Dr Huey does best in your alkaline soil. Multiflora is good for areas East of the Rockies. Were it me I'd get them and plant in pots with good potting soil or get a soil test and amend your soil so it's more to multiflora's liking.

They can grow in the west. Not as easy as Huey. Amend with the soil with acidic peat moss and collect rainwater to flush out irrigation carbonates from the root system as much as you can. You can also plant the bud union deep and hope for own-rooting.

My 'Laguna' on multiflora:
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Mine do. I have three of them, two in the ground, one in the pot (which probably doesn't count). So far so good.

Masha

My conditions are VERY alkaline -- both soil and water.

After many struggles with it, I avoid Multiflora like the plague.
In my garden, anything on Multiflora requires constant soil ammendment to get the pH down at least a little. With our alkaline water, it never STAYS down.

Dr. Huey is definitely better here.
Fortuniana seems to do well.
Ragged Robin, which was commonly used years ago did so well that CA is the home of many lusty old Ragged Robins which long-outlived the scions budded to them.
No problem -- Ragged Robin's probably a better rose anyhow.
:-)

Jeri in Coastal SoCal

Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions.

I may hold off on putting any roses in pots, for the time being, Karl, due to lack of space. But it's a good idea.

Hoovb, I'm definitely going to try peat moss on the roses already planted. Your Laguna is gorgeous; I've already told a friend who has Laguna here on multiflora about your beautiful rose, so there is hope.

Masha and Jeri,since you've had different outcomes with these roses, I think I'd better hold off ordering any more until I give the ones I already have another season.

Thanks again,

Diane in SW Idaho

Surely own-rooting would work with many or most roses. It's just that Californians are used to planting with the bud union above ground. Just dig a deeper hole.

Of course, most polyanthas and multiflora ramblers are not going to like being on their own roots there.

You can also do an application of soil sulphur every year to reduce the pH. I do that for my blueberry plants and it has worked very well. Also did you test your soil and water--your pH may not be as low as you think.

My 'Laguna' is planted below grade to eventually go own-root. I'm not counting on multiflora to be happy forever--just long enough.

I did an experiment in my own garden, where our soil runs a slightly alkaline 7.3 PH. I planted a rose I knew to be on multiflora (Tiffany)in my partially amended clay soil next to a rose that was on Dr. Huey. From the first year the multiflora grafted rose displayed mild to moderate chlorosis, while my known Dr. Huey grafted rose had none. Whether or not this Chlorotic condition weakened the rose I do not know, but after only 3 years it finally gave up the ghost and died after one of our erratic winters....I've often wondered if own root roses will do much better in Alkaline soil. I've read so often that roses generally prefer a PH in the 6.5 to 6.8 range. I'm assuming that when this fact was established the roses used were own root not grafted. Perhaps someone can explain why own root roses then would work in alkaline soil given their affinity for acidity......Maryl

Thanks for your further comments...I just want to add that I plant all my roses' bud unions well below grade because we have fairly cold winters, but we have long, hot, dry summers, and our annual average precipitation here is a paltry 12 inches, so collecting rainwater is pretty futile, and a good irrigation system is a must. My roses on multiflora haven't had any chlorosis, just some poor growth patterns. While the Dr Huey grafted roses grow very large quite quickly. I will try applying sulphur, as well as the peat moss, and hope like hoovb that the roses go own root.

Now, maybe I can rationalize ordering the gorgeous Ascot, available only on multiflora. I'm going to go nuts if I can't have that rose, planted center and front in my garden!

Diane in SW Idaho

What I also found with multiflora is be careful about not letting them dry out. The multiflora has small, fine, thready roots so I think the root system is more vulnerable to drying out than Dr. Huey.

Rainfall here is about 12-14" yearly as well, but it does help to collect rain water and really soak the soil once or twice yearly, forcing the hard water salts that build up with irrigation down below the root zone of the plants. It really refreshes the plants. Exhibitors will use I think the name is "Clearex" to do the same thing, but rainwater is free.

Maryl, surely own-root hybrids vary in their tolerance for alkalinity and salts; many would be more tolerant than multiflora but less tolerant than Huey. Rugosa and roses of multiflora heritage (some ramblers, polyanthas, and hybrid musks) of course would tend to prefer acid.

One third of my first Palatine order was in really rough shape after a year in the ground. The second third was in pots doing marvelous and the last third was not dying and not growing great either. All of the roses arrived with fantastic large root systems. The ones that put their own roots out right away did well the second year and fantastic the third. The ones I had to dig out to save their lives I could see where the roots were almost gone. The potted ones were huge and impressive plants. Now I put everything from Palatine in a 15 gallon can and wait for the rose to make its own roots before putting into the ground. I tried fiddling with the soil to make it more acid but it only lasts a few years. (Azaleas, Gardenias anyone?) Now that the roses are on their own roots, they are growing very well. I have been impressed with everything I bought from Palatine.