It is not a dumb question.
The main requirements for a good rootstock are that it roots easily & that it will accept & "push", i.e., grow buds taped to it. It also has to have long-lived canes, so a HT wouldn't be a good long-term choice. And thornlessness, or at least having long smooth areas along the canes is very nice.
And ideally, the bark should "slip" well--lift easily & cleanly to make a place for the bud chip.

Many roses will do both & it's somewhat climate/soil related. Dr. Huey is very good for me as it does well in our alkaline soils.

Fortuniana is popular as being a good southern stock that is nematode resistant. It's pushed every single thing I've put on it, but I can't root it in cool weather. It roots easily from May--Sept., won't do a thing from fall through winter. But I like it very much & will root plenty this summer.

Ragged Robin began to be used accidentally, as I recall, & it turned out to work well in some areas. Been good here.

Banksia is used in some areas to make long thornless whips for standards.


IXL is a multiflora hybrid. It & De La Grifferaie are used for standards--both root easily & make big strong canes that push sap strongly.


Ralph Moore used Pink Clouds & it's been great with whatever I've put on it.

You most certainly can & should experiment if it sounds fun. This past fall, I desperately needed root stocks & I slapped buds on everything in the yard. One of the very best? Spray Cecile Brunner! Caldwell Pink was also very good, as were Pink Clouds, Ragged Robin & Fortuniana. Dr. Huey hasn't pushed buds as vigorously, but I have only the past fall's experience to judge so far--it has accepted almost any bud & I expect them to push when the weather warms.
It is very fun & the results can be astonishing--1'-2' growth of cane from a tiny bud put on a good stock in a couple of months in the summer.
Am looking forward to trying Banksia, De La Grifferaie & IXL this summer. I have a bunch of sticks of various things rooted. Shoot me an e-mail if you'd like some.

I can send you several Dr Hueys that can be cut down small or just cuttings or whathaveyou if you'd ever want any.

If your bud is free of RMV you might want to only use it on RMV free rootstock as well.

I have a bloom on my pink clouds. I can see why it makes such good rootstock, that plant wants to grow! I plan on starting some longer sections and staking for mini tree roses

Thank you Bluegirl for your detailed response. Loved that (ran around the yard slapping buds on everything)..sounds like something I would do. So am I understanding this right..You put the bud on a rose and once the bud starts growing you cut the cane off and then root that? Sorry I don't know too much about this yet.

Thank you for your very generous offers. I see my zone information some how disappeared from my profile. Unfortunately I am in zone three so I am not sure if your rootstock would work for me. How many try's before you were successful, just curious.

Oh Kippy how lucky you are to live in that zone. I can't imagine how cute mini tree roses would be. Please post some pictures.

sowandgrow, take a look at this information from the Wisconsin Roses site. Steve sells newly budded (on R. multiflora rootstock) "maidens." He shows you the process once the bud has started to grow out. You don't cut off the cane of the bud, you cut off the canes of the rootstock, leaving just the part of the cane that has the budded variety. His pictures and explanation should help. http://www.wiroses.com/maiden_explanation.html

Thank you so much!!! Your pictures really helped me get the picture. I am just amazed at the difference grafted made versus own root on Talisman. thats amazing that you can put a bunch of buds on one cane.I printed out all the info from the links. Thanks Diane, I had been on that website but hadn't looked at that info. I was hoping to maybe get some multiflora rootstock from him but he buys it from a wholesaler from Canada. I can hardly wait to give this a try. I can see already this could get to be an obsession.

Bluegirl, I see some pvc pipe, did you build a hoop house to keep your cuttings under?

Yes, yes I did! I started budding a lot last summer & wanted to do what I could to keep rooting cuttings & rootstocks through the year. Also tucked the budded sticks under there.
worked pretty well, though I couldn't root Fortuniana sticks past September--seems to want a lot more warmth, as it rooted easily from summer through early fall.

Next year I'll try to create more of a hot bed--stack up a bunch of horse poop in that bed to ferment & create more warmth. I used a lot of wet alfalfa hay & it did heat up, but not as much as I wanted.