Kenneth, I'm nuts about Leonardo da Vinci, though I don't grow it. Look at all the favorite votes it got on HMF. So I look forward to reading about your results growing this rose. I've ordered from Hortico off and on for the last 13 years, and have never had a problem. Their prices were reasonable, too. Seven years ago, I ordered Augusta Luise from Hortico before Palatine carried it, and she has been a wonderful rose. I hope you ordered your roses for arrival in early spring as bare roots because I'd think it would be too late to plant in your area. But your area is a different zone 7 than mine. Being much farther north, our cold temps started way earlier than yours would. Hortico grafts its roses on multiflora rootstock. Diane

I been planting roses left and right im in fall weather ... i got 5 roses from antique rose emporium and planted on saturday .

I can see your lows are a little higher than ours, plus we get much colder in a couple of days. With highs in the forties and lows in the twenties--ugh. This doesn't surprise me. I've always planted bare roots in early March. Diane

Yes the 25th will be my last batch and thats it im taking a break i got about 10 coming in the spring and i cry about buying me new shoes but never for a rose

I know many people have ordered from Hortico but I was not impressed. I ordered 4 bareroots from them this past year and they were very small. They were shipped to the US late in the planting season (May is really too late here for planting bareroots) and mine had at least 3" of white growth from breaking dormancy while sitting out of storage waiting to be shipped and cleared from Canada. The roots were scrubbed and one of them the canes were broken and had to be severely pruned. Only one grew with any vigor at all and I expect the other three will expire over winter. Just my experience since you asked....it was one order from 4 different companies and rated the worst with me.

I have had only good experiences with Hortico. The bushes were small, but grew like crazy. I have ordered from them on 4 occasions and was always satisfied.

Mine were great too. Grew well.

Kenneth:

I see you ordered Red riding hood.

You may be getting Little red riding hood.

I long believed their “ .... may be smaller due to our shorter growing season up here” (or words to this effect) - until I received my first order from Palatine.

Does anyone know the nature of the relationship (past and/or present) between Hortico and Aldershot (who grow the [Poulsen] Parade mini roses sold in supermarkets here)? When I last looked on Google maps, Hortico’s property in Waterdown directly abutted Aldershot’s Waterdown facility.

I also had a positive experience with Hortico. I bought 4 David Austin roses (Roald Dahl, Imogen, Desdemona and Pretty Jessica) from them because I've had good luck with multiflora rootstock and because I'm fed up with receiving virused roses from David Austin themselves. The roses were smaller than what I get from Palatine, but they grew well. One was actually so tiny that they sent two, which I planted together and did just fine (Pretty Jessica). My only complaint was that they sent them later than I'd like despite me calling a couple of times. They were actually very surprised that in NY I would want them earlier, but southern NY is very different from Northern NY.

-Chris

I wonder why most roses I've received from Hortico are soooo small in comparison to Palatine, especially as these nurseries are located nearby to one another and share a very similar climate. Palatine sells big sturdy bushes having been given two full summers to develop and mature. It would appear that many of Hortico's are one year olds. I do T budding and in a single growing season have produced substantially larger bushes than those received from Hortico. This surprises me, especially as my summers are cooler and growing season being six weeks shorter than that of southern Ontario.

@Chris209 i only went with them because they had Leonardo Da Vinci but im thinking of cancelling my order at this point because i found leonardo at heirloom but im with you on david austin last season my PAOK , GRACE , LOS , and pat austin all had mosaic how frustrating uggh that erks my rosarian soul . All the hard work and water and food wasted oh a sick rose .

Are the OR David Austin's virused or only those grafted onto Dr. Huey? I'm looking at Olivia for Spring.

Kenneth, I agree, Olivia Rose Austin is a Julia Child with a beautiful English rose look. Helen

I live in between of Hortico and Palatine. I agree that Hortico roses tend to be small, though they have always grown well for me. Once I got three little plants instead of a big one, and they all did well. As to climate, though they are only about an hour’s drive from each other, Palatine is probably a full climate zone warmer than Hortico. The Niagara Peninsula close to the lake is the “banana belt” around here.

Kenneth, You have great color on your Miss Boo lol. I also love Olivia. I have 2 and they are great bloomers & climbers. She is pretty much disease free.

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.