I have never ordered from Rogue Valley, but have from Pickering, and you cannot go wrong with them. I wouldn't touch Hortico with a ten-foot pole, but Pickering is quite another matter. Of the Canadian suppliers, they are, to me, the best of the best. Their packing and customer service is above reproach.

I ordered from Pickering and Palatine and received great big bare roots this past spring. Can't go wrong with either of them. Judy

About Pickering:
I like the roses they sell because I like roses grafted on multiflora.
BUT, and this is a biggie, I'm now into year 13 of ordering from Pickering and I'm finding that multiflora rootstock is a problem at about year nine or ten. The rootstock overwhelms the scion. Sometimes the roses have gone own root: that's good.
But when the roses have chosen to stay dependent on the multiflora rootstock, I've seen a loss of canes and an absence of new canes. And when I dig them up, the roots are just fine and healthy, but it looks as if I've dug up a cypress knee.
For this reason, I've grown hesitant to recommend multiflora rootstock for the past year.
Rogue Valley has a great list of roses and makes great plants. And they are own root.

For this reason, I've grown hesitant to recommend multiflora rootstock for the past year.

*** Out here, where Multiflora struggles to begin with, we find that Multiflora
rootstock simply dies after a few years.
Years ago, we had many Austin roses from Hortico, on Multiflora.
All but one of those is long gone now, and I think that one has gone own-root.
I wonder, sometimes, if they might have been more successful plants
on their own roots.

Jeri

I just want to tell you something about Isabelle. Your zone is colder than mine so I'm not sure this is totally valid for you. Isabell is ridiculously tall. Mine is probably 8 stiff feet tall with roses scraping the skies. I rather like it but it does bear some consideration.
I have heard also that here the roses on multiflora rootstock don't live long. I bought alot of Pickering roses in the past. Most of them for me are still going strong. One rose, Blush Noisette died back last year but a portion of it had rooted on its own and that part is growing on. I think I do prefer own-root if given a choice.

Since I removed Scabrosa last week, I thought I would make a comment in regards to it.

I SP'd it for 3 reasons: it was own root and therefore spreading underground; it does not give a very good display, despite the fact that there are lots of flowers; it attracted rose curculios and therefore the blooms were full of holes.

I have found Pickering to be a very dependable supplier of good quality bareroot roses on their multiflora rootstock and wouldn't hesitate to buy from them anytime.
Palatine however has turned out to send me the best bareroot roses on multiflora that I have ever seen. They are superspectacular deluxe and well worth the cost of the rose and the shipping which is a little bit higher than most. The quality they send makes it all worthwhile.
Another good multiflora supplier is the budded maidens sold my Steve Singer at Wisconsin Roses--WIROSES.COM . They are super vigorous and by the fall of their first year you can not tell one of the budded maidens from a bareroot and the budded maidens are much easier to plant and tend to than the traditional bareroot rose. I have about 75 of Steve's roses and recommend them highly.
John

Thanks, all, for the information; it is definitely food for thought and I definitely appreciate now having the lead=time & this input before making my final choices.