I would just wish that Vintage Gardens would have the financial resources and manpower "to do it all". I think, that being able to visit a rose garden is always a very special treat for any rose lover and I feel, it is a little bit sad that they can not open their garden this year. Hopefully next year things will be different. Christina Here is a link that might be useful: Organic Garden Dreams

For myself, two I wanted to replace so the price was right. The other two I got to support Vintage since shipping is by 4's. Same for supporting EuroDesert, I don't NEED to order any but will do so anyway because Cliff still has varieties that I would like to have. Times are tough for what I call our rosy "mom & pop's". We kid around a lot about 'how we count roses' but supporting our M & P's is now a serious matter as is evident by how many have closed in the last year or so. If you have extra birthday, tax or other discretionary funds and have room for some more roses yourself, or as a gift, or as a charitable donation requesting the recipient buy roses from an M & P, it would be wonderful if you could do so.

Odinthor, I think it may have been last summer or perhaps a little earlier that there was either an email from Vintage or discussion on one of the rose email lists, that Vintage had someone helping out/volunteering in their gardens and that this individual was doing some propagating, particularly of roses they favored, which was I think hybrid teas and/or floribundas. After that I wondered if that was why Vintage had so many hybrid teas and floribundas in stock (and seemed to stay in stock, as in they didn't appear to be selling all that well). So with this sale I thought maybe *some* of these small quantity roses were ones the helper chose to propagate. As to lack of special requests indicating the old roses are not being supported, I don't think that is necessarily the case. Perhaps it is more that people are unwilling to pay Vintage's exorbitant price for custom propagation--$45 per plant is mighty steep in this economy and is also out of line with prices charged by other heirloom rose growers. For example, Angel Gardens in Florida charges $15 extra for a custom root order, and with their quart price at $12 and gallons at $15, the total is significantly less than at Vintage. Rogue Valley in Oregon charges $6 to be placed on a waiting list for a rose, and when that rose is ready, only $6 additional is added to the price. Greenmantle in California doesn't even charge a premium. Instead they ask for a $5 deposit to be placed on a waiting list for a rose, and when the rose is ready, the $5 is applied to the regular price of $18 for a one-year-old plant, 2 gallon size. If Vintage intends to stay in business it is going to have to change its practices. Melissa

I placed my order and got 8 roses for $101.00, shipping included. Pretty good, I think, especially since I'm in the highest cost shipping zone. I ordered: Betty Uprichard - want to compare this rose to my mystery rose Lady Luck - supposedly strong damask fragrance, so I couldn't resist Mme. Jules Bouché - scented of violets? Mrs. Wakefield Christie- Miller - also want to compare this to my mystery rose Red Radiance Tally Ho Lili Marlène Mission Bells I hope Red Radiance is as amazing as Radiance. What a fragrant, nonstop, disease resistant doer! If you don't have her, you should. : )