Gosh! I guess I'll have to give Hortico one more shot to prove themselves, because if it weren't for Sheila and Diane championing them, I would NEVER order from them a second time, and I would recommend others to use high caution. Why? The quality of the plants I received was subpar. They were moldy, covered in brown slime. Easily the worst roses (or plants, period) that I have ever received via mail order. My "Crimson Glory" wasn't even #2 Grade so they sent me two. One had BORER damage received from them. One of them died. Even worse? It's not Crimson Glory at all! It's a very slightly scented rich flag red that doesn't blue as it ages and the petals don't even have the dignity to fall off when they started browning. I've reached out to them, sent the requested pictures, and I haven't heard back. That was months ago. I obviously need to reach back out, because they haven't gotten back with me, Of course, if what I received was what others would dare call "good quality" plants, I could never take their opinion very seriously. Yes, the plants ultimately survived the first season to at least grow, but that does not a quality plant make. Steven

It looks like this but I think the petals are more cut. Anyway, I was able to find the information about the name via the net. It was named to honor of the 900th anniversary of the founding of the Abbey of Citeaux in France, the home of the Cistercian monks later to be known as the Trappists.

Well, I will have to eat my words a bit here to about dealing with Hortico. They have stepped up to the plate. I have now heard from H's general manager and he has promised to have one of his office ladies go to work and figure out just what is what with my backorders, replacements, etc....I can't ask for any better than that. That was promised very quickly after an e-mail directly to him explaining my frustrations of feeling dismissed by the office staff. They are trying to make the situation right. That is what customer service is all about. Not every transaction is going to be perfect especially when dealing with living things such as our roses. They are at the mercy of many outside forces that we probably wouldn't understand without walking a mile in their shoes. Nobody can deny that their customer service has seriously improved in recent years. Also, I do appreciate that they have whittled down their lists to hopefully have a better chance at completely filling our orders from their listed availability. Still, they do have the biggest and best selection in the world. I have always said that about them. They are the only source for many roses. John

Hortico is near Burlington, Ontario, near the RBG, a relatively warm part that gets better snow cover because it's west of the lake. Pickering which is in a colder area, much like my garden, also carries Noisettes. The canes don't need to survive over winter. Whatever they produce only needs to be crown hardy. The past three winters have been relatively mild. In past years Pickering used to carry a couple of tea roses, Duchesse de Brabant & Maman Cochet, which they say they dropped due to lack of demand. They had them listed among their HTs.