Thank you. I checked and they are sold out. That seems to be what I am finding this time of year. Where I live, Spring has barely even started, so I never thought it would be too late. Other places I have checked are either sold out or not selling any roses at all until September for 2017 shipping. It's nuts!

Did you check http://www.kedemgarden.com/roses/ ?

I described in another discussion, last month, discovering that he (Sam Kedem) resumed (this year) online rose orders, after a hiatus of many years. His rose availability list tonight is showing 3 gallon JTO as available. Of course, it may be out of date. Home page still showing online rose order availability. He's in a colder zone than you.

Good luck!

Have you checked with David Austin's in Texas? Maybe they have some left. As to own-root vs. grafted, I have found that the grafted ones do better sooner than the own-root ones in general.

Rogue Valley Roses is showing having bands in stock - https://www.roguevalleyroses.com/rose/jude-obscure-%E2%84%A2%C2%AE

Please check with Roses Unlimited. Great roses, great source!

Thank you all for those great leads. I had already checked with Austin in Texas and they are out of stock. Buying a band from Rogue Valley is not an option for me. We have a short growing season so it would take years to see an actual rosebush. I am too old and impatient to have to wait that long. I can't tell from the Roses Unlimited website whether or not it's in stock, and since their plants come in so-called one "gallon" pots, it's also going to be something tiny. Kedem is looking like it could be just the ticket. Their plants come in 2, 3, or 5 gallon pots, so I sent them an inquiry. I am keeping my fingers crossed. Thanks rifis.

I purchased mine from Heirloom as an own root band. It was small the first summer but it still bloomed and by the second year it had caught up with my other grafted roses. I live in Washington and we also have a short growing season, it doesn't take years to mature.

Zone 8 sounds like a very different climate than zone 5. I don't think there is any comparison. I have bought bands and it's just nuts to try that around here, unless you are a devoted rosarian. Maybe if I wanted to grow them for my grandchildren, which I don't have. Also, Heirloom is out of stock.

Hi Rochester-- I am in your area and just went through the same thing. It seemed that every David Austin I picked was out of stock. I drove to all the garden centers in the Rochester area that were listed on the DA site. Finally I just picked others that David Austin had available for shipping. :)

Yes, there are very many other choices. It's just that I was blown away by the smell of Jude the Obscure many years ago and I always wanted to grow it. I have grown and still grow a number of other Austins, but nothing else smells like that rose! If I have to wait until next year, that is what I will do.

Annz, I have often travelled to different garden centers to find roses and see what's available. Have you noticed how much smaller the selection is these days? Garden centers have far few roses than they used to, even Wayside Garden Center, which used to be the capital of all roses. What happened?

My personal theory is that roses got too expensive to be planted as annuals, and it hasn't been easy for local garden centers to switch gears and source hardy ones. The break point seemed to be about $15. Below that, and roses sold reasonably well. Above that, and the roses sat until they went to sale for under $15. Now they are too expensive even for that, and just don't sell.

Most of the roses I bought were hardy and lasted the winter, but they weren't very healthy. They needed a lot of coddling and spraying and still that didn't help. The garden centers need to stock not only hardy plants, but also plants that can grow and flourish without all the fuss.

You should go to Canada to visit Palatine for hardy roses. It's not that far from Roch. :-)

Maybe, but I could not find any Austin roses at all on the Palatine website.

Check with HORTICO. Canadian. They have plenty of DA on multiflora root stock which is winter hardy and grows fast and flourish. Excellent customer service also. Hope this helps.

Thanks. You are right, they do have a lot of Austin roses, just not Jude the Obscure! I guess they don't call him obscure for nothing.

Rochester-- After your description I want to order Jude the Obscure for next year. Were you finally able to find it? I didn't try Wayside 3 others in Penfield and Bristol's. Oh the prices! Bristol was the lowest at $42--one was $50 with last year's half dead stock. No selection anyplace. I have 8 coming from DA tomorrow and Tuesday. They will be a ways behind but will soon catch up. Going to Flower City Sunday at the Public Market today. Never any roses but a flower filled morning :) How is the Maplewood show?

If you live in an area that can grow roses on Fortuniana, you can check with K and M roses. They do sell Jude the Obscure on Fortuniana rootstock. I don't know what zones can use that rootstock and which ones cannot. As of a few weeks ago, they still had more bushes of Jude.

Good Luck,

Suebelle

Yes, Annz, Bristol's sucks! Crazy prices. I don't care for Grossmans' in Penfield either. Massive ripoff. I do, love Wayside and they did have some nice Austins, not like they used to, but respectable. Prices are not cheap, but it's such a beautiful place that I somehow don't mind. I have an inquiry online with Kedem, but they have not responded to me yet. Otherwise, I just need to order early next year. Hortico seemed to have to best online selection and prices that I have seen.(Just not Jude.)

Wow, seeing this thread makes me want to replace mine that died. I used to have a ton of the DAs and other similar roses along our upper fence. But it was way too shady. Most of the roses just sat there for yrs doing nothing. Since we had to do the septic re-do last yr and I gained a lot of open space, I've been digging those roses out of that fence area and replanting them in full sun. The last section I dug out was the yellow roses, and my JTO was totally non-existant. Must've just died and whatever was left probably got raked out of there a yr or more ago, and I just didn't notice. I'm working on the last DA bed with the yellow/apricots. Maybe I should replace it. I didn't quite have enough DA-style roses to fill the bed up. Hmmm... should I or shouldn't I?

I grew own root roses from bands in Alaska for over 30 years. They could be potted the first summer for an initial boost before planting in the ground. They did well and sized up by one year.

rochesterroseman: Did you ever hear back from Sam Kedem?

Yes, I did. He said it was out of stock. It appears his website only shows what he might have, not actual inventory. I guess I will have to wait until next year.