Your list is very helpful already since I've tried all of these roses, and none of the first four or Top of the World have ever survived for me at all in zone 5. That would make sense that if they're only root hardy in zone 6 they're not hardy in zone 5 at all. Tropical Lightning is going to be new this year so I'll give it maximum protection for as good a shot as possible.

In looking through my lists, here are samplings of climbers that don't survive for me at all in zone 5:

Blossomtime

Compassion

Papi Delbard

Joseph's Coat (surprisingly)

Annie Laurie McDowell

Mel's Heritage (but trying again REALLY protected one last time)

Raspberry Cream Twirl

Butterscotch

Candy Land

Creme de la Creme

Fourth of July

Gold Star

Guinee

Ilse Krohn Superior (tried several times, supposed to be zone 5 hardy)

Lichtkonigen Lucia

Night Light

Penny Lane

Royal Sunset

Spectra

Spice so Nice

The Impressionist/Apricot Impressionist

Valentine's Day

White Dawn

Apricot Sky

Pearly Gates

Just barely survives zone 5, but dies to the ground

Berries 'n' Cream

Dancing Queen

The Magician

Pinkie cl (needs my zone 6 pocket)

Olive

Renae (same - just barely squeaked through this year in zone 6 pocket)

Salita

Summer Wine

Coral Dawn

Frau Eva Schubert

Morning Stars

Pele

Eden (only blooms with surviving cane)

Ginger Syllabub

Jeanne LaJoie

Stormy Weather

Messire Delbard

Santana

Shadow Dancer

Aschermittwoch

Orfeo

Occasional canes surviving and reliably hardy, but mostly root hardy

Mme. Carolyn Testout

Harlekin (surprisingly)

Senegal

Viking Queen (surprisingly - supposed to be zone 4 hardy)

Victorian Memory

Polka

Dublin Bay

Louise Odier

Madame BovaryPinata

Purple Splash

Sombrueil

As for why the Explorers and other roses survive to the tips and the above roses don't, it's how they're bred. Some roses are simply more hardy and able to withstand low temperatures or temperature variations than others. It's the same reason we can't realistically grow most teas or Chinas in cold zones, or roses bred from tea/China heritage. They haven't had the hardiness bred into them, but were selected for other merits.

Cynthia

I don't know if it's because she was so small to begin with, but Margo Koster didn't like the cold one bit and only came back from the roots. I'll have more to report shortly, but neither of my Cecile Brunners look too good.

I agree with both of those (Margot Koster and Cecile Brunner) as being not at all hardy for me in several tries each.

Cynthia

Cynthia, that your list are climbers whose roots also died in zone 5, Wow. Then they won't climb in zone 6 even if they don't die.

These have been root hardy, but won't overwinter cane: White Cap, Dublin Bay Jeanne Lajoie, Lavender Lassie, Long John Silver.

Cecile Brunner is a no go around here. The only Koster I've tried was Mothersday. Loved the color, but it didn't like me.

It has been years since I've even considered trying a repeat blooming climber that doesn't come with a little Canadian map. There is just no comparison between the performance of the Explorers and other, less hardy roses.

I've got Raspberry Cream Swirl and Ilse Krohn Superior coming this spring! I'll definitely put RSC on the south side, an Ilse will just be a band so I'll decide on her final placement next spring. Sounds like she'll need the south or the south wall of my shed.

I'm glad you started this thread, Braverichard! I almost got Garden Sun this year - I was planning to put it on a trellis against the south side of the house. Does it still bloom alright and get tall for you, or is it a tall shrub?

Cynthia, how does 'Orfeo' grow and bloom when it's starting over every spring? I was thinking about this one to pair with 'Garden Sun' on that south wall.

I forgot to add, Purple Splash for some reason lost nearly all canes thid winter for me. I have two of them, one grafted and one own root, they both look the same now, pretty much all dead canes from 5 inches or so above ground.

I was really stunned by Golden Showers as I have read in many places that it is hardy to zone 4, so no idea of what happened.

I do have Collette, planted in the fall in the form of a large, 3 gallon own root, I think its canes are all green but I have to check that side of the yard.

My Colette is grafted on Dr Huey, and I have grown her for at least 5 years. She began blooming her first year. Her biggest problem is spotty rebloom like lots of climbers, but as she ages, she gets better with the rebloom. Diane

Dianne, your Collette is a feast for the eyes. I may have to add her to my someday arbor with Zaide growing at her feet. I think those two would look good together.

I somehow missed the climbing part of the OP's question! I think there's a huge difference between (tip)hardy in Z6a/b and (tip)hardy in Z5! After walking my garden yesterday here are those that are hardy to the tip: New Dawn, Viking Queen, Tess, NOID Candy Land or Berries'n'Cream, Ballerina, Lavender Lassie and Climbing Pinkie. Most of these are still young, so I'm happy they survived at all! The jury's still out for my other Hybrid Musks; Penelope isn't looking too good, but that could have been the deer that ate her down. This was a harsh winter with temps to -7 for multiple nights and single digit daytime temps in December. Everything went fully dormant for a change.

Dianne, your Colette makes me anxious to get it's yellow sport, 'Lunar Mist'! She's just beautiful!

My rose trees mr. Lincoln and cinco De mayo both died from the graft point and above; 2 knock outs survived. I wish I had kept them in the garage.

Sometimes I wonder why I even bother trying to grow roses here...

My Queen Elizabeth is cane hardy here (on the border of 5 & 6), on the east side of the garage it has very little dieback. I see it called a climber sometimes, other times not -- it gets about 10 feet tall for me when I let it.

Thanks, vapor and ac91. I checked out Lunar Mist after you mentioned it. It's lovely and makes me wish I had more room for climbers in my small yard. Diane

I totally love climbers for the truly gigantic and glorious display of color they deliver. Alas, most climbers have one huge spring show and not much else the rest of the season but I still love them for that spring show!

My issue with climbers is that we have RRD here and so

1) as they need more years of growth to mature, that means they may get RRD before that happens. I've dug out 3 such climbers.

2) after they mature and get huge, that means they have more surface area to contact RRD. Last yearI dug out my huge Teasing Georgia and Can Can due to this.

Digging out an RRD infected bush quickly sends me into depression!

I’m sorry about your TG and Cancan, Braverichard. It’s hard enough to lose any rose to RRD (lost 3 myself this past year) but to lose two large roses or climbers is even harder.

Many of my roses died back to the ground with the brutal winter we had here. However, of my climbers Eden, White Eden, Florentina, and Alchemist made it through unscathed. My baby Colette seems okay but, surprisingly, Polka didn’t fare as well. These two are young, though, and it was a hard winter to be their first. The Generous Gardener, sadly, is not tip hardy.

Very interesting thread. I've had the same issue with many so called hardy zone 5 climbers that never seem to make it in our brutal winters. I guess that's why the majority of my climbers are Explorer and Kordes roses. Now, granted not all Kordes climbers have canes that grow say past 6 feet in my garden. One that comes to mind is Rosarium Uetersen. Mine survives but only to a height of 4-5 feet. Viking Queen (grafted) was a tall climber almost 9 feet tall in my garden, but very stingy with her blooms. Colette never grew past 3 feet. Polka and Victorian Memory died after one winter. Jeanne Lajoie grows to about 6 feet. Eden is a very slow grower for me and after 2 seasons, is only 3 feet tall. Rosanna was 4 feet tall until I moved her to trellis right up against the house. She grow to around 9 feet tall. Explorer roses are not everyone's favorite, but for me, my first priority with any rose is cane hardiness, then disease resistance. William Baffin and John Davis are two favorites.

Hmm. Bella that's sad about your VQ. My young bush is very floriforous. Well, at least the one in full sun is; the other in Eastern only exposure is growing backwards so I'll be transplanting her shortly.

Looks like for rock solid reliable cane survival to have a climber that will always cover up its structure in zones 6 and colder, one must look at the Canadian Explorers.

That said, the Buck roses are hardy to the tips here. We can also look out for roses bred from the Explorers such as Ramblin' Red and Friends Forever which are hardy to the tips here.

I checked in my yard and my newly planted Colette is hardy to the tips! Polka on the other hand is all black to the mulch line.

Thanks Dave! You're in MO too so probably close to me, so same climate most likely.

Braverichard. Those I mentioned above are all tip hardyin zone 6. My New Dawn and Viking Queen are humongous. The others mentioned are too new so they were smaller to start with but they've done very well.

Vaporvac, I forgot to mention that Ramblin' Red is hardy for me as well. Mine is at least 9 or 10 feet tall in a Western exposure. BTW, I purchased my RR climber locally, probably at the Growing Place in Naperville.

Wow! That is fantastic. I can't remember if I have that coming from a r e, but it is on a list for my pergola. Where did you buy yours? Thanks for posting that tidbit.

You just can never go wrong with Ramblin' Red!

I don't like to recommend things I haven't personally grown, but Chevy Chase and Vielchenbleu(SP?), are tip hardy in Z 5 and truly amazing! Alas, they're but once bloomers. Peter Schneider's book 'Right rose, Right Place' is chock full of other beauties for this zone and I've seen them growing in his Z5 garden if that counts! : )

I could never get tired of those pics! How if the rebloom on JL? I dream of planting her with Nahema.

Thanks vaporvac! JL like most climbers has a heavy flush of blooms in June, and sporadic thereafter. It can get pretty tall with beautiful pink flowers. I've had mine for at least 15 years. There's another climber that blooms for a long time in my garden and it's Super Excelsa. It starts blooming later in the season, but it continues blooming right up until frost. One thing to warn you though is that it's a thorny monster! LOL.

Beautiful!!! I've read great things about SE, but have never seen anyone posting here about it. What a pretty combo that makes with the deep blue birdbath!

She is a great rose - hardy, disease resistant and a good repeater. She has thin canes that are easy to train along a fence, arbor, etc. Wear gloves though because she's got tiny thorns along the canes. BTW, the original Excelsa gets mildew. My SE has never had any mildew.