Old roses, or antique roses, are deservedly finding a place in many gardens again.  Especially with the development of David Austin's English Roses, which he describes as 'new' old garden roses, many people are gaining an appreciation for roses of the past.   

The attractiveness of antique garden roses is that many are disease resistant, wonderfully fragrant, and perhaps most important of all, display a grace in their growth habit which makes them ideally suited for the garden.  Each class has distinctive traits; in general, roses introduced before the Chinas (Species to Centifolia) are native to Europe, cold hardy, and may only bloom once or twice during the season.  China and Tea roses brought remontant capability to roses; unfortunately, cold hardiness was compromised.  The descendents of China and Tea Roses, Noisettes, Portlands, Bourbons and Hybrid Perpetuals are remontant and not reliably hardy north of Zone 6.  Thankfully, more roses (especially antique garden roses) are being grown on their own roots, so even if there is winter dieback to the ground in more northern locations, the plant will survive (Ultimately, each of us must rely on local knowledge in determining what roses will survive in our region).

In summary, old roses should be considered by all gardeners who value graceful form and ease of growth in the garden.  While many modern roses have a reputation for requiring the attention of a green thumbed gardener in order to prosper, many old garden roses will provide reliable beauty in the garden of beginner and expert alike.