I think the reason you don't see it much is because most people have a few shrubs and grass. Roses aren't difficult really. I have climbers everywhere but I don't winterize them,I try to stick to the ones that don't have any dieback from the winter. I don't grow Dortmund, so can't comment on how hardy the canes are. The fact that it will not be subject to northern winds will help though.

FIrst, ignore your neighbors - they are wrong (and ignorant, so forgive them). Dortmund sounds like a perfect rose for you. I can't give you advice, as I live in zone 9, but what I would do is find a local rose society and ask them. Also drive around, and somewhere you will find roses growing. Ask that person. Local information is the best, always.

Jackie

Rose hardiness zones are often extremely optimistic. When it comes to climbers, you need something that is going to be totally hardy (no dieback at all) in a normal winter, and doesn't die back to the ground in a severe winter. The trick with climbers is the top, not the bottom where most people worry about roses. So while somebody says that Dortmund is going to be hardy enough, it may or may not be. I do know that temperatures below -20 can kill it outright.

There is a series of roses called the Explorers. They were developed by AgCanada. Quadra and Captain Samuel Holland are two that I grow, and they seem to border on the indestructible. Not only are they very hardy (in a normal, perennial person use of that word) but they are also very resistant to blackspot.

Here is a link to some of the Explorer Series Roses.

http://www.midwestgardentips.com/explorer_roses.html

I agree with mad_gallica's comments "Rose hardiness zones are often extremely optimistic". Another good climber that would be cane hardy left on the trellis in your area is 'Ramblin' Red'. Also check out link attached: Training a climbing rose video

In my backyard. (South)

I winterize my Viking Queen climber , layed down around Dec 15, with a corralled pile of leaves. In preparation , The leaves have to sit dry in paper leaf bags till they dry and curl for a few weeks so they hold the light fluffy protection all winter . I pour the curled dry leaves on the corralled laying down climber around December 21 start of winter. I use small metal garden fence 2' tall to corral the leaves. It keeps the rose cold. And I block the wind.

The best thing to do is research and more research, especially at Gardenweb. I had Dortmund, it never really thrived and flowered very sporadically but it was disease free in my no spray garden. Own root roses are better than grafted roses since you don't have to worry about the bud union being susceptible to winter damage. Some mentioned the book "The Right Rose for the Right Place" as a good reference guide to which roses will do well in your environment. Kordes roses are generally hardy as are most Griffith Buck roses and several David Austin roses are hardy to Z4. Easy Elegance are very disease resistant, come in range of colors and sizes and are own root guaranteed for 2 years. they are bred by Baileys Nursery in MN so quite hardy. Easy Elegance "Centennial" took our brutally cold winter in stride with virtually no cane damage. It flowers almost nonstop and is very disease resistant.

Thank you everyone. You have been extremely helpful.

altorama - I really appreciate that list!

Cynthia - You have really put it into perspective for me. Other than the color, I was drawn to Dortmund mainly because of the hardiness but looking at the list altaroma posted and seeing your Quadra I think this is the rose for me. The only thing I don't understand they're showing max height 5-6 and yours looks much taller, spread 21/2 -3. I wonder why that is. How many do you have planted there in your picture? BTW Thanks so much for the photos. Beautiful!

Mila - I think Quadra would do nicely for you if you have a structure sturdy enough for it to grow on. The picture I have is just one Quadra, and it totally fills the arch. I'd had it growing free standing for a few years because I was too lazy to find and set up an arch (like my John Cabot & Alexander MacKenzie nowadays), and it became a huge 7X5' monster with big thick thorny canes. Wrestling that monster into the arch you see took a full day, tying up as many canes as I could bend into submission, which is why I can speak with good authority on its thorniness!
I had to double check your remark of 5-6' on helpmefind.com (the best rose resource out there), and surprisingly they list this one as only 6-8'. Mine starts the year at a good 7-8' and grows on from there, since it doesn't lose any cane over the winter. It's set in the middle of the arch and the canes are tied as horizontally as I can get them on the arches to each side. You want to try to do that for any climber, since it's the canes the rose grows off horizontal canes that will be the best bloomers, and you avoid a climber that only blooms at the top. Quadra fills in the middle of the arch too with blooms which makes a nice full effect.

Glad the photos help, and we're always ready to enable fellow gardeners! Palatine sells Quadra I think, as does High Country Gardens and several other northern suppliers.

Cynthia