There's one particular place I'm keeping an eye on that is supposed to have 3-gallon Austins for $39 this year, whereas all other 3-gallon roses were $24 last year. It might seem crazy not to buy everything from them at that price.

I think it's a good idea to stop counting and just go for it. Also, please refrain from asking me about the size of the lot where I'm growing roses

The one I got is a seedling. I got it from the author of "Hardy Citrus for the Southeast" at a little plant sale. He also had a Juanita tangerine that someone else got before I could get to it when he was unloading his truck...lol . He said that there were less than 10 mature Clem-yuz 2-2 east of the Mississippi. Yeah it is a neat hobby tracking all the different named varities of hardy citrus down. Not many people keep these varieties going.

Hi
Judy, if you can safely plant seeds now and not have to worry about them
experiencing hard freezes, it's simple to shell the seed from the hips, plant
them in a pot of the potting soil of your choice, cover with a light mix such as
seed starter type, about a quarter of an inch under the soil and keep watered as
you would any plant. Seeds experiencing the variations of cold to warming up and
back to colder, germinate fairly well. If you have to worry about really deep
freezing weather, you may either want to hold the cleaned seed in the vegetable
crisper in zip loc bags until the chances of extreme cold are over. If you want
to germinate them indoors, there are many others who have experience with that
method. I have always germinated mine outdoors.

Depending
upon the genetics of the rose involved and your climate, you may have seedlings
popping up in a very few weeks to several months, and blooms as quickly as four
to six weeks from germination to several years. If you have squirrels or other
rodents digging in your flower beds or pots which will find your rose seeds rare
delicacies, you should probably cover the pot (or pots) with some hardware cloth
or window screen to keep the marauding critters out. Of course, there are many
other methods which work well for many other people. It can depend upon special
conditions as well as just how involved you want to make it. Good luck!
Kim