My own root seem to take a little longer to get going but catch up quickly. The David Austin site offers some in own root too. I usually bury the graft and thought I read if it's buried it turns own root eventually but Chris from Kordes told me that's not necessarily true so I haven't got a clue. Lol. I'm no help as usual!

I have 2-5 plants of each variety of Austins I grow - many variety groupings being a mixture of own root and grafted plants. In general, it hasn't made a difference at all. I appreciate the own root option due to the extreme weather we experience in the Midwest. Most of the own root bareroots were smaller but they quickly caught up to their counterparts. As far as specific varieties I would purchase grafted vs own root - Jude the Obscure is one that comes to mind.

I tend to prefer own root over grafted. Our harsh winters kill many roses down almost to or all the way to the ground. With grafted varieties, many times Dr huey comes up. Just last season I cut a big rootstock sucker/cane out of my winemere. I wonder how much the vigor has to do with whether the rose is virused or not rather than if it is grafted or own root. I think variety and soil also play a big part. Own root Jude was horrible here and didnt even live one year but others thrive.

I started out with grafted roses. After several years, my beloved Evelyn and Ambridge Rose reverted back to rootstock. I ended up having to remove the whole bed of roses including an incredible Sharifa Asma and Peach Blossom (which you can't get anymore). The only one I didn't mind losing was Jude the Obscure. He never performed well in my garden and with my gardening conditions.

Ever since then (expensive lesson), I have only grown own root roses. Exception being Candice which was not available on own root. However, I am now growing four cuttings on their own root and have Candice in a pot so if she does revert, the rootstock won't spread and I lose my roses again.

I have found that where you get your own roots matters and it also matters if you get a band or not. I received bands, years ago from Heirloom and they were barely rooted and looked like a twig. I have had "regular" size plants from Heirloom and they have been just fine. I have had good luck with David Austin own roots (they were HUGE), Roses Unlimited, Burlington and a couple of other on-line nurseries. I have a three to five year rule for my garden. I give the plant three to five years to perform. If they don't they are out. I find DA roses take that long in my garden and gardening conditions to really come into their own and perform.

I have Golden Celebration own root, only it's first year, it's been growing and blooming well enough, no complaints.

I have the following on Fortuniana, also all planted this year:

Jude the Obscure - has been a wonder on Fort , lots of blooms of good size, strong wafting fragrance , excellent repeat, nice bushy habit, performing like a much more established plant.

Gertrude Jekyll (aka Pink Octopus): Extremely vigorous, lots of long thin octopus canes, sparse and tiny button hole (think Cecile Bruner in size) blooms...a small, stingy reward extended at the end of a long octopus arm.

Benjamin Britten (aka Vermillion Octopus): Ditto, Gertie, except Vermillion.

Evelyn (aka Green Octopus): why green? Because this big octopus has no blooms.

I'm thinking my Octopus Austins need to be trained laterally on a trellis, pegged, or heaved into the ocean where Octopuses belong.

I don't know why but I feel like I prefer my Austins grafted. I like big shrubs and that happens quicker for me . This is the 3rd year in this garden /home and when I look back , all my roses that are large are own root though. My grafted Austins that I had the first season I was here died from not burying the rootstock. I thought I didn't need to since I am in the south but I was wrong.

This year I have Evelyn and sceptred isle own root

Huntington and st Cecilia on whatever k and m grafts to

and the rest are dr Huey grafted. I hope they survive for sure! And I'll know in a coupe seasons if the own root was the Better way to go . :)

mustbnuts,

I try very hard to give my roses at least 2 seasons to show their true colors, too. However, when all the tempting new catalogs come out in the fall, the soil is soft and my shovels are sharpened...all those non-performers are in mortal danger!

Sara-Ann,

I have come to the conclusion that each individual variety dictates whether it does best own root or grafted.

Weaker growers are generally given a 'shot in the arm,' grown on the appropriate root stock.

When the scion is grafted to a specific rootstock the ROOTSTOCK'S growing needs must be met, not the scion's need. This is demonstrated by the frequent failures of Dr. Huey rootstocks in Florida's sandy, nematode threat soils where fortuniana rootstocks are the ticket.

Of course a scion cultivar that is tender for the zone in which it is expected to flourish, must be winter protected to a certain degree. This is true for all hybrid teas grown in my area with which I am familiar, except the most recently released Kordes ADR hybrid teas.

My experience has led me to prefer grafted roses. Multiflora rootstocks do best for me here in W. PA., zone 5-6. The bud unions of all tender roses are planted 4" below the soil surface to ensure survivability of the scion's bud union for those roses.

For me, grafted roses, with no exceptions that I have experienced, grow bigger, flower more abundantly, are more vigorous, and are more disease/insect resistant than the same rose grown own root.

If you want to see a bush that will blow you away, grow a mini rose grafted onto a rootstock. Plant an own root mini next to it, give them the same care, and you won't believe the difference!

Moses