Awesome - this information is very helpful. I'm glad I asked, as prior to this information I didn't think it would be possible. But now this sounds rather easy.

Can I ask a couple of auction ignorant questions?

Is bidding online list for the Live Auction or the Silent?

I have a couple that I would like to get from the Silent, but guessing that is only in person?

Can you tell that I am the one at the PTA fundraisers that stands back and watches the madness rather than participate?

John: Thank you for the response to my post regarding 'Enghien'. Due to to the confusion surrounding that rose, as well as the lack of basic info on it at HMF, I referred back to an old set of notes made when I visited the gardens at Coloma. Two bits of additional info I can provide are these: 'Enghien' was introduced in 1989. The variety was hybridized by RVS, a plant breeding program sponsored by the Belgian government (I've no idea what the initials stand for). No individual hybridizer was identified.

I found one additional photograph of the rose on a Dutch website (link provided below). The site describes the color as being "apricot, pink blush", a combination that is well-illustrated in the HMF photo. The HMF photo, compared to the Dutch one, definitely provides a more accurate representation of the color as I remember it.

I was pleased to note that shortly after your response to my initial post, the CCRS silent auction list was amended to indicate that the identity of the rose being offered as 'Enghien' is in question. That caveat, however, was quickly removed. Apparently the rose is to remain on the list, without qualification, as 'Enghien'. If so, I hope CCRS will ensure that all who may bid remotely on 'Enghien' are informed that the rose they may win will not be the rose pictured in the photo link provided on the auction list, and, in fact, may not even be a Hybrid Tea. Thanks again, and best wishes for a hugely successful auction!

Here is a link that might be useful: Another 'Enghien' Photo

Kippy, bidding may be done on either the silent or the live auction roses. If you go to the silent auction list on the website, you will see the note: The Bidding Form for the Silent auction as an Excel file ('xls') is available here. When you click on "here", the form pops up. Your bids are assigned to a proxy who will place them in the silent auction for you as needed. For example if you were willing to go up to $30 for Hiroshima's Children, but the starting bid was $10, a bid for $10 would be entered for you. Your proxy would then increase the bidding by $1 everytime another person outbid you until the price went over $30. I remember that last year someone wanted a rose really bad and put in a bid of $70, but ended up getting it for $18.

Windeaux, thanks for the extra info on Enghien. I just went to the website and it says (may not be) after the name. I think that someone was getting the list ready for printing and may have been in the process of changing what I originally put up. Btw, RVS stands for Rijksstation voor Sierplantenteelt, which translates as Research Station for Ornamental Plants. To confuse matters further, their new name is DVS, Departement voor Plantengenetica, the Department for Plant Genetics. Thanks again.

Great information! I'm glad Kippy and Harmony asked the questions they did. I wasn't aware that out of state bidders were welcome on some society auctions. I found a couple I was interested in, so we'll see what happens!

Tammy

The main purpose of the auction is to preserve rose genetics, Tammy. In a small way we feel that the auction contributes to the preservation of many of these varieties. Best of luck!

Yep, we preserve those rose genetics all right -- by getting some really nice roses out and about. Here are some highlights, at least from my perspective, from our list of roses.

Again, internet bids are taken, but the deadline for that is fast approaching -- noon, Pacific Time, on Saturday, November 3rd. Then we assign a proxy bidder to bid for your roses, up to the maximum you have set, as if it was his/her own money (i.e. no overpaying, unless there's a spirited battle going on for that particular rose).

Here are some links to my fav's

Simsalabim -- a full grown plant that is a sport of Abracadabra, with reverse striping (maroon on yellow instead of yellow on maroon).

Frankie -- a grafted plant on Pink Clouds rootstock -- this was grafted by Justin Ekuan,and, as far as I know, this cultivar has never been grown as a grafted plant before, other than by Justin and myself. It does wonderful things on better roots than it does as an already wonderful exhibition single on its own roots. It actually grows a true climber, believe it or not, and a much more graceful one than its parent Altissimo.
Takao -- this is one of the prettiest orange and yellow roses out there, and if you spray (and spray you must as it does also like its mildew), then you will grow to love this one.

Gentle Annie -- A loverly full purple single that grows much like Escapade with more striking color and the brightest yellow stamens imaginable.
Stranger -- A mauve and white stripe from the florist trade that is otherwise not on the market.

Yosooi -- A white true mini with exhibition form from Japan that should be more widely grown.
Emma May -- A pink hybrid tea that has surprised me with its vigor and good form.

Whole Buncha Japanese Roses -- Many that are very special.

Here is a link that might be useful: bidding instructions for CCRS Auction

Ah - one last question I forgot and didn't see. What are shipping costs per rose? Thanks :)

Just whatever it really costs to send your rose (or roses). We don't charge anything for our time or trouble, just the real postage cost. We don't have a schedule of rates or anything like that, though.

Last year, the shipping rates averaged $8 to $12 per rose depending on the destination and size of the plant. If you got more than one rose, this average goes way down. Kathy is correct. You only pay actual shipping charges. Our volunteers handle the boxing and handling.

Very cool. My bids are in!

Mine too (limited myself to one on each list-silent and live)

Good girl Kippy. Mine were self limiting as I somehow got to six, but three were not shippable, so now I'm down to a controllable three. CAN'T WAIT!

And now to wait and see if we won........

I put in reasonable bids on a few, but there are a couple that I really want....like you said, we wait and see! Good luck! Make sure to report back :)

Tammy

This question just occurred to me. Is there a way to watch the auction via Internet?!

OOo, the anticipation. I looked again at the roses I chose, and ... I REALLY want them! Now I'm second guessing the prices I put in. Having NO idea, except for the bid range from $3 -> $275, what the average / mean prices were in prior years. Not that that really matters, as it's a different year, and every single rose will be different. Then one asks - am I bidding on a rose no one notices (doubt it), or that is everyone's favorite (no idea). I guess that's the fun part about participating in an auction :)

No you won email for me....oh well Hope some one got a you won email!

Were we supposed to hear tonight?

I have no idea, but I figured if we had won, we would have heard along with an inquiry on shipping vs pickup so they would know how much we owe.

I also figured if I was not the high bidder (very likely in my case) we would hear this week after they heard back from the winning bidders.

I haven't heard either. One of the emails that I received said we would here by Sunday night. Hopefully it means they were just running behind because they had so many bids to go through! I bet we'll hear today sometime :)

Tammy

I HEARD! I had the winning bid on Monet. WHOPPEE. I didn't have the winning bid on St. Ethelburga or Something Special, but I'm very happy about Monet. Wishing you guys luck.

I heard too!!!! I won Hanami-Gawa (Ferdi), Huntington Brocade, Paul Delepine, Raven, Mariotta, and Sweet Dream. All winning bids were between $6-$15 on mine....so excited!!!

I didn't win Ladybug which I really wanted, but I'm definitely happy!

Tammy

I did not win either, but I did not bid high either, so no Lady Kidwell or Secret Garden Musk for me...from the auction!

Now to work on a Merry Christmas to me order from Burling

I won 2 of 3!!!!!My friend won 2 too!I'm happy!

I won the Lavender Joy (HT)! Now, I have to get off my mauve kick!

Hope you all enjoy your roses. Now, then, next year's auction will also be the first weekend in November, and NOW would be a really good time to let me know the name of any roses you are craving that are not available on the market.

Now is when we have to get them started to sell next year. It doesn't mean you have to buy it . . . we just like to have things that people are craving.

So be kind and give us some ideas in an informal poll, if you would indulge us.

How about 10 simsalabims!

How about 10 simsalabims!

O c'mon. That one I know, and I try to do a big one every year, and every year it goes for the top price. But you can't have an auction with just one variety.

But your point is well taken and I may try to get a couple of them going for next year.

I have some names of roses that are not available on the market which I would like to see available from an auction. They are: 'Silver Phantom', 'M.D. Crimson', 'Dr. Peck's 12th Avenue Smoothie', and 'Senateur Vasse'.

Looking dow the wish list that I keep...here are some that I would really like, but have not had much luck finding:

Ladybug (I wish I would have bid higher!)
Eyes for You (I had cuttings sent to me at one point, but none took...so sad!)
Blue for You
Bullata/Lettuce Leaved Rose (really want!!)
Canadian White Star
Compte des Bourbons
Cotton Candy Rambler (another one I can't get to root!)
Earthquake
Dye Plot China
Fakir's Delight
Florence Delattre
Green Diamond (really want!!)
Louis XIV
Mlle Berger
Pluton
Purple Skyliner
Ripples
Robert Leopold (a favorite!!)
Tabasco Cat

Ok...I'm stopping with the "T"s :)

Two I'm looking for that don't seem widely available - Sonia Rykiel and Frederick Mistral.

Cool -- I see some there I can do. Keep the suggestions coming, please.

I received my roses today and they are HUGE!!!! I ended up with two 3g pots and the rest good sized gallons! Can't wait for next year's auction :)

Tammy

Hello.

I would like to see the Esperance and Green Romantica roses offered again. I can't seem to find those anywhere.

Wow, that's a lot of roses that were available. Are there any results to show what roses sold for how much? I'm curious how much SIMSALABIM and STRANGER went for. What do you guys do with the ones that didn't get bid on?

Here are the stats:

Simsalabim was again the high price rose at $205. The low price rose was Heinrich Karsch, at $3. The average for all roses was $34. Second highest was Coachella at $105. Stranger was twelfth at $52. The average is skewed to the high side by a few high price getters. The median (50% higher price, 50% lower price) was $10 at the silent auction and $27 at the live auction. 90 roses went for $10 or less.

The price lists surprise me every year -- there's just no telling with an auction where the price of a particular plant will go -- to the high side or to the low side.
And there were some that were surprisingly low, I thought -- someone got a real bargain, e.g., with Pride of Oakland (a great rose, btw) for $6 and then also with Red Intuition, which went for $16.
And that's kind of what makes it fun.

Oh, and I don't think there was anything that didn't get an opening bid. But I guess if there was, it would come home and live with me (or one of the other auction worker bees) for the next year until the next auction. And I'd give it some extra fertilizer and make sure it was blooming at the next auction, so it could find a forever home.

So Kathy, I'm sure this is a rather frequent question. But I have been pining for a Simsalabim since I saw the pictures of the one at last years auction. Is the only possible way to get one at one of these auctions, or is there some other way?

If the auctions are the only place, I'd hate to "bring down" the price, but it sure would be nice if there were a handful of them available. The rose is crazy cool.

I could sure kick myself for not sending in a bid on Red Intuition...

Yes, so far as I know, the only place to get Simsalabim is our auction. And it is a crazy hard rose to get started.

In addition, another problem with this rose is that it STRONGLY tends to revert to pure yellow, and you have to really keep after the plant, by cutting off everything that shows up as pure yellow, and below the cuts, marking the whole canes that "tend" to pure yellow and then, after a couple of pure yellow ones show up on that cane, discaning it at that particular cane. So it is not a rose for the faint of heart. You have to "teach" it that it can only be a striped rose through consistent discipline. For that reason, I tend to only sell the ones that I KNOW will bloom well-striped, and I only take cuttings from my own plant at areas that are symmetrically striped. We do not want to sell anyone a $200 yellow rose. Thus, it is probably going to remain very rare. I have to assume that is why Kordes never put it into production also -- it's a pain in the buttocks rose, all around.

But it is a unique rose, and I will try to get a couple started for next year.

Fascinating. Yes, it would be quite a bummer to spend $200 for a yellow rose!!

Wonder how many people with Simsalabims have tried hybridizing it. Guessing quite a few... Wondering if anyone has had success in getting a seedling with similar pattern to grow...

It will not throw stripes in hybridizing, most likely. It is what is called a chimera -- an upper layer of coloring -- that produces the stripes, which is why the stripes have a tendency to disappear, making a full yellow bloom. I actually have received an email from Kordes head breeder on this subject, which I will send along to you if you send me your email addy.

Bourbons always pique my interest . . . Anyone know ANYthing about the mysterious 'Compte des Bourbons' rose that was among the plants auctioned?

HFM lists only one garden where it grows (San Jose Heritage Rose Garden); all the HMF photos of the rose are from the plant in that garden; the description of the rose at HMF is extremely sketchy; there's absolutely nothing to be found under the References tab at HMF; and no sources are listed for the rose.

All of this would seem to indicate that 'Compte des Bourbons' is a found rose awaiting identification, but it's not being presented as such. Does the San Jose Heritage RG maintain records that might contain the provenance of each plant? Perhaps HMF might consider altering the listing slightly to "Compte des Bourbons".

We got it from the curator of the San Jose Heritage RG.

I bought Simsalabims. Interesting to me, too from Kordes head breeder on this subject.All information about this rose is important for me.

If you want a copy of my Kordes email, send me an email asking for it and I will attach it to my reply to yours. My email addy is in the heading of each of my posts.

JUST PLAYING WITH NEW EDIT KEY TO SEE WHAT IT DOES

This post was edited by kstrong on Mon, Nov 26, 12 at 14:59

OK, NOW I KNOW - THE EDIT FEATURE DOES NOT MOVE THE POST TO THE TOP OF THE NEW POSTS ORDER

Although I am footstomping jealous I am also inspired. I wonder if there is an auction on our side of the pond. I think that it's an unbelievably brilliant idea and I strongly commend You guys on your good work.

M

This post was edited by kstrong on Mon, Nov 26, 12 at 14:59

How inspired are you mirendajean? We are not allowed to import large plants from Britain anymore, but we can get cuttings. There are many varieties that we love to get cuttings from if you'd like to consider an exchange program. As our European branch you could send us cuttings that we are searching for and we'd be happy to help you out. All you really need is a friend to work with you. It might seem like a small effort at first, but even if you can help save one plant from extinction, you are making an important contribution.

Kathy is a great help to us and while we really want to know what plants rosarians in the US are looking for, please let us know if you have cuttings of a variety that you think is rare. Working with Chris in Columbus, we were able to get plants of Conrad Hilton, Miss Hillcrest, Texan and Magic Moon. I am working on getting more plants of Ralph Moore's 'Most Unusual Day', which seems to have disappeared from commerce.

At the moment we have been desperately searching for Sunrise-Sunset (Herb Swim's not Ping Lim's). Let me know if anyone can provide cuttings. I appreciate anyone who wants to help in our "Save the Roses" campaign.
John

This post was edited by kstrong on Mon, Nov 26, 12 at 15:01

I'd love to help however all my roses are fairly standard. When/if I acquire something rare I'd be more than happy to help.

M