Also posted over on the Antique side, but clearly of interest over here as well. Our prayers are with Cliff...

*****

EuroDesert Roses Nursery and Garden Closing Permanently;

Vintage Gardens to Continue the work started at EuroDesert Roses

It is with mixed emotions that I write with the news that I have made the decision to close the EuroDesert Roses nursery and to sell the roses in our garden. You're aware of the trials and tribulations we've been through trying to start a rose nursery in this economic climate, and I want you to know that the support of our customers and friends has meant more to me than I can put into words. Last fall, when we "arose from the ashes" like the mythical Phoenix, we reopened with renewed energy and hope for the future -- and it was your support that encouraged us to move forward. However, since then the very long hours and continued financial losses have taken a toll on my physical well-being. I was recently diagnosed with polycythemia vera (PV), a rare blood disease in which my red blood cells proliferate, causing the blood to become extremely viscous and significantly increasing the danger of serious blood clots leading to a thrombotic event. And, ironically, even a minor thorn scratch now can now cause significant bleeding -- not at all good for someone with thousands of roses! I've come to think of this disease as a sort of cardiovascular diabetes, in that there are treatments that can allow patients with PV to live for many years, as long as they carefully monitor blood counts and undergo treatment. So it is for health reasons that I have made the decision to step back from this endeavor, reduce the stress in my life and focus on health issues. After careful thought, I decided that I could not continue forward without being fully able to give the garden the attention it needs and all of you the customer service and support you deserve. In the end, all of the signs pointing to closure seemed to converge, rather than conflict.

I said "with mixed emotions" because we are delighted to jointly announce with Gregg Lowery and Gita Phy of Vintage Gardens that they will carry on the work that we started in bringing rare and exciting European roses to the U.S. market. Since opening the nursery, we have introduced into commerce in the U.S. over 500 rose varieties, most of which we made available for sale in this country for the first time. We will be transferring our inventory of nursery plants to Vintage Gardens in the next few weeks and after a period of transition these roses will be available for purchase from Vintage. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Vintage Gardens, this outstanding rose nursery offers the largest selection of own root roses in North America, with thousands of varieties in their collection, many of which are also extremely rare. Their website may be found at Vintage Gardens Website. Gregg and Gita have been incredibly supportive of our efforts all along, and we cannot think of a better home for our roses going forward. A great big "THANK YOU!" to both Gregg and Gita for enthusiastically taking on this significant addition to their operations! I am confident that you will give them the support that they deserve.

Orders placed with EuroDesert Roses for spring delivery will be shipped by Vintage Gardens, and those of you who have outstanding orders need not fear; your roses will be shipped to you on or about the dates you requested. If you are on a waiting list for a rose, those lists will also be transfered to Vintage and they will hopefully contact you when the roses are ready. If EuroDesert Roses does not fulfill your order, you can be sure that Vintage Gardens will in due course following the transition.

For practical purposes EuroDesert Roses has stopped taking new orders. The website will remain open through Tuesday, February 1st for anyone who prefers not to wait until Vintage Gardens is ready to begin accepting orders for our roses. To reduce the administrative work involved in accepting and filling new orders at a time when we must focus on preparing for the transition, there will be a minimum of $70.00 per order (in most cases four roses) for any new orders placed between now and the suspension of the website on February 1st. And it will not likely be possible to respond to inquiries about specific roses at this time. Please note that the last shipping date from EuroDesert Roses will be February 7th. If your requested shipping date is after February 7th, our friends at Vintage Gardens have kindly agreed to allow us to send the roses to them with the general inventory plants and they will ship these orders to you on or about your requested shipping date. If you requested a shipping date during the month of February but after February 7th, there may be a delay of a few weeks in shipping your roses to you as our plants are scheduled to be moved to Vintage Gardens during the month of February.

The coming weeks will be extremely busy both here and at Vintage Gardens, and we would ask for your understanding and patience in giving us time to effect this transition before contacting us with questions or concerns.

Again, our profound thanks to our loyal customers and friends for their unwavering support and very best wishes for magnificent roses in your future.

Sincerely,

Cliff Orent

EuroDesert Roses