Umm, that is help and assistance. Do you really need an extremely blackspot prone rose that will require chemical assistance to produce mediocre flowers? Or would you prefer to get off the fence, and either grow a disease resistant rose or one with primo flowers?

Hey Jeff,

I agree..those type of comments are a pet peeve of mine. As for ARE and Chamblees, I know you're soliciting experiences from people who ordered from both, I've only ordered from ARE. That said, I think if you are going to be ordering multiples, Chamblees would be the way to go for saving money (including shipping). The smaller plants should catch up to the 2 gallon size pretty quickly.

Eric

Jeff:

Unfortunately I also have not ordered from Chamblee's before but ARE is wonderful. Being from upper California I cannot speak to the need for spraying in NJ but had a thought about Iceberg. I have three Cl. Icebergs and they are quick growers. You may find that the smaller rose works just great for you considering its vigor. I have grown two of mine from wee little Heirloom Bands and they are very enthusiastic.

Hope this helps.

Kate

Jeff, MG knows the area.

Problem with Iceberg is that it runs about 50/50 on clean vs. horrid. Those who love it, absolutely recommend it highly, and I know people who grow it in Monmouth/Ocean Counties without spraying and with minimal disease. Mine wasn't resistant, I don't love it, and wouldn't recommend it as disease resistant, I would definitely treat it for blackspot. It sells out at local garden centers here.

I would rather more people tried Pope John Paul II, but that's me.

Hey Jeff -- Folks back east laugh at us here in CA, because we tout Iceberg as "disease-free," and "no spray."
Well, it doesn't mildew or rust, but I've been told often enough that it can be troubled in the East -- and by knowledgeable folks -- that I believe it.

All that said, do look up Pope John Paul II.
I don't grow it -- my roses are mostly Old Roses -- but I've never heard a complaint about it, and it is far more fragrant than Iceberg.

(Never ordered from Chamblees, but I'm a big supporter of ARE!)

Jeri, in Southern CA

Hi Jeff,
This is not an uncommon rose, so you might find it at the local garden centers. They are about to put out their stuff and even if not yet, they must know what they are going to put out. So, you can see what you are getting.

Hello Jeff,
I ordered from both Chamblees & ARE last year.

ARE roses were easily double the size of Chamblees and many already had buds or were blooming. So if you need to fill in an area quickly and want larger plants, ARE is an excellent choice. I was very pleased with the roses I received; they were extremely well packed for shipment and very healthy.

Chamblees ships smaller plants but they are also very healthy. It simply comes down to size & economics.

-terrt

I just checked to see if they indeed do sell that rose, and both do. I had 3 of them, and even in years when I sprayed regularly for black spot, they looked terrible. I kept them early on because people in California loved them, and I thought I was doing something wrong.

I buy from both of the nurseries, and I like them both. It is true that the ARE are larger, but you pay for the size.

Why don't you try them both.

Sammy

I have seen Iceberg rose at big box stores so there is really no need to order one online. I only buy roses online if they are relatively rare or hard to find.

OR if you want them on their own roots. Locally-bought usually means grafted on Dr. Huey, with some exceptions.

I've gotten good plants from Chamblee's. I would say they give good value for the money. I've never ordered from ARE so can't comment on them.

Here the big-box Icebergs are pretty poor, usually the bottom of the barrel with a half-dead graft. If you can get a virus-free copy you are better off.

Jeff - both places are fine. I've ordered from both and received top quality roses from both. No complaints about either. A lot of places shipped in bands to save shipping money, and that's fine, but both of these places get you a bigger rose. You'll have blooms your first year with either.

That said, Mad Gallica has a point that you should really consider. Not only does she know her roses, but I can also tell you from experience that unless you spray, out here Iceberg is really a disapppointing rose - I finally got rid of mine because of blackspot problems.

There are "better" alternatives in that they'll produce more blooms for you, albeit maybe not with the exact flower you want. But when I saw how Iceberg looked in Nevada, i.e. magnificent, I realized I'd never get it that way out here and I just got something else that is happier.

Anyway, whatever you order, both of those places are just fine.

To all who replied to the question that was posed, thank you. Your assistance is greatly appreciated. Even though unsolicited, I also appreciate the myriad observations and comments about your personal experience with Iceberg's performance. That said, I can now get off the fence and order/buy some Icebergs to replace those bushes destroyed by voles. I can only hope they are as mediocre, and extremely blackspot prone as the plants they'll be replacing (pictured below):

{{gwi:236712}}

I know this isn't a answer to your original question but is that a tree by your iceberg roses? Does it shade it and do the roots affect the rose roots?

I hope your voles stay away from the new ones.
SAmmy

I am close to both Chamblees and ARE and love them both. ARE's display gardens make you feel you have died and gone to heaven. Chamblees greenhouses send you into estatic fits with their blooms. Like several have said, Chamblees prices are less but ARE's plants are larger. I have never ordered from Chamblees because I live 2 hours from them, but have ordered from ARE if they have something in mail order thats not in the retail center [I have Mme. Carnot, Deanna Krause and just heard today I will be able to get a Joe Woodard on order, coming in 2 weeks] So.....it pays for me to order these. [I will pick up more when I go there in a couple of weeks]. It is just a matter of what you want - instant gratification with larger plants or start smaller and let them grow. Both companies are excellent!
Judith

I have ordered from both, and both send good high quality plants. Chamblee's roses are one-gallon, therefore smaller. ARE's roses are 2-gallon and really are cream of the crop. You can't go wrong with either one. I have also bought a 5-gallon Iceberg at Home Depot for $16, which has done very well too. It seems that Iceberg is the most popular rose around here in So Cal, many have a row of them in front of their houses.

I haven't ordered from ARE, but I ordered from Chamblee's several times. Chamblee's sometimes places more than one cutting in a pot, so if you shake the dirt off the roots, you may find you have more plants than you thought. For example, my pot of Dark Lady had three plants in it.

I think looking for a virus-free Iceberg is a good idea, if you can find it. Now that I know such roses exist, I wish I had bought them instead.

I've only ordered from Chamblee's out of the two, and have nothing but good things to say about them--for multiple purchases (which is how I usually order), they're a good value, and their plants catch up pretty quickly to the roses I buy at nurseries/big box. ARE might be a good way to go if you only wanted to buy one or two, though--they have a neat website and lots of good stuff. I must say, your Icebergs look wonderful--not sure how you kept them that way in NJ, I'm in less-humid Nebraska, and mine were either blackspotty or naked of leaves, and I'm not consistent enough with spraying to overcome a bad tendency for disease. They were some of my first roses to meet Mr. Shovel, which I hated to do, because they are blooming fools.

Jeff, where did you get your Julia Child tree rose?

Thanks,
Carla

Your Icebergs are gorgeous. I live in hot humid Florida and love my iceberg! I have to spray it for blackspot but so what? I love the way the foliage is a lighter green and the blooms seem to glow from a distance. I can always see my iceberg in bloom when I'm at the back of my property and I have 3 acres! I hope you enjoy your new icebergs and the voles leave it alone.

Deb

I never grew Iceberg but those that I saw in gardens up in the midwest had spots if they weren't sprayed. But it is a blooming machine, isn't it? ⺠I've ordered roses from both Chamblee's and ARE. For economic reasons I order more roses from Chamblee's than any place else so save on shipping costs. I'll order from ARE or another vender if they have something I can't live without and Chamblee's doesn't offer it.

I have ordered from both and pleased by both companies. ARE roses are both larger and more expensive. If you order in spring the cheaper and smaller Chamblees roses will catch up in a season, but don't try buying smaller roses for late summer/fall planting or the plants will unlikely survive the winter.

What about Marie Pavie or Ducher instead? They do much better against BS compared to Iceburg that I used to have. At least in Texas.

Mary Pavie in NJ will probably get BS as bad as Iceberg. At leat that is the case here in MD. Ducher is much more resistant, but can have more winter dieback issues in zone 7.
Olga

Jeff, your Icebergs are beautiful. You are so lucky that you can grow them like that where you live. It has always been one of my favorites, but it has severe blackspot problems in my area, so I don't grow it anymore.

I thought that mad gallica was joking with you about needing an Iceberg in N.J. because of the cold winter everyone has had this year.

Sandy

I'll say right off the bat that I'm no expert. Just thought I'd mention that I have an Iceberg here and so far it has been a bloom machine with zero problems. I'm in Southern Ontario...don't know how much like NJ the climate is. Oh, and I bought it at a supermarket or some such place. Yikes!

"What about Marie Pavie or Ducher instead?"

In NYC, Marie Pavie is really BS resistant and blooms constantly. It's far smaller than Iceberg, growing maybe about two to three feet max.

Ducher doesn't bloom nearly as much out here, it's more tender, and it actually seems more BS prone. Other than that, it's a nice little rose. For a white rose, I much prefered Iceberg except that it was so BS prone. When it's healthy, it grows much larger than either of the other two.