[5] The rose varieties available in Canada in 1961 could not survive without winter protection outside the warmer conditions of southern Ontario (Niagara Peninsula) and the coast of British Columbia.
In 1968 she launched the first national trial of ornamental shrubs in Canada whereby she sent her roses and other plants to locations across North America to test their survival rates in local climates.
The Explorer Roses are winter hardy, recurrent-flowering, disease-resistant plants that have made their way into park gardens and backyards all over Canada.
[5][6] Some of the hardier cultivars are also grown in Finland, Russia, Iceland, Germany and her homeland of Austria, and have been adapted by others for harsh climates such as the Nevada desert.
Svejda also worked with ornamental shrubs; five weigelias named after dances [Minuet, Rumba, Samba, Tango and Polka], robust forsythias Northern Gold and Happy Centennial, and three mock oranges including Buckley's Quill.
The "Explorer Rose Garden" was planted in 2005 at the Central Experimental Farm in Ottawa to proudly display the results of her research.