The Hybrid Teas at Sam's have been out of patent so long they will soon be old garden roses.

(Beware of the Paul Neyron's that are often at Lowe's unless you're looking for a bright yellow accent for your garden, many of them are so riddle with RMV that by year three their color is green foliage with yellow streaks and no blooms.)

No OGRs EVER here, not from Home Depot, Lowe's, or Wally World.
And for that matter, not from any of our local nurseries.

I echo Ann's comment about the age of most of those offerings, AND about the RMV.
What surprised me this year, however, was that our largest local nursery has
apparently decided to take a page from Wally World's book.

They have less than half the number of roses offered in past years.
Many of them are from some real second-class sources.
AND about 80% of what was offered was LONG out of patent.

NOT that I object to roses long out of patent.
Some of my faves are long out of patent, or never had one.
But it is a big change from past years, and not an encouraging one, overall.

Jeri

I had one of those wonderful Paul Neyrons from Lowe's.

I think the big box stores carry ogres not ogrs.

Good one, Len!

HEB (local grocery in central texas) had some potted up New Dawns, Golden Showers, Fairies, Sea Foams and some old old HTs (Oklahoma, etc)at their front door this AM. They were good looking, stout, #1 grades.

I declined to take the bait.

Good advice about Lowe's. Enough reason for me to avoid any temptation over there.

Home Depot gets some nice 3 gallon (?) potted HT's straight from Tyler in May or so -- in full bloom. That's where I got my Elle and Ingrid Bergman, and they never stopped blooming. Both of them have basal shoots right now...

Have never seen any OGRs at the big box stores here. I got a 5-gal Purezza last fall at Lowe's. It's not an OGR but definitely out of the ordinary. 5-feet tall with the pot. I jumped on it - no hesitation. $21.98, I think. They occasionally have roses on Fortuniana (J&P), and sometimes the RMV is clearly visible.

Sherry

sometimes the RMV is clearly visible.

*** I wish it was ALWAYS clearly visible!

When it is NOT visible, you could be lulled into thinking it's not there.
The truth, of course, is that the chance of that is minuscule.

BTW -- Purezza, you know, will be big in the order of any other Banksiae.
Ours is growing up the side of the garage, and finally starting to reach out. I'd think it should like your area.

Jeri

I got a couple of Golden Showers at Lowes, though not OGRs. They are helping fill in while the heirlooms are small.

I have seen some "Fairy"'s there but not being a fan I passed by. It grew like a pest at a relatives beachhouse and always scratched me.

I always look at roses on sale, hoping...but never rewarded. Mail order is my only hope.

Denise

Last year I saw a few Comte de Chamboard's at Home Depot. I already have one, so I didn't buy it. I did buy Oklahoma which is doing great and Frau Karl Druschki, but that did not bloom last year and I'm not sure it's the right rose. They were only 6.99 and I needed some 3 gal pots for bands, so I figured it was worth it :)

I bought Betty Prior at Home Depot (perhaps not exactly an old garden rose) and passed over The Fairy, which just didn't call out to me. One year I thought I had bought Therese Bugnet but it turned out to be an undistinguished Hybrid Tea which died a quiet and unmourned death behind the studio.

none. ever. only knockouts and hybrid teas. There are austins available at the really expensive boutique nurseries around here though. And I did see a few unusual hybrid teas at those places too. All by J&P though.

There is a reason I mail order.

We don't see them at all. I could probably make a short list of what they do offer but why bother.

Last week at HD I got a Gruss an Aachen. Not really an OGR, but pretty old. Grafted on unknown rootstock.

Did HD have other orgs? I already have that one & I don't need 2. What part of the country are you in? Not that I have room for anything else, but if I saw something on my wishlist... I suspect I'd jump....

Not worth the risk.

My local Lowes has started carrying polyanthas. I picked up a healthy looking La Marne a couple weeks back. I saw thay also had Martha Gonzales, a china, I think.

It was sort of nice to see something different from the room full of Knockouts.

Elaine

For the 2nd year in a row, Walmart has declined to carry the 2 gallon peat pot roses from Certified with all sorts of neat varieties like the John Sheldon roses [O'Rilla, Hollywood Star, Golden Age, etc.] They are just stocking older roses like Queen Elizabeth, etc. I did buy another America, and got a Mirandy and Pink Peace. Went to Lowes and Home Depot yesterday - Lowes was about out of roses [had gotten Sunset Celebration, Memorial Day and Cl. 4th of July] and doesnt look like they will get any more in. Home Depot's stock was pathetic. Small body bags of older more common roses and body bagged Knockouts. Last year I got some very nice potted old gardens - Mme. Pierre Oger, Gen. Jack and Coquette des Blanches. This year - none of that. Guess the economy has affected them. It was always fun to go see what was there.......but guess I will now just order what I want. Disappointing....things change.
Judith

I've never paid much attention to classic (or new) HTs at the box stores, of which they carried quite a few, but our local HD carried several OGRs when I still lived in the US. In my first rose growing year in the US, not knowing any better, I purchased one Reine des Violettes, two Rose de Rescht, two Comte de Chambord, one Sombreuil and one modern, Altissimo from them. All true to type except for Sombreuil which turned out to be Cl. Iceberg, certainly an intentional mislabeling. Only one, Altissimo, was clearly virused, as it turned out in its second year. While it performed very well, it couldn't hold a candle to the, I'm quite sure, non-virused Altissimo I bought the next year from DA and planted right next to it. In later years, I had the impression that Reine des Violettes might have been virused too, since some leaves on one, only one, of its lowest branches showed a pattern that could have been RMV, but it wasn't an entirely clear positive.

I am not sure about the claim that an RMV infection may not even show at all, not even faintliest. To me such claims sound like "guilty by default (or association) without proof", and as a historian, I have problems with this kind of approach. However, I know that biology (which I've also studied way back then) is not politics or history, and I'd like to see some scientific literature on this. Jeri, do tou have anything at hand?

Thanks,
Andrea

In spring of 2000, our local K-mart had unbelievably beautiful potted roses. I bought a Louise Odier, Magnifica, Belle Poitevine and Rose de Rescht from them. They even had a Cuthbert Grant. I remember being so excited when I found the tags I could hardly stand it! And they were relatively cheap, too. All of those roses did wonderfully well for me and going on 9 years later are still growing strong. Has our K-mart (or anyone else in town) ever had roses of that type again? Roses that would really grow easily in our zone? Of course not. It's been back to the hybrid teas ever since. Oh, and of course now the ubiquitous Knock Outs.
I've always wondered just who was in charge of K-mart's nursery stock that year - and what happened to that person. I asked in the garden center once, but the employees hadn't a clue.