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Hi all, I've been Googling for an hour now and I'm a bit overwhelmed, so I thought I'd turn here for help. Total newb to rose gardening.

I'm in zone 5b and I've got a small full sun border outside my window that I want to populate with roses - preferably the bright or deep red 'valentines day' kind you find cut in the shops. You know, the ones 90% of people would think of if you told them to 'imagine a rose'.

I just don't know what cultivars I should be looking for. The closest I seem to have found at present is 'Mister Lincoln', but I'm sure there must be other cultivars I could consider.

I heard that the Canadian explorers or Knockouts would be best for my region, but honestly, they just don't look like roses to me - sorry if that sounds crazy. I figure if I'm going to go to the trouble of tending a rose bush, I want flowers that look like what I imagine roses to look like

Any suggestions most welcome! Thanks!

I would suggest looking for "disease resistant" in the descriptions. There are three primary rose diseases I always think of -- black spot, powdery mildew, and rust. If you don't get cultivars that are resistant, you will be needing to spray them with organic or chemical remedies... Sometimes with varying levels of toxicity... preventatively and as cure. Sick roses are more prone to pest insect attack.

You will be doing a certain amount of spraying anyway, but some cultivars are so susceptible without constant care.

In Wisconsin, another concern is to make sure the cultivar and rootstock are winter hardy in your USDA Zone. Don't try for borderline cultivars. I'm sure you will also need to learn about depth to plant relative to graft union, to best prune, and to provide winter protection.

Pay attention to how tall and wide the cultivar gets. If outside window, you may have height limits. If against the wall next to the window, you may need to put up trellis and if so, would you consider taller climbers? Do you know how tall and wide plants you can accommodate? How many?

I'm going to go look at the source marlingardener suggested.

I also like David Austin roses. I have one that has survived neglect for years -- it's not red though so you may not like it -- Abraham Darby rose with peach/apricot colored flowers. It's tall, growing on a trellis and reaches the eave/rain gutter of the one story roof -- I can see the uppermost blossoms peeking over the edge from an upstairs window. This one blooms sporadically throughout the summer. Some cultivars only bloom once in early summer.

The long stemmed roses you are thinking of are probably hybrid teas

I have had my roses for a long time so I don't keep up with the newer cultivars.

Mr Lincoln is a good one
Chrysler Imperial
Legends
Olympiad
Opening Night
Veteran's Honor