I think I thought that was something I'd never forget. However... For sure I know that at the end of two years I had about 90 roses, but I was also replacing them left and right so who knows. One of the blessings of a small garden is not having to buy vast quantities anymore...plus not having to plant them. I'm sure you're going to see some really high numbers here. Have fun in the spring, Tammy. Post photos.

Sherry

Here is a link that might be useful: If only sweat were irrigation...

I think my total for this season will wind up being around that; 52,maybe a bit more if I wind up putting out a couple of the potted ones as well. Plus there are all the ones I moved...Now I'm getting really scared, because it hasn't been raining or snowing at all here...regards, bart

When I moved from Winter Haven, Fl to Port St. Lucie, Fl,(back in 1998) I ordered just a little over 100 bushs. A lot of work but I had the back and shoulders to do all that digging back then. :)

Definitly feeling better! I keep telling my other half: "the more roses I plant, the less grass that leaves for you to mow!"

I don't have an exact count of how many in one year but I went from 16 to 135 in about 3 years. And that includes the spring of 2007 when we had that awful freeze in late April and I lost 37 roses. That was heartbreaking. I probably added 50 that year because I had to replace so many. My average the last few years has been between 6 and 10 new ones. Since I'm pretty tapped out for space now I've had to get better at shovel pruning bad ones to make room for the new and I'm still not very good at that so it's kept my numbers down. I'm at 119 named varieties and about 85 of my seedlings. I'm hoping to keep it at that or even a little less because I'm not getting any younger and I don't think I can care for more than that.

I inherited 48 rose bushes 8-10 year olds, but man, how do you keep up with over 100 bushes? I remember last blood, I was out deadheading almost every 3 days to keep up and it was a lot of work.

Could you folks post pictures of your rose garden? Here is link to my album - https://plus.google.com/photos/105911197060126477579/albums/5647907297344526529

For the last few years, I have been adding between 20 - 25 a year. This year the number is something like 50ish because there are around 30 cuttings ready to go in the ground too. I have been adding bulbs in my allotment, planting around 500 spring bulbs (300 tulips)every year and another 50 or so lilies in spring. My major expenditure is probably fruit though - this year, I have added 2 more plums, another cherry, another peach, an almond, 2 filberts, 30 raspberries, 8 redcurrants, 50 more strawberries, another 6 blackcurrants (from cuttings) a jostaberry, a fourberry and a loganberry. I keep much of the fruit as either espaliers or cordons as it is possible to grow many more varieties - for example, 10 apple cordons take up less than 5m of running row space.

From this thread I've learned I'm more conservative than I thought! Year one: 50. Year 2: added 25 more. Year 3 is 2012, and so far I have 5 bareroots ready to plant with 2 more coming. The total number for this year will completely depend on whimsy! LOVE bareroot season :)

I will be showing this to my dear husband.. LOL I planted 38 last yr and have about that many ordered and still have a few on my wish list..

One year we went to Plant day (end of June) at Park Wayside over in Greenwood SC. They had overordered roses and for some reason they had several thousand roses for sale, bare root, for $1 each. I bought 112 (mostly in twos). Planting them almost killed me as the beds were not ready.

Several years later DH bought an MG in boxes. I think I bought about eighty that year (not $1 each).

Several years after that, he bought 1 1/2 Packards in boxes, that lead to another signficant buy.

For those who don't know me, I do live out in the country and have 110 acres to play with and a well to water with.

Campanela, I don't know how you can plant all those bulbs! They're beautiful, don't get me wrong, but I don't know what it is, I cannot stand planting bulbs..lol! I think more than anything, its the fact that whenever I've planted them, its been during dry years and I have clay soil which is about impossible to dig into! Plus, I don't like digging them up and seperating them. :)

Behlgarden: I will definitly post some pics in the spring!

Ann, I'm very happy I'm not the only person in East TN that is rose crazy! I have to say, I'm am quite jealous of your 110 acres! I have 1.5 acres of clear land, and its been enough so far, but I may outgrow it soon at this rate! ...and those $1 bareroots? I would have done the same thing, even if it killed me planting them! I hate to admit it, but the main reason I don't want to move into a bigger house is because I would have to leave most of the roses behind (but that's my secret, I wouldn't admit that outside of these forums)

~Tammy

There were a couple years when I planted about 25-30 roses per year, but by the time I got to 60+ roses, I was out of space and probably already had more roses then I could comfortably take care of. The next couple years, I proclaimed each season that I was ordering none or maybe 1-2 roses only because I was out of space. What amazes me most is that I still ended up planting about a dozen new roses each year--even though I have no space. I have no idea where I put them--but they are all planted.

I was so sure I would order none this year (no space left, she cries out)--but somehow I have about a dozen coming again in the spring. I just don't quite understand how that works out. : )

Kate

4 shovel pruned; 11 ordered, I suppose that is why God gave us pots!
D-

I don't understand it either, Kate, but I just ordered 3 new minifloras! I'll find places somewhere I guess!

Tammy, you must get yourself a good bulb planter - one with a long handle that you use like a spade. When you dig it into the soil, it takes out a neat little plug, which you can then pop back into the planted holes. With a good planter, I can plant around 100 bulbs in an hour, and if there are 2 people, the whole thing becomes a cakewalk....one digging, one planting then re-covering - very quick and easy indeed. A bulb planter is also brilliant for planting things like little narcissi in grass. I use it for the seed potatoes too.

Love reading everyones stories on this thread. When I found this forum I went wild ordering roses. I probably ordered 100 roses my first year. Now i'm on about year 5 or 6 and am always telling myself "no more roses" but myself never listens. I have about twelve english roses coming this spring and received about twelve this past fall. I only have an acre and a half too but boy have I gotten as much space planted with flowers as possible. My hubby loves his grass and trees so I gotta share with him. boo hoo!! I seem to get carried away every year with a diff plant and go wild planting that same plant in diff varieties. lol!! I too plant bulbs and lots of diff perennials to make my beds more interesting. I just love roses and all kinds of flowers so have fun with your addiction and post us tons of pics. Take care, Judy

I think one yr I may have ordered over 100. Can't remember.... don't really WANT to remember for sure. This yr I only have 7 or 8 coming. (can't even remember that!) That's the least amount I've ever ordered, except for one yr I didn't order any, but that was because we had justed moved into our house and I was too busy getting it all set up. I wouldn't have ordered any this yr, except Edmunds owed me a rose since one died on me, so I figured I should make the shipping worth it. And then I discovered a few roses Pickering has that I really wanted to try. I seriously do not have room, except that I lost so many roses last yr that I will have a bit of room in the pot ghetto, once I plant some in the dead ones' spots.

I've never planted more than 45 roses in one season. In 1996 when I'd been in this garden for two years, 40 floribundas of 8 varieties went into a formal boxedged bed and I still regret that hasty planting. The soil was not well prepared but I didn't know better. Now I have 200 roses and add and subtract about 5 every year. Last year I decided not to have more roses than I can manage.

I've already broken this promise to myself because I am one of about 100 Swedish rose growers taking part in a rose trial of 2400 roses from several European and American breeders. I am expecting 15 roses from Tantau in Germany in April. I tell myself that they don't count because they belong to Tantau until the trial period is over. If they live I get to keep them. I got such a kick out of this venture that I had to order three more roses on the side, Munstead Wood, Crown Princess Margareta and Climbing Bonica. Well, I am sure a few roses will die this winter.

95, the year I ordered one of every rose in J&Ps catalog the second year I grew roses. Were I aware of other premium nursery catalogs at the time, I'd have ordered more.

65 ordered last year. 59 on order for this year. None are replacements.

Our gardening space is about a hectare (2.4 acres), and I'm wondering where to put the roses I want to order this fall. Well, I grow my roses mixed with other plants, some of them pretty large; and some areas aren't suitable for growing roses: woods; stony dry areas. Since we moved here in 2002 there's never been a year when I didn't plant roses, whether cutting grown or purchased. Sixty-odd roses from different nurseries is a large order for me: I've done that a few times. Some years, like last fall, I have a big crop of cutting-grown roses to plant out. In 2011 between spring and fall plantings I would guess we put sixty to ninety roses in the ground. In the fall we planted probably 400-500 plants of all descriptions, and like Bart in Tuscany we're wondering how many are going to survive with a drought going on during what is normally the rainy season. Not counting the babies planted this fall, we currently have 300-350 varieties of roses and perhaps 500 plants. I'm contemplating ordering 50-70 roses this fall, if Armegaddon doesn't happen in the meantime. This weather is really scary. We don't have our own well and depend heavily on rainfall.
How much work roses are depends on what kinds of roses they are and in what conditions they're growing in. Most of my roses are old roses; many are once-bloomers; most of the others are warm climate shrubs like Teas. Most of the roses get pruned once a year: winter for the once-blooming old roses, and March for the warm climate roses, once the snow has finished. They get an armful of hay for mulch, possibly a bucketful or two of soil if I think the rootstock isn't buried deep enough; I uproot the worst weeds, and that's it. They get watered the first year, but with our heavy soil, and with mulch and little herbaceous plants and grass covering the ground they get along without summer water afterwards, even though every summer we have two to four months of drought. Disease isn't a big problem here: I don't expect the foliage to look perfect, and nothing ever defoliates. The climbers need a lot of pruning, and so do very large, vigorous shrubs, but it's only once a year. No spraying, no pest treatment, no regular deadheading (I like hips, too), no fertilizing regimen, no watering after the first year. Obviously growing roses this way isn't going to suit many gardeners, and also many roses. But the frugal old roses I grow happen to be the roses I think are the most beautiful.
Melissa

Mariannese, that sounds like fun! Can I ask which Tantau roses you have coming?

The Tantau roses are already in the market so I am allowed to name them. Some people who will get unintroduced roses from other breeders are not allowed to publish photographs of them or mention them except by codes.

I will have three each of the cream climber Uetersener Klosterrose and four floribundas, all with an oldfashioned look: white Alabaster, magenta rose Baronesse, light pink Mariatheresia and Pastella, 15 plants in all. All can be seen on HMF or the Tantau site. I have started digging a round bed in the middle of my south lawn. I haven't decided if four quadrants will be best with the roses separated or if a mix would be nicer. The colour of Baroness is the problem, a bit on the lurid side in this soft company. Perhaps mixing it in will tone it down while spicing up the others?

After reading this thread and tallying up my orders I'm feeling downright moderate! :o)

My highest number added was last year with 35. My numbers since I bought my first roses are:
Year One - 4
Year Two - 21
Year Three - 35
Year Four - 27

I hardened my heart and shovel pruned my first roses this year, so 5 of my new purchases don't count :oP

Lol...glad you're feeling moderate Peachy :) I think this thread is enabling some of the more conservative buyers to "just go for it!" I thought I was order too many, but now I see I'm kind of the low side of the norm...that means I have some catching up to do! Since I started this thread, I broke down and placed another Pickering order (already rec'd one in the fall), and a J&P order, who I told myself I wasn't ordering from this year.

So for this coming Spring...add 9 more from Pickering. I wanted Nevada anyway, so I had to make the shipping worth it right? And add 5 from J&P plus the 4 rose "test panel." Four J&P roses for $40 sounded good on the test panel, so here I go :)

~Tammy

I don't think I'll admit to a total number for a given year, but I will say that I bought and planted over 100 full-sized rose bushes from Cliff last year when he sadly had to close down Eurodesert. And these weren't any little band-sized roses, these were each shipped individually in huge boxes, some with with root balls bigger than I could reach around. Often I had to drag those puppies individually around my yard to get them to where they were planted, and this went on all summer as Cliff kept reposting those wonderful and hard-to-find roses. By mid-August, I flopped myself down in the middle of my yard and literally lay on my back moaning in misery from all the planting, vowing I would absolutely not order any more of Cliff's roses, no matter how tempting. I even emailed him to that effect and it worked - I only ordered 8 more after that (smile).

In case you're wondering what bank I have to rob to afford these roses, I actually get to budget rose purchases from some extra consulting work I do now and then. My DH and I agree that our main family expenses are covered by our regular salaries, so if I take on extra work, it's "fun money", and what is more fun than roses? It took a couple of consults over the winter to pay for my five (and counting) Vintage orders, trying to hope against hope that they can stay in business, but it's well worth it!

It's nice to be among folks who understand that roses = fun!

Cynthia

Very, very impressive Cynthia! I guess I shouldn't be complaining about my 75+ I'm up to now for this year...at least mine are either gallons or smaller or bareroot...not full sized roses! I bet that was a workout for you! WOW!!!
Tammy

I do not know my total for a full year. But, I ordered 215 minis from Nor East before they closed.

I didn't mean to kill this thread .... Would I ever buy that many roses again at one time? It would depend on the time of year. Mid July in Florida was not the best time of year. But, looking back, if I saved one rose from possibly going extinct, I would do it again.

In an average year, I would guess, I average about 50 - 75 plants. Roses are my main garden staple, but, I have moved onto doing a lot of work trying to do mixed borders. As long as I time plants correctly, I have gotten pretty good at zone pushing plants.

you're lucky in some ways to have room to add so many! My yard is pretty small. I added about 80 in about 2-3 years. The highest being 2010, when I added about 40 in one year.

I'm down to about 70ish right now. I don't really have room for more plants. (unless I add a few small roses in pots... I already have a small pot ghetto) Most of my garden is roses, but I'm focusing more on plants growing around them and trying to think of some shrubs.

A passion for roses can warp space, don't you all think? I remember that in my old yard in Washington, by the time I moved I had about 95 roses. The yard was about a sixth of an acre, and a good deal of room was taken up by the house and parking. The roses weren't little ones, either.

Lookin: I too have that idea of buying roses to make sure that rare ones stay in cultivation. This is part of why I'm not too heartbroken at not being able to grow Austin roses, even though I think they're very, very beautiful: they're so well provided with homes already. Whereas there are a lot of wonderful Gallicas looking for a place to live, and they do great for me. No doubt if English roses went smack out of fashion I'd start looking for a corner of the garden where they might thrive.

Melissa, make no mistake, my minis would rather be someplace else besides Florida. Aimee, as for room, that has been at a premium for the last 2 or 3 years. Hence, my starting to keep a garden in Pa. Luckily, I had enough containers to accommodate the minis. I must have rose colored glasses,I rarely even pay any mind to my pot ghetto.

I can't come close to any of you. When I dug up my first rose bed, I told myself that once the bed was filled then no more roses unless they died. I kept that promise until 2009 when I got five more to help me deal with some uncertainty I was dealing with at the time. Which meant I would have to dig another bed. I told myself no more because I don't have a big yard. In 2010 while getting lost in unfamiliar part of another city, I stumbled upon a rose I had never heard of. I ended up with two roses that year and again I told myself no more roses. Then in 2011 the news that Cliff was going to close Eurodesert after all. I had saved up a little money for gardening expense because I was planning on getting a couple of little Japanese maples. Instead I ended up with four more roses. Cynthia is right about the size of those roots, I had never seen anything like it. Digging holes for them turned my arms into noodles. So, now I have a total of 18, 9 in each bed. Five of which need drip lines attached (yay, not). I did end up getting my Japanese maples but one died in the heatwave we had in late summer. The other was badly damaged by rabbits during are so called fall/winter so not sure if its going to make it.