Hardiness Zone Chart
Quarts are grown by me organically with no sprays, only organic fertilizers. They are grown from cuttings on their own roots. We specialize in Old Garden Roses, so most of ours are the Old Teas, Noisettes, Chinas, Hybrid Musks, Polyanthas, Bourbons and shrubs. Many are climbers. These are shipped in the pot.
We also grow Modern Shrubs, Hybrid Teas, Grandifloras and Floribundas, though not as many as the Old roses. These are usually one year old and cheap to ship in the pot, but I recommend potting them up to larger pots when they arrive to let them grow a bit more — really only a few weeks — to get them to 12–15 inches before planting in the ground. These usually run $25 each unless they are a harder to grow variety or a variety in big demand, such as David Austin’s out-of-patent roses.
Gallons are also grown by me and are the result of a large organic own-root quart being repotted. Most of these tend to be 1–2 years old. They can go right into the ground. They are mostly $30, with some being higher depending on the variety. These are also shipped in the container.
We order any of these that are offered grown on their own roots. Otherwise, if we really want the variety and it only comes grafted, we bring it in that way, on Dr. Huey Rootstock. We highly recommend burying the bud union (or graft) under the soil 3–5 inches, with the deepest being in cold climates — this is how all of Europe plants their roses, as well as David Austin’s recommendation. The rose is then able to put down its own roots into the soil, giving you the best of both worlds. Many grafted roses would never have made it to market because they are too difficult to grow on their own roots.
Any large quantities you may want should be ordered between May and October. We can give a price break on large orders if known ahead of time.
When we get these roses in, they soak in buckets of water for a few weeks while we ship to those customers who wish to receive a dormant rose. Many people up north want to wait until their spring to receive them, and we are happy to hold them as long as they are paid for. But when they get these roses, they are already potted and in full bloom — it can be a shock to go from a very hot climate to an early spring cold climate. I believe it is best to receive these roses as early as possible, treat them as dormant, pot them up, water them, and plant them in the spring when the ground thaws. It’s best to have a sunny out building to keep them in during the early spring months, even a greenhouse if possible.
These roses have not been grown organically, but they are treated organically from the moment they arrive. So by the time we are shipping and selling most of these (March–May), they have not had any chemical or synthetic treatments since January. I feel confident eating these blooms, but I explain this so people understand these large bare root roses were not grown by us and are only considered organic from the time we received them.
When we ship these by March, they have been potted and are making leaves and blooms. We remove them from their pots and ship them with very little or no soil, sometimes also removing the leaves and wrapping them in wet newspaper and plastic so the roots stay moist in the mail. As the season gets later, we include more soil in the root ball.
The important thing about receiving these roses: they are usually not connected to soil anymore, so the roots need to be soaked in water for a few hours, and then after being planted they need to be super well watered every day to get them reestablished into the soil. If there are any canes that have dieback (turned brown), remove them, as well as any leaves that have gotten black spot — being in the shady shipping box for days can cause a new outbreak. Do not be afraid to take these off; the rose will make new leaves right away. If the leaves or buds look droopy after a good drink of water, you may need to cut them off to give the rose a chance to take care of the roots first.
