"I have never grown a rose so I need all the help I can get." You are right about that. ;>) I can answer one question. You want to get a rose grafted on Fortuniana rootstock. We haven't grown roses in years, but the Nelson roses were the best we could get back then. They are in Apopka. A lot of garden centers carry them.
john

Some of the old roses do OK on their own roots. I have a rose that is often confused with Louis Phillip. It is called Cramasoi Superiur (sp). It is own root and absolutely thrives. It has 50 blooms on it at all times. A good source is Angel Gardens in Gainsville. It has a web Page. Pam is great at helping you choose the right rose.
Nancy

Go to the Antique Rose forum here on Garden web .
http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/rosesant/
Read the FAQs and posts .
Lots of Florida rose lovers there .
Post the same question you posted here .
You'll get a ton of good answers .

Louis is not a fragrant rose .
Old Garden Roses ( OGRs ) grow on their own root stock .
Hybrids need to be grafted but not OGRs .
That's their appeal .

Thanks for all the info and for the vendor suggestions. I'll definitely check out Angel Gardens. I'll read up at the Antique Rose forum and when I've made my purchase and planted my rose, I'll post a pic. Kay

this is a great rose and resistant to chili thrips which is a big plus! Check with Hardin's (locally) I bet they have it on fortuniana. Just remember they are opened on sat. only...they are on south Dale Mabry.

Crowley's in Sarasota also carries this rose,along with other Antique roses,not to mention many other cool and unusual plants,check out their website,Crowleynursery.com..

>I bet they have it on fortuniana

I always thought one reason this is sometimes called the "cracker rose" is that it' doesn't need fortuniana the way hybrid teas do?

Been taking a break for a while but just had to chime in here...

LP is the Cracker Rose and IS so named because it does very well here on it's own root. Mine has had as many as 15 flushes per year and it is so fragrant that it wafts across the yard.

I've seen Crowley's so called LP and I believe that it is not LP. It's blooms are too sparsely petaled and it is quite thorny. LP is nearly thornless.

Mine came from the Antique Rose Emporium in 2002 and is going gangbusters.

Since you are near to me, I am glad to root you some from my shrub or I can mail you cuttings.

Veronica

Here is a link that might be useful: If you can only have one rose this is it!

I did not know there were different kinds of Louis P's.
Check out this link to see.
Click on the names to see facts and photos .

Here is a link that might be useful: help me find louis

Silvia - those roses look wonderful. Are they naturally vining or did you create that espalier look?

Veronica - You have mail! (If the e-mail in Gardenweb is correct)

Mary - thanks for that link - lots of info there.

this is starting to take on the look of a "project" for me. Hmmm.. might need another rose to keep the one I haven't gotten yet company.....

Kate

The roses are about 1 year old, and I got them when very small, so the potential is there for them to grow big and bushy, if that is what you want.

I figured because I have boysenberries in the middle and have to be trained, I might as well train the roses. I cut them as they need it.

Silvia

Sorry, I meant Kay not Kate. lol

I have grown Louis Phillipe for years at several houses and have grown it successfully on own root stock, as well as grafted. It is a tough, hardy rose, and I disagree completely about the fragrance. Every one I've ever grown has had a wonderful, old tea rose type fragrance. I know some have say they don't have a scent, but as I say, I have never found that to be true. I say sniff it before you buy it, haha.

Of all the roses I've ever grown, hybrid teas and antiques combined, LP is my favorite. And it can get VERY large, when it is happy.

Good luck!

Marcia

My OGRs have new growth already !
They have been the toughest plant in the garden this winter .
They look good even after several long nights of 19 , 20 & 21 degrees .
Bermuda Spice is looking the best at the moment .
That tea rose has a lovely delicate scent and blooms 10 to 11 months a year .
Good companion rose for Louis .

I want to second Marcia's comment that this rose gets huge! And I agree with everyone here who said LP is a great rose to have and perfectly healthy and hardy on it's own roots. I have mine with a Smith's Parish (similar, but white flowers) on it's own root and a climbing Don Juan (that one is on fortuniana root stock).

Another rose to check out is Belinda's Dream on fortuniana. It's a perfect combination of hybrid tea type flowers on a shrub shaped plant. Resistant to black spot, very hardy and disease free. Beautiful deep pink flowers with a great fragrance. The flowers are long lasting on the shrub and also pretty in a vase. Can you tell I'm a fan? During the recent freezes, my LP, Smithie, and Belinda never stopped blooming. The Don Juan looks terrible but I'm hoping a serious pruning brings it back.

Good luck and tell us what you decide!

Kate

Nelson's now has Louis Philippe on Fortuniana, in three of the Nurseries here in St Pete, they also had Abraham Darby.. maybe when they send out their new shipments the end of Feb. or into March, they will have more of the OGR on Fort. sally

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Kay, Louis Philippe grows very well and long on his own roots in Florida sand, being resistant to nematodes. The flowers have a luscious cherry candy fragrance. In Ocala we have a local nursery that usually has a few, and Rose Petals Nursery in Newberry outside of Gainesville has them. LP is a great easy-care garden rose in Florida. None better.

Sherry

Here is a link that might be useful: Rose Petals Nursery

Marcia makes a good point about fragrance. I don't have this rose but I am an active member on the rose forum. I have over 50 roses. It is often discussed that the same rose appears to have no scent in one garden and scent in another. I can't explain it but it seems to be the case. FlowerLady grows LP very succesfully. Hopefully she will chime in.
Nancy

Oh Sherry! That is a beautiful rose! I'm trying to practice delayed gratification in buying what I really want but, wow, seeing all these gorgeous roses makes it hard to wait. Thonotorose has offered to send me cuttings. If I can get those to strike, then I will need another OGR to go with Louis so I plan to take a ride over to Hardin's locally and look around. Is there a disadvantage to buying a grafted OGR? Oh boy. I'm already talking 2 OGRs. Can there be 3 far behind? I'm a little nervous about ordering on-line, but I will at least be able to be guided by all your suggestions here on Garden Web. Kay

I really am not a rose expert, but I do know that some roses grow fine on their own roots, like the OGR's and the OGR's called Bermuda Mystery Roses. If they do, then I don't see an advantage to purchasing it grafted. You always run the risk of the original root stock sending up shoots you don't want. Fortuniana will do that and they are easy to clip but why deal with it if you don't need to.

The Bermuda roses are usually named for the garden they were found growing in, like Smith's Parish rose.

Some of these OGRs have been growing in Florida gardens for decades. That's the kind of longevity you want!

Kate

Nancy, I think you might be right that certain growing conditions have an affect on the amount of fragrance with roses. I know temperatures do, too, and even time of day. I've had some roses smell great in the evening, but not so much so in the morning, and vice versa.

Also, remember that scent is a chemical thing, and some noses do not detect some chemicals. For instance, I know for a fact that there's a particular shrub grown here (I think it is tea olive? Or something like that?) which has clusters of small white flowers that I've heard are among the most fragrant of all the shrubs. Yet, I can't smell them at all, even when I bury my nose into the cluster. Nothing. But some of my friends can smell them blooming from clear across a large garden. Somehow, my nose just doesn't detect that particular smell's chemical makeup.

Scent. Such an evocative sense, and so varying from one person to another. That's why I never give anyone a gift of fragrance unless I know for sure what they like.

Louis Phillipe is a winner, own root or grafted. You will probably pay more for grafted, and that would be one drawback to consider, I would imagine. But if you find a good, healthy bush either way, I say go for it. You'll love it!

Marcia

Louis has fairly small flowers .
The photos can make the flowers appear bigger than in real life .
The plant makes up for this with many flushes of blooms year long .
Marcia is correct about scent.
My Louis smells like pepper at times and other times like cherries .

Here I am with my two cents worth on this wonderful rose. It was the first rose I bought many, many years ago from a local flea market. I have rooted many cuttings of this so have several around. The original plant died last year, probably around 25 years old.

Here are some pictures of the one by my shed. It is growing up and over the shed along with a bougainvillea that is almost the same color. They put on quite a show.

Nancy ~ I have to say that the Old Blush and Smith's Parish, that you gave me are doing fantastic too. I love them both. Thanks again from sharing from your gardens.

Smith's Parish ~ A Bermuda mystery rose.

Old Blush and antique climbing rose.

Actually, you can't go wrong with any of these three roses. Also Duchesse de Brabant is another antique rose that I love.

FlowerLady

You can see more of my roses, gardens etc. on my blog if any are interested.

FlowerLady

Here is a link that might be useful: FlowerLady's Musings

FlowerLady, thanks for posting your (always!) beautiful pictures!

Kate

Well, I drove over to Hardin's in south Tampa this past Sat. and came home with a Belinda's Dream. Thanks Laura for the info about this place. I received a ton of information about roses and saw some really beautiful specimens. Thanks to you Kate for your effusing about Belinda's Dream. When Karen, one of the nursery owners picked BD as the one she thought I would most enjoy, I felt confident because of the recommendation you had given.

Belinda isn't blooming right now, but as soon as she does I will post a pic.

FlowerLady - beautiful pictures. It helps me to see that even though my sunny space is very small I should be able to accommodate my plan of 2 roses, even ones that can get large.

I planted Belinda's Dream and scattered some zinnia seeds around her. My DH and I just pulled out a 20+year old hibiscus from this area so it was truly a blank slate. I can't wait for blooms to begin!

Kay

Veronica,

CYE :-)

Tom

Flower Lady, glad to hear they are still doing well. It's been a while. Your Duchesse is gorgeous. How big does she get? How often does she bloom?
Nancy

kgardens:

I think you will be happy with Belinda's dream. It does get a little blackspot, but not very much. It is the only rose that can tolerate my western exposure full sun in the summer. Oh, and it smells good too!

I have a small rose garden and they are on Fortuniana and Dr. Huey rootstock. Both do well. I have purchased most of them from the Univ of Tampa plant sale. There is a rose grower there every year and what a selection they have.

I was really thinking of getting rid of the roses this year, as they are just too much work with all the blackspot, but they are the only things that look good in the garden! They survived the freeze with no problems.

Should I prune now or do I wait till the end of Feb.?

Julie

Oh, how I love looking at all your beautiful rose pictures Silvia, Sherryocala and flowerlady! Thank-you!

Anna

Julieyankfan, you mention the Univ. of Tampa plant sale, with a rose grower, please can you tell me the dates of this event ? Thanks, sally