Actually DD roots quite easily for me. A my old house I had a hedge of DD planted along the sidewalk in my front yard. It never failed to stop passersby who smelled their wonderful fragrance. All but a few were rooted cuttings. It took a couple of years for them to become full size but once they did, they performed as well or better than graftted. All were removed and brought here and are growing well supplying me with the blooms I give to all the women, old and young, who visit. I have at least 12 bushes and all are own root and hardy. Although they dieback to the ground each winter, by late May they are blooming fools. DD remains my favorite rose!

I can't wait to check them ALL out although I suspect that won't be until the growing season is over. They will make for outstanding viewing come winter. I think Paul is doing everyone a great service with his videos. Kate

My LEH was also a weak grower. Kept her maybe 4 years. All she ever had was perhaps six skinny canes and maybe one flower at a time. Belle Story did not fair much better. A lovely delicate flower it had and it did flower more than LEH. The flowers on both shattered quickly. However they never developed a root structure here that a plant needs to excel. My MOP is to new to tell anything. In the first year I can say that growth was average. Seems as if she may do well here for me. Wonder how many roses that don't do well here are weather related issues. If only they could speak right.

The one I got from RU I eventually tossed, being as I was trying to collect old things for the cemetery. While I knew it was old, I didn't know what it was, so I didn't keep it -- there was no more room in my own yard for it. As it turns out, the rose garden where I work also has a rose labeled 'Omar Khayyam', and I recognized it right away as being the same as what I got. And they also got theirs from RU. I don't find that the blooms look like 'Omar Khayyam' except perhaps in color. The form is different -- the one from RU is more globular, and the bloom doesn't break into a sort of shaggy pinwheel-ish shape like the real thing, which that does because it lacks guard petals to hold the bloom together. And the plant from RU is not nearly as prickly and gawky -- I'd say that the false one is actually a better garden plant. But I wanted something that would be something to talk about if I ever gave a tour, so only the real thing would do. Anyway, it is an interesting rose -- very upright and narrow, arching a bit at the tips. The blooms are fragrant, and it wasn't very disease-prone. As I said, it does remind me of my 'Rose du Roi', which I got from Vintage Gardens, which they obtained as a reversion from 'Panachee de Lyon', one of its sports. It's not the same thing going around as 'Rose du Roi' from other US nurseries. There are actually two at my job, and I can't tell if two were planted or if the original suckered -- but it seems odd if it was the latter, and there was just one sucker, and it popped up a foot away. But as far as I know, only Greenmantle has the real thing. Ordering from them seems to be a bit of a process, and I was hoping someone found the real thing elsewhere. I suppose if I really want it someday, I'll just have to put together a short list of things I'd want that only they have, and just do it all at once. I've heard great things about the quality of their plants, but I've gotten spoiled by being able to just do a few clicks on the computer and have things arrive at my door. Anyway, if you have the space, enjoy the plant. I really don't want to disparage it. As I said above, it's actually a better garden plant than the real thing. :-) ~Christopher