Well, one option is to ask someone who has roses you like for cuttings and propagate. Not terribly difficult to do. Definitely takes longer, but you know exactly what you are getting. Many areas have plant swaps where you can get cuttings and newly rooted cuttings free. Not far from here is the Antique Rose Emporium, they have a vast assortment of all types of roses. Try their website because I believe they ship. Our garden club is going to take a bus trip there. I am really looking forward to it. I have two rose gardens here currently and want to add more colors.

You know, surprisingly, I have found the old style at big lots and ace hardware.

just took this picture a few days ago

Sherry, my comment was directed to the statement about KO's not being "real" roses...of course they are, as anyone who knows roses would confirm. And KO's are extremely easy to grow.....that they can fall victim to RRD is not unique to that variety. That can happen to any type of rose, whether you (or anyone else) consider it "real or not. Just as likely to happen to your hybrid tea as any KO rose.

the rose garden here in OKC was wiped out by RRD too. I don't grow roses... but I get the part about the "real product" in other areas as well.

Interesting discussion here.

Moni

https://antiqueroseemporium.com/

I used to have a yellow rose called Wind Rush that was beautiful and had the sweetest scent. It was a single and grew down in the orchard practically under an apple tree for many years in dappled shade.

No, THEY ARE NOT easy to grow here. Don't wiffle. Knock outs are just okay, and they are NOT easy to grow here, Never mind, that they were promoted as easy to grow.

ravencajun Zone 8b TX

https://antiqueroseemporium.com/

That's where I bought my Peggy Martin, aka Katrina Rose. I noticed they're selling it at one of the local nurseries this year.

I will tell you why i use the term "real rose." Pure nostalgia. I consider a rose to be a big, beautiful, bloom with a long stems, lots of petals and thorns. These are the kind me and my mom used to grow together, and she still grows now. Mostly Hybrid Teas. Some Grandifloras, maybe one of those beautiful old English Roses. Its a flower i want to receive a bouquet of. Or cut a vase full to put inside and admire.Can you imagine being presented with a bouquet of knockouts?!?!?!?! Nope.

I, and most people are aware that there are lots of varieties in the rose family. Some more beautiful then others, IMO only. The whine was about ONLY being able to find stupid knockouts locally. Knockouts are roses for rookies. For those who don't want to put in too much time or effort. AND THAT'S FINE!!! They don't do it for me.

Sherry, I am going to admit something to you, and I hope that you don't think less of me for it........(deep breath)

I have an Encore Azalea. BUT I DIDN'T KNOW! I was taken in by the beautiful pink blooms with white trim. I really did think it was a real one. I had never heard of an Encore Azalea before. I thought it was a BRAND, not a variety. It wasn't until I got it home and was reading the tag that i realized what i had. By that time, it was "screw it, i already dug the hole." But, all the blooms are brown and droopy now, so maybe it will die and i can plant a real one in its place. Well, if i can find one. Maybe they will open up a magical rainbow unicorn nursery where they have real azaleas, and I'm gonna say it again and double down, REAL roses.

Oh, I found photos of the Wind Rush, from June of 2013! I don't know how old it was then, but it like I say it grew there a long time. And in this form, didn't get shrubby.

Yes, Raven, Ace Hardware. I used to buy antique roses at the one on Telephone Road, but it is gone now. Take a look at Antique Rose Emporium 's bottle tree when you are there! I wish I had one just like it!

This serves as a reminder that tomorrow when I stop at my local, family owned nursery I'll have to make sure to thank Rich Flagg for his wonderful garden center. He offers a wide selection and will order just about anything I ask for. We've been going there for over 25 years and I'm happy to see that his business seems to be growing too. I guess I've taken him for granted all these years .

Amylou -- that amaryllis is totally gorgeous!! Lucky you, to be able to grow them outside. Wish I could...

And your peony is luscious.

Thank you so much! Everyone tells me that you cant grow peonies in the south. I never had a problem. I wish wish wish they would rebloom. But alas, you cant have it all can you?

I have no talent for knowing and growing plants but I love to see what others do. I have one Knockout rose for sure and it's a replacement for one that came with no dirt around the roots when I bought the first one. It's dark red which I like but has been a disappointment in it's growing habits. I probably don't have it in a good spot but I tried. My other one is a pink rose bush that my neighbor decided to throw away. It was perfectly healthy, she just didn't like it any more so I rescued it. It's struggling but the canes look nice and green right now.

The main reason I am joining in this very interesting discussion is that when I was a kid my dad loved roses and grew them very well. He had one called Elizabeth and he bought it because that is my name. It was so beautiful. This was in the 50's or maybe early 60's. Does that rose still exist today?

I haven’t read all the comments or clicked on the links but most nurseries quit selling them for a while and our Botanical Garden dug up their roses and even the Knockouts due to the Rose Rosette disease that has been going around.

There are still local Rose Societies and growers who grow and sell the old fashioned grandiflora roses and others. We are in the middle of our Botanical Garden’s Spring Plant Sale and have several varieties for sale. Wish you could come shop with us Amy.

Thanks Lucille!

Check out Aldi. I bought a couple of roses there for my last house that were pretty and smelled good. Originally, I was just filling space in a bed. They were different from what I was seeing in other box stores. I had to go in for a German coffee run last month and found hydrangeas for $11.99. I have a spot in my front that needed replanting so I bought two blue ones. So far they like it there. They've grown a lot and have changed to an interesting shade of purple.

Our Aldi here recently had roses, although I did not check out what type/variety because I wasn't going to buy them.

I agree that Knockout Roses are not easy... they may plant and start easily, but my neighbors who have them have had many wiped out by that disease (and they tend to attract beetles where we are, too).

I'm on the lookout for a mock orange to replace a few viburnums that I lost last year. When I ask local nurseries, you'd think I was asking for coral reef... most of the nurseries around here cater to the home builders and so have a very pedestrian offering.

Hmmmm, roses.

RRD is spread by mites introduced all over the place by people to kill wild multi-flora in fields complete with the ludicrously mistaken belief that it would not also infect Yard roses. It kills roses. the mites are windborne.

Amylou, your image of roses is a 20th century vision of a rose inspired by the Hybrid Tea. The genesis of the HT was Hybrid Perpetuals which weren't perpetual most of the time unless you live California where they prosper. The HT dates to the late 1800's pretty much but most of them are 20th century. That is what Gardengal is making a point of. Most roses don't look a thing like a HT. I am personally a fan of Albas and Gallicas-both very old rose classes that don't necessarily grow everywhere though they are bomb proof where they grow well. That is the reality of roses. About the only roses I know that will prosper just about anywhere are the old ramblers-the small pomtypes like Wichuranas.

I am not a fan of Knockouts either. they bring to mind parking lots.

People who are very into roses call those plastic tube bagged rose bodybags. You are a really remarkable gardener to get them to grow so well. They are frequently infected with Rose Mosiac Virus which makes them weaker. It is a real pity you cant get the varieties you want.

As a by the by while rooting cuttings is a great way to grow roses you love and someone has it is illegal to root roses that are still under patent. I think it is around 20 years for a rose so anything recent.

Yep, knockouts, knockouts everywhere here too. Even at our local independent nurseries which used to sell a decent selection of real roses.

We lost many roses to the drought, but the ones that are still thriving are some of the old, hearty varieties. Which is why it's so important to support dedicated rose growers by buying their roses, and to root cuttings of the old varieties to share with other gardeners, otherwise there'll be nothing but knockouts eventually.

Re. Walmart, about a decade ago they had a bunch of small, mislabeled own-roots for sale, tagged as Lady Banks but definitely Cecile Brunner. I bought one for very cheap and when I excitedly posted my find on the rose forum here, I was advised the plant was a waste of money and time and would maybe last a season, if that. Well, here's the waste of money a couple years ago, it's even bigger this year. Wish I had bought all of them. :)

Edited to add re. Patricia's comment, the roses I suggested rooting and sharing are the types that are no longer under patent, and any unknowns. A rose rustling friend sent me quite a few years ago, she rustled them at an old homestead somewhere in Oregon. No idea what they are, but they are beautiful and very fragrant, and even the drought couldn't kill them.

patriciae_gw, I understand what gardengal was saying. That is why i clarified what I alone meant when i refer to "real roses." I don't consider myself a remarkable gardener at all. The roses in question(in the bags) just need some basic plus a little extra care for a year or two, then after that, a spray and fertilizer program. Just like any other plant, IMO. I have never had any REAL issue, outside a touch of black spot and one year, a NASTY case of anthracnose, all of which i brought under control without to much fuss.

Anyway, I ordered some from some fancy pants rose companies to go along with the ones i scrounged up at Home Depot. So I am looking forward to those. I ended up with:

Hypnotize

Neil Diamond

Midas Touch

Oregold

Summer Nights

Cherry Parfait

and of course, PINKERBELLE!!!!!

They will hopefully play nice with the ones i just planted.

Murray'smom, perhaps your dad's rose was Queen Elizabeth. It has been around since 1954.

Look up your local Rose Society or antique rose Association or Club, and get advice straight from the rose Maniacs LOL.

Dallas Rose Society or Association, been too long since I've been there and can't remember which, has a sale once or twice a year, where you can get roses grown on their own roots, by far the healthiest & most apt to be long-lived.

You might also look on Gardenwebs antique Rose forum, and as someone said, investigate swaps in your area.

We have a swap in Fort Worth twice a year (coming up Saturday 4 20, if anyone can make it!) , and there are swaps in Denton & San Antonio that I know about...and if anybody asks for cuttings, they will get as many as they can haul home!

And those yellow Iris that you don't care for? Dig them up and take them to the swap!

Iris addict here, I'll take all the ones you iris haters don't want. :)

Amy, you can take cuttings from the lovely roses you have at your work garden. Cuttings are super easy this time of year, you can almost just scatter them on the ground and they'll root, but with some TLC and some rooting hormone you can quickly have many roses covering your hill.

I too am not a fan of KO roses. I love the look of a grandiflora or tea rose bloom.

PKponder, which process do you use to root your rose cuttings? I stink at it, sometimes they root but then the rooted stems turn black. I have used the sand and rooting hormone method with a plastic bottle over the top, coir and bottle, stuck in the ground and covered outside, stuck in the ground and uncovered. They usually grow a callous, roots, and then shrivel up. I really need to propagate a couple that are declining.

Amylou, I did see some of the Encore azaleas blooming today and they are very pretty. They were at, wait for it, the dentist office, lol.

My grandmother had a rose in the 50's and 60's that had to be close to the Peggy Martin rose. It was beautiful. It was a huge ball and covered with pink flowers.

Kadefol, with my name, of course I have tons of Iris. They are just starting to flower. I am not a big fan of roses. I am mostly planting native plants for the pollinators. I am lucky to find one shelf at the nursery. Almost never anything at Lowe’s or Home Depot. I am ordering almost everything online, so I understand AmyLou’s frustration. I mean, if you are in a planting mood you don’t want to order and wait for plants to arrive. One of the first ones, picture from today.

kadefol, I take short cuttings 6 inches or less and remove all but the top couple of leaves then dip in water followed by the powdered rooting hormone. I just use regular potting soil (whatever I have on hand) and poke a hole with a pencil to avoid scraping off the powder when I insert them. Snug the soil up (tamp it around the cutting) and water, keeping it fairly moist but not soggy until they root. I like a shady, wind protected spot (I use my cold frame with the top completely open) until they begin putting on growth. This works really well with tea roses. I crowd maybe 3-4 in a 6 inch pot and usually get at least 2 survivors per pot.

I've literally found discarded stems rooting under and in front of the potting table where they were dropped and forgotten.

Fingers crossed that you get some to root for you.

PK, I have the most VOLUPTUOUS, for lack of a better term, hot pink rose at work. The blooms are HUGE and so vibrant. Its one of the ones i bought at Walmart years ago, and i cannot remember the name of it, so its not like I can just order another one.(it was probably just labeled "rose,pink" or something like that anyway :) ) I have tried to root cuttings of it before, with no success so far. But I will never never never give up on it, as long as it and I are both living. Lots of people have asked me to do it for them, as it had such beautiful blooms, they want one in their gardens as well. I want 2 or 3 in my rose garden at home. I just never have luck with that kind of stuff. :(

But that won't stop me from trying again this year!!!

Fingers crossed for you! I don’t do seeds. Well, I try, but they don’t work for me. There was one vine I REALLY wanted, but I couldn’t get it as plant because of some quarantine. Tried some seeds every year for the past 3 years. Have a single seedling this year, but I already saw some root borer thingy on it. If this one dies, I will give up. So I envy your spirit.

Iris (love that name :), your iris is gorgeous!

PK, thank you so much. You don't cover them at all? Maybe my problem is covering them with the plastic bottle, I read that is done to create sort of a mini green house environment. I will try it your way, hoping to have as much success as you.

Some roses are very easy to root and others are not. You maximize your chances with an appropriate sized cutting-about the size of a pencil cut off just below a set of leaves, about ten inches long. the buds are a source of chemicals that could make the callus that produces roots. You need fresh hormone. If you have had the packet for some time get some fresh. It breaks down. Make two shallow slices off the stem,(one each side) about an inch in length that removes the bark down through the inner bark exposing the woody interior. The callus and roots come from the inner layer of the inner bark. That is the side facing the woody stem. To keep your hormone fresh put some in a separate container and dip and shake. No water. too much hormone can have a suppressing effect. Potting soil is fine. If you cover, use a cut off plastic pop bottle and leave the lid off. Keep moist but not wet. partial shade while it roots. When you tug and it doesn't move give more sun. I have rooted hundreds of roses, some of the hard ones like Gallicas and Mosses. Modern roses root fairly easily but remember patent dates.

I root roses in a mixture of 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 perlite and 1/3 sand, like play sand like you can buy at Walmart. I use rooting hormone and cover the pot with a jar and put it in the shade. If I use a jar, I will put something like a piece of flat stone under one side to keep heat from building up too much under the glass. Years ago I bought some clear plastic canisters (for want of a better word) at an auction. They have a little tube on the side and perfectly fit a quart nursery pot and the little tube opening keeps the heat from building up too much.

I keep then in these pots for one year and plant them out. Once they are putting out new growth, I remove the cover. This only takes a few weeks.

I never cover mine for fear of black spot.

PK, my cuttings do black spot every time, didn't realize it was due to the cover.

Patricia and Marilyn, thanks for the additional pointers. I use the rooting gel, tried the powder before and that didn't work at all. The gel seems to work but it's a couple years old so am going to have to replace it. Rooting roses sounds so easy, but for some of us it's so tricky.

I don't know where you are in Alabama. But in Jemison, south of Birmingham, has a wonderful nursery called Petals from the Past, they have heirloom roses. Just a thought.

The reason I give a little space under the cover, or use one of those canisters I have is to help reduce extra moisture and heat build up that would be more apt to cause black spot. Then, too, I don't do hybrid teas, which are more prone to fungus. I find them less attractive than KOs. I love big, overgrown shrub roses with great scent. I have never sprayed a rose, and no plans to start. That is why I like the old garden roses. They are so much more disease resistant.

This is one of the "canisters" I use to cover the pots. You can see the tube on the side. Not sure what the original use for them was....I am thinking something medical. I bought them about 100 years ago at a surplus auction. (I grow baby waterlilies in cages to protect them from feral hogs and other varmints...like horses!)

Janey, thanks. I have heard of them, but I am too far away.

Marilyn, your rose is stunning!! Is it fragrant too? There used to be a giant rose in San Antonio, the Flores Street House Eater. It had a wonderful, strong, lemony scent with huge, white flowers.

It was initially suspected to be Lamarque, but those who had Lamarque said it was too large to be that and did not quite look the same. I took several cuttings and was able to root them, but none of them survived. The House Eater property was sold and the rose succumbed to the drought and/or neglect and is no more, but I believe some people in the area managed to root cuttings.

Agree about HT's and "fussy" roses, we try to keep a pesticide free property so only hearty, disease resistant roses make it here.

Your containers are really interesting, they do look medical or scientific with the tube on the side.

Yes, it is very fragrant.

Harden off means allow them a gradual introduction to both sunlight and temperatures outside of a greenhouse environment where they were growing. Keep in shade for a few days. Then move to partial sunlight. Finally to full sunlight but keeping roots in a shaded area. Saw an interesting video this morning of a greenhouse brushing the tops of tomato plants with small hoses to strengthen the plants.

Amylou, around here in Alabama you probably don’t have to harden off those tomato plants. It is warm enough to plant them outside now. Just make sure they have plenty of water for the next several days.

That's what I was thinking too. I will compromise. As I just got done digging 19 holes (7 for the roses, 4 for some mini rose bushes, 6 for some dahlia bulbs, and 2 for the maters) I think I will wait for tommorow to plant them. I already planted the dahlias and the mini roses. I'll leave the maters outside by the tote where the roses are soaking. I'll plant all of them tommorow. That will make 5 total tomato plants that I have. WAY too many for just the two of us, but people always love free maters. So I am not worried about the surplus going to waste. I dont know when my other three rose bushes will get here. Edmund's did not give me any sort of tracking info. But at least the holes are dug already. I gotta go get some more dirt in the morning. So much fun!!!!!

It is not just the temperature but the sunlight. Many greenhouses are either poly or have shades. Putting into strong sunlight can cook/sunburn the leaves.