Kate, Weeks sells Distant Drums budded in California every year, or they have for the past several years. I'm not sure you gain a thing by ordering this plant own root, especially by paying transcontinental shipping. And I'm a big fan of RU, that's not the issue. I've picked them up at a variety of good garden centers for three years running. The benefit of buying them either potted or bagged in person is that you get to see how the particular plant is budded. Distant Drums is viciously thorny and rather stiffly upright anyway, so it's not so you'd notice... but I like having a choice. Here is a link that might be useful:

Hi Veryzer, I'm outside Peoria, is that close by you? I've given DD a third chance; this time as grafted from Pickering. It's still small, it is blooming tho; so we'll see how it fares over the winter. I'm hopeful third time is the charm. I grow over 234 roses; only lost about 6 this past winter and 4 of those were Bucks...HoneySweet, Spanish Rhapsody, Wild Ginger, and Pipe Dreams. I have HTs, Bucks, OGRs, shrubs, floribundas, with lots of daylilies, iris, hostas, clematis, peonies, and other perennials. My most dependable and floriferous of the Bucks is Folksinger; but it is ravaged by JBs and is their favorite target. Polonaise is another Buck that is dependable, healthy, and the red blooms last and last on the bush. I'd welcome a visit to talk rose anytime; send me a private e-mail. I also belong to the Great Peoria Rose Society; we meet on the first Monday of every month and it's a great way to learn about roses, and to meet other rosey friends. Would you be close enough to attend the next meeting in August? Plus the desserts are great! -terry

Since Distant Drum's colors are rather neutral I think it would go with just about anything. It really depends more on what kind of look you want. Are you into something bright and cheerful or something more subtle and muted? How long have you had DD? Do you know how big it's going to get yet? I love my Quietness, It blooms a lot, is very hardy and healthy too. It's nice soft pink would be lovely with DD. But it can get pretty large for me so I don't know how big it might get for you. Winter Sunset is good too. It's a lovely golden peach color and generally stay much smaller than Quietness. Something brighter might be Julia Child's yellow. Healthy, hardy and blooms a ton! Grows to about 3 X 3 ft for me. Mauve might be a good choice too. My Love Song did beautifully this season but I haven't wintered it yet so I can't give you any info on that. If you want something in a similar color look at Koko Loco. I was at my rose society meeting last night and everyone who had it agreed that it was a good rose for them. Hardy and blooms a lot with fair disease resistance.

I now think I'm going to mix koko loko with poseidon, but may use love song instead since its available as a standard and a pair of 36" lavender standards on either side of the entrance to my yard would look amazing. Ight even us all 3... Plan is to have the roses in groups of 3 on the corners of the deck and encircling it will be a 3 foot wide bed lined with lavender, with tulips, peonies, and various alliums inside the parallel lavender hedges. Still undergoing changes in my head daily though!