Okay so I didn't actually *need* any more roses.;) But that didn't stop me from ordering. Figured I've ordered from multiple vendors this year, and I really ought to support Heirloom, as they've always sent me wonderful plants in the past, and I want them to stay in business. Also I really like their firm and vocal stance on rose mosaic virus. In addition, I've bought some really big plants already this year. First from Antique Rose Emporium. That has meant digging fairly large holes. Then I have been getting LOTS (like yikes maybe 30 or so) from Eurodesert, and those plants are enormous, which means digging even larger holes still. So the idea of getting bands where I wouldn't have to expend that much effort in the planting has a fair amount of appeal. Plus one of my flower beds hasn't cooperated as expected--as in the flowers haven't died back as I assumed they would, and they are so pretty I don't want to disturb them with digging giant holes to put in roses, so that means I just have to get smaller roses, which can go in without losing the other plants. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!;) I ordered: Stanwell Perpetual (okay so I already have SP, but you can never have too many of this wonderful plant with its elegant, fragrant flowers!) Irish Hope (looks like a pretty, lemony white on HMF) Paul's Himalayan Musk (I have a 50 to 60 foot tree in the backyard that I think would look great with this rose cascading out of it, and PHM is known as a tree-eating, house-eating rose, well here's its chance!) Happy Child (I'm a sucker for David Austin's and this one is so cheerful looking....) Melissa

Kim, I will when we get a chance to visit her garden. She is about moms age and either did not hear the phone ringing or was tired from the party yesterday and was not answering this morning. BUT, she left 3 of the roses from the bunch she picked yesterday, she said the rose has been there at least 20 years and is covered in blooms. She has lived there since the 50-60's and is on the Santa Barbara "Mesa" The roses she left are a good 4" across and look like either a very deep rich colored "Peace" or a lighter than Seil's HPF Granada photo and more like the ones from the Olympia Rose Society garden photo. I forgot to do a sniff test, but they were sitting outside with them yesterday so guessing the sniff test would have been nothing to smell. Mom is in love with them, so I will have to try and start a few cuttings of them I should note, I had no more planned rose bush location designated around the house. So no idea where it will end up, but it is from her friends place so it would end up and a special spot. Mom wants to visit one of her other friends rose gardens too, I might need a bigger green house.... (the local Rose Society visited this friends gardens this spring and she says she has hundreds of plants)

You'll have a great day - just look for those in the garden with great foliage (no spray) and you can't go wrong. I haven't bought roses in several years but love their Chinatown for vigor and fragrance (yellow), Peach Blossom for fragrance and cool hips (peach) although the flowers are a little short lived on Peach Blossom - does repeat well though. For a yellow shortie with a lot of cute factor, I've enjoyed Minilights for a very long time in my garden. You didn't mention red, but Eyeopener always draws comments and it's a toughie, almost no care - if the deer would just leave it alone.

Hybrid vigor (heterosis) is a measure of the degree that a hybrid plant will outperform the average performance of the 2 parental lines. The theory is that the more different the 2 lines are, the stronger the heterosis. In the case of roses, the heterosis may be expressed by growing more vigorously. It is not surprising that the Austin roses express strong vigor because he has been using very diverse materials in his breeding program, making crosses between roses of the various classes of old garden roses and modern roses, which are genetically unrelated. Most of the Austin roses that I grow are own root. I also prefer own root to grafted, as the plants will usually last longer. I have seen grafted roses begin to weaken around year 12 or so; I think it may have something to do with the breakdown of the cells of the plant right at the area of the graft. I have seen others make similar comments on this site. Several have mentioned the roses at Mission San Juan Bautista in CA that are way over 100 years old, are still growing very vigorously, which I have seen as well. If I am growing a grafted plant that I am very fond of and want to have more than say 10 years, I will root a new plant and replace the grafted version with it. I do know that, for whatever reason, some roses do not grow well on their own roots, (a long forgotten Austin rose, Ellen, comes to mind); Prospero also seems to do better for me grafted than own-rooted). Based on my experience, I think that percentage that don't do well on their own roots, may be 5% or less. Heirloom Roses has been selling own root roses for over 3 decades and there are not many really popular roses, that you can't get from them as an own root plant. But my observations in my part of CA, may not hold true in all areas, especially in some of the colder areas with completely different environmental conditions. Rachel: Regarding William Morris: I have one grafted and 5 own-rooted WM rose plants and they are all doing well. But I live in an area where most everything does well and grows quickly because of our very long growing season and very bright sunlight, a consequence of our arid summers. I am growing some own-root roses that were 'stuck' in November and some are already 3 feet high! WM is no longer on patent and is no longer in the DAR rose catalog. If you are interested in WM, I may be able to help you. Please email me at tomatobreeder@hotmail.com Susan Lyell tried in the summer of 2017, to root roses at her facility near Nashville, TN. She has a business selling cut flowers (including roses and other species) which I presume is doing well. She concluded that it would take too long for her to produce own root plants in a reasonable amount of time in her climate, but intends to continue her cut flower business. She found a cooperator in Santa Ynez, CA who is going to produce roses grafted to Rosa multiflora, which Susan said would not be available for 2-3 years. It is my understand that most commercial nurseries sell grafted roses that are 2 years.