Best Roses for New York

A rose that blooms through summer can lose its canes to a winter freeze, a contrast familiar to New York gardeners. The roses that last here are matched to the winter rather than to the photo on the tag. Choosing roses for New York starts with how cold the garden gets, then moves to how much care you want to give.

Best Roses to Grow in New York

Hardy shrub roses and many old garden roses hold up across New York with little fuss, while hybrid teas, floribundas and grandifloras need winter protection. Winter decides the list, since USDA hardiness zones here run from 3b to 7b, and a rose that sails through in one corner of the state struggles in another.

Knock Out and Explorer Roses

Hardy shrub roses such as Knock Out and the Explorer series perform well without extra protection. That makes them the easy answer for a front yard where you would rather not wrap anything in November.

Plant them where you want a long season of flowers and little winter work.

Old Garden Roses

Many old garden roses tolerate cold that badly damages hybrid teas, which is why they turn up in old farmhouse yards. They flower once a year, on last year’s wood, and the scent and the form are the reason to grow them.

Hybrid Teas

Hybrid teas are the classic cutting rose, with upright growth, long stems and a sweet fragrance. They are not reliably hardy in cold winters and must be protected.

Prune them in March or April, once the winter protection is off. In an early spring, when the forsythia blooms, it can also be done in February.

Floribundas and Grandifloras

These repeat bloomers share a hybrid tea’s weakness in a hard winter. Plan on the same protection and the same spring pruning as for hybrid teas.

Bare-root floribundas and grandifloras go in during March or April, before growth starts.

Roses Bred for Colder Zones

A rose bred for a colder zone than yours needs little to no added protection, even in a milder garden. When a label names a hardiness zone, check it against the zone where you actually live, since the state covers a wide range.

How to Choose a Rose for a New York Garden

Start with the winter you actually get, then with the time you want to spend. Hardy types ask for little, while tender types give a classic flower in return for protection every year.

The hardiness zone on the tag should be at or below your own zone, never above it.

Humid summers, heat and tight spaces matter too, and a nursery tag or the county office can tell you which varieties cope. For a small bed, a compact hardy shrub rose avoids the cover-up routine entirely.

Which Roses Suit Different Parts of New York

The state stretches from a warm harbor to cold mountain valleys, and the choice of rose shifts with it.

• New York City: The milder setting suits hybrid teas, floribundas and grandifloras with winter cover, and the last spring frost falls between March 23 and April 3.
• Upstate New York: Frost lingers later in spring than in the city, so protection comes off later and hardy shrub roses are the safer buy.
• The Adirondacks: Winters are especially cold here, so stay with hardy shrub roses such as the Explorer series and treat tender types as a gamble.

Whatever the region, a rose bred for a colder zone than yours gives a margin against a bad winter.

Rose Buying Mistakes to Avoid in New York

Tender Roses with No Cover

Hybrid teas, floribundas and grandifloras look wonderful in a pot at the garden center, and they lose canes in a cold winter without protection. Buy them only if you will cover them, or pick a hardy shrub rose and skip the work.

Spring Pruning of Once-Bloomers

Old garden roses, ramblers and many climbers flower on last year’s wood. A tidy spring pruning cuts off that year’s flowers before they open.

Prune them right after they bloom, and keep the March and April pruning for repeat bloomers.

Covering Too Early

Mounding and wrapping before the plant is dormant traps warmth and invites trouble. Wait for several killing freezes, which usually means mid-November on.

Put winter protection on in November; December works as well.

Where to Get Rose Advice in New York

Local advice beats general advice for roses, because location and elevation can change winter conditions quickly. Cornell Cooperative Extension runs the state’s extension program.

• The state extension site has rose and garden guidance written for New York conditions, so check it before ordering plants.
• Your county office can tell you which roses hold up in your area, and winter, when plants are being planned, is a good time to call.
• Bring photos of any rose that struggled last year, so the staff can help you pick a replacement before spring planting.

Common Questions

Can You Plant a Rose in July?

Container roses can go in from April through midsummer, so July works if you water the new plant regularly. Bare-root roses should go in during March or April, before growth starts.

When Should You Feed Roses in New York?

Feed from April through July, starting after pruning, again at first bloom and once more in mid-July. Stop after July so the plant hardens off before winter.

When Do You Take Winter Protection Off Roses?

Take it off in March or April, once the ground thaws. Remove the mound gradually, and prune repeat bloomers after the cover is off.