Brian, I ordered 2 PJ's from Orions this past spring. They sent me 2 that were potted and growing; they had pulled the soil from them and packed them very well for shipment. The PJs were large roses, already had buds formed, and were very healthy and strong rose bushes. Mrs. Johnson, the owner, also said they had bareroots available. I wouldn't hesitate to order from them at all; very nice folks and great, healthy plants. The PJs are awesome.....!!! I'm so glad I found Orion Farms and didn't get tiny little bands. I believe they also have a good selection of other roses available. -terry

My very first order this year from Hortico was DA Yellow Button. I was reluctant, I'd heard the warnings, but darnnit they do offer the hard to find varieties. I got 3 to plant in a group. As they leafed out, I noticed that one of the three had quite different foliage. The two that are alike are beginning to bloom and do look like they'll be yellow, the odd one isn't forming buds yet, so the wait to identify continues. Frustrating, because they can't make it right by replacing the one wrong rose, the group planting would always be uneven. Oh well, it's like I put my hand on a hot stove and am surprised that I got burned.

Last yr, I got some of their sort of rare roses. I ordered CHESS, FREE SPIRIT, J&Ps MONET (GRAND IMPRESSION), ROTARY SUNRISE, among other roses. Unfortunately tho, the MONET and ROTARY SUNRISE ended up not being the correct roses. MONET ended up being the purple version of MONET, not the apricot blend J&P one. And the apricot/yellow Fryer's rose RS, ended up being a red rose, which I think might be ROTARY ROSE or ROTER STERN. So, technically they are close, name-wise, but wrong as to the actual version. They are supposed to be replacing them for me this yr, hopefully with the correct roses. That remains to be seen. That being said.... this yr, I ordered a few roses I haven't seen in some time. CARDINAL SONG is a beautiful older Meilland red GR with a black rim. I had it yrs ago and it died. Haven't seen it available anywhere for yrs! I also ordered POLAR STAR, a nice white Tantau HT that I actually haven't ever seen in person. Not been available anywhere that I remember for many yrs. I'm replacing my GINGER a beautiful red-orange FL. Nobody else has it. If you like white roses, a good one is JOSE CARRERAS. They're the only ones carrying him. And a beautiful pink and yellow blend that I believe nobody else carries is DIE WELT. I'm replacing that one. Heck, there's a lot they have that no one else has. They have a lot of Fryer roses that nobody in the US has. I love the Fryers! Here's some pics: CHESS - I love the purpley color and lovely clusters of blooms. FREE SPIRIT - nice blooms and decent repeat for the first yr. JOSE CARRERAS - a big beauty... unfortunately the thrips like it pretty well... DIE WELT (THE WORLD) GINGER TICKLED PINK is a nice pink Fryer FL ROTARY SUNRISE - the "real" one... which I sure hope they actually have to replace whatever that red one was that they sent instead... SPECIAL OCCASION is a wonderful apricot HT that blooms constantly... not that easy to find anymore in the US. VERSAILLES is a lovely and extremely tall light pink HT from Delbard. Oh and one of the rarer DAs that I got last yr , and that I think I'm gonna like quite a bit is... ADMIRED MIRANDA. I don't see her currently listed tho. I think she was available in the fall maybe. Maybe they'll bring her back next yr, as well as some of the others that sold out earlier.. like JAYNE AUSTIN which I wish I had ordered before it sold out. Mine just died a few months ago when I transplanted it. ADMIRED MIRANDA

I haven't commented on this forum after the Houzz takeover and my account evaporating. I live in zone 3 nw Ontario and also do rose budding / grafting. My climate has much more in common with the harsh Canadian prairies, the entire portion of southern Ontario is indeed a banana belt in comparison! I really do not believe there exists a significant difference between the growing season that Hortico and Palatine experience in order to warrant the size and quality difference of their stock. Now, if Hortico was located in my backyard, I'd understand, though I regularly produce larger 1 year olds superior to Hortico's claimed 2 year olds, and that upon my poor rocky soil. I'm not against Hortico, I'm thankful for some of the roses I've obtained from them in the past, I'd just like to see their quality come up to the point I'd have confidence to order.