your climbers and wrapping them in burlap, etc., i've never tried it, so i don't know if it makes a huge difference, but generally speaking..you can grow good climbers. donna

Abraham Darby, Sharifa Asma and Graham Thomas have survived the winter without protection. Golden Celebration, A Shropshire Lad, William Shakespeare 2000, Tamora and Molineux died. The Romantica Frederic Mistral also survived the winter without protection. Buck roses such as Earthsong, Aunt Honey, Prairie Sunrise and Quietness also do well as do OGRs Rose de Rescht, Louise Odier, Baronne Prevost and Jacques Cartier. Then there are the Rugosas.

I'm still experimenting. So far almost everything survives as long as you bury it deep. My biggest problem last year was canker in the spring so I'm trying to see what happens this winter if I don't do extra protection. Last year I had eight roses, 2 Neptunes died (one of canker, one of sickness/bad transplant) and my Westerland died (canker). John Cabot, Ingrid Bergman, Ebb Tide, Peace, and Princesse de Monaco all survived and grew well.

As for climbers, you have to be careful about what you chose. Most climbers are only crown hardy which means they don't get very big. Climbers that are tip hardy are going to be Explorers like John Cabot (which has been great for me), John Davis, Henry Kelsey, Quadra, etc...

The biggest difference you'll see is that the roses don't get nearly as large as they have to start over every year. The good thing about this is you can plant them closer together and fit more roses into the same space.

The following article might be of some help. It is the condensation of a panel discusion of rosarians in the lower Great Lakes area,
Steve.

Here is a link that might be useful: How to Grow Roses

Depending on what your Z5 is like since it can vary greatly. I'm in rural Z5 and as for climbing types I can only grow once blooming ramblers. I've tried dozens and dozens of so called "hardy" large flowering climbers but they all die back and take too long to regrow.
The only repeat climber I have that doesn't die back is Louise Odier.
Be very wary of recommendations for large flowering climbers unless you are in a more sheltered or urban setting...or plan to go to great lengths to protect them (like tipping and burying).

You have to really research your climbers to find those that are cane hardy. Unfortunately they are mostly once-bloomers, or if they repeat it is scant. I grow New Dawn, some Canadian Explorers, Chianti and Constance Spry(older Austins) and unknown OGR as climbers and I am always searching for more, but have to be very choosy. Don't want to plant a rose that gets killed to the ground every winter and blooms only on old wood! Or one that is supposed to be a climber that only grows to 3' because it keeps getting set back from the winter.

I grow a lot of Austins and have rarely lost any. I bury the bud union 4-6" deep. They don't need any winter protection, but certain ones benefit from some insulation so they get a better start in the spring. A pile of pine needles around the base is the most I do, and only for 2 or 3 of them.

The roses that seem to really dislike my zone 5 are the hybrid teas. They need winter protection, and despite that still don't really thrive, if they do make it over the winter. There are probably some that are better than others.

I grew a lot of hardy shrub roses in Ohio--the best performance consistently came from Griffith Buck's roses and Kordes shrubs. The HT's were just too much work to winter-protect and often died anyway. Climbers: I had few due to not wanting to deal with dieback-- as veilchen mentions, Austin's once-blooming Constance Spry was cane-hardy for me, also Kordes once-blooming Alchymist, a glorious rose!, and an old old Brownell climber Elegance. If our area had had reliable snow cover there might have been more possibilities-- we were on a farm on an isolated windswept hill. Rugosas Roserie de l'Hay and Fru Dagmar Hartopp (aka Frau Dagmar Hastrup) seemed to love it. I'm in Virginia now but there are roses I cannot grow HERE that I used to grow THERE and I miss them! It's an advanture to change climates, enjoy the ride!

rugosa hybrid roses are hardy anywhere. And get the bonus of hip production. indestructible.

I have had good luck with austin roses being hardy here in zone 5 IL. Heritage, and graham thomas and mary rose. Also "lovers delite" aka fisherman's friend, an austin, is totally cane hardy here. Also "the generous gardener" a cream colored, short climber.

rose de rescht - hardy. and all the gallicas and albas (once blooming) totally hardy.

Explorer roses hardy, except that mine get some blackspot. There are several climbers in this group.

buck roses do not necessarily remain cane hardy, but they sprout back so vigorously it is amazing. I have had some good, some not so good of the buck roses. Carefree beauty being the best.

All the above are 100% NO protection.

I have others that I mound with leave mulch that usually make it but no guarantees.

Also, check out the Missouri Botanic Garden (1/2 zone warmer than you in St. Louis) and Chicago Botanic Garden. Their websites will likely be of help.

I grow New Dawn and get some to total cane dieback, depending on the winter. It makes up for it quite fast, though. Karl Lagerfeld might as well be a climber/pillar, and it survives, though in a protected area.

The Chicago B.G. grows John Davis and John Cabot unprotected and they are huge. If I had the space for either, that would be a place to start, as they are always in bloom.

Sympathie, Ramblin Red, Quadra, John Cabot, William Baffin, Alexander McKenzie, Angela that are excellent big roses for zone 5 with little or no dieback. Once in awhile New Dawn would lose a foot or two but the quick regrowth would soon make up for what was lost. I do not do winter protection. Also I would check out whether a rose needed new wood or old wood to bloom. Constance Spry is one of those roses that was not reliable around here as she needed old wood to bloom, many years she only had one or two blooms. I also plant the graft at least 4" deep.

Good luck with the move.

Valerie

Easy Elegance roses are another group to consider. Some have Buck roses in their background. Tahitian Moon is billed as a climber. Macy's Pride is a combination of Graham Thomas and Carefree Beauty, while Sweet Fragrance uses Earthsong(Buck) and All That Jazz. The breeder is Ping Lim
http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=7.8502&tab=2

Here is a link that might be useful: Easy Elegance Roses

{{gwi:343333}} 2 yr old new dawn in June{{gwi:343334}} and August in zone 5...started as a tiny band

Hey Susan, what is that vine with the heart shaped leaves? Looks like it grew pretty quickly and blends nicely with ND. I have just the place for something like that.

I'm just curious. Why are you planning to move here? If I had known then what I know now, I would not have taken the transfer I was pushed into. I would have stayed in Auburn.

When you do come and you are trying to register your car, make sure you have available your income tax records for the previous two years. You will need that for property tax clearances. You might need some other proof of residency stuff as well. You will need to call the county where you are going. Property taxes are paid retroactively in December so there goes the Christmas fund. Also, it is a good idea to have a basement available or an otherwise underground shelter available because this is tornado alley, and we get them because the storms come right out of Kansas. Also, be prepared for much higher utility bills than in Washington.

Bogie,
It is a Morning Glory Vine. If left unattended it would take over the world. I love it; it is cheerful, blooms well into Novenber, and comes in BLUE!!!!