Let's get some threads going in this forum. I'll start off with the best and worst on my list. Garden Valley Ranch is the best and Hortico is the worst.

Although Garden Valley Ranch is only about 10 miles from my house, I didn't shop there very often until Vintage Gardens closed their retail site and started selling exclusively through the mail. They moved their one-gallon plants to Garden Valley Ranch, however, and they did provide the service of delivering the Vintage Gardens bands I ordered on line to GVR for free, eliminating the shipping charges on my orders.

As I began to frequent GVR regularly, I started buying their grafted roses in big containers, especially during the fairly frequent sales at large discounts, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that they grew better than the grafted roses I was buying from other nurseries.

For the last few years I've been ordering bare-root grafted roses from GVR and they're always big and healthy when I buy them and highly viable after I plant them.

The other advantages of shopping at GVR include the fabulous setting and well-kept display gardens. The ranch once belonged to Ray Reddell and the present owners have done a splendid job of maintaining the beauty of the property. It's a genuine thrill to walk through the gardens there and to do business with the friendly and knowledgeable owners and staff.

Here's a link to their Website. They'll be taking orders for bare-root roses until the end of February. Order some. You won't be disappointed.

http://www.gardenvalley.com/

Ron, one of the owners, is a nice man...he and I, have become e-pals, over the years.
I will look at their list...

They're among the only ones carrying Sir John Betjeman, a new Austin, this year. I also ordered The Charlatan, a new rose with blooms that look like the blossoms on a fruit tree. It looks intriguing in the same way as The Imposter, which has blooms that seem to belong on a Clematis.

You know what a snob I can be..if they aren't OGR's...I didn't see any that I just HAVE to have.

But did you look at The Charlatan? It seems to be your kind of rose.

http://www.gardenvalley.com/sh...

I must admit that rose is nice...

There's the butterfly. I love that picture.

GAAAH!! It's all Zuzu's fault! It truly truly truly is! She made me do it! She just HAD to mention a rose, which I, being the curious snot I am, HAD to look up, then I HAD to check out the website (Garden Valley) and then I just HAD to buy the stinking rose! OMG! My DH is SOOOOO gonna kill me.. I'm getting in SOOO many roses this year.. anyone up for a digging party?

I just ordered Sir John Betjeman (http://www.gardenvalley.com/sh...) and Midnight Blue (http://www.gardenvalley.com/sh...).

GAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!

My pleasure, Toni.

Quick, Everybody: There are only 16 Sir John Betjemans left in stock.

Just got my notification that my roses should arrive soon Fed Ex. Yay!

Yay! Just in time for your spurt of planting energy.

Just got my first rose from GVR, a Green Romantica that I couldn't find anywhere else. It is a beautiful bareroot, many strong canes, great root system, well-packed. I never heard of them until I was looking for this rose, and actually forgot I had ordered it in Jan. or Feb.

They are definitely 4 stars for me after this beautiful first order, and I'll be looking to them again in the fall. .

I love their roses so much that I hesitate to buy roses anywhere else now.

I just read a negative review of GVR in Garden Watchdog and thought it was completely unfair. I discovered, much to my surprise, that I had never posted a review of GVR in all these years, so I did that today. I hope it cancels out the negative one, which was written by someone who had never contributed any other reviews. I would hope that people will take the word of someone who's contributed 37 reviews to GW instead.

You have to be careful with that Green Romantica. it's a wish rose for me.. I wish I could have one! However, from what I've seen everywhere that talked about that rose last year, it is a tender rose, needs lots and lots of loving care and is super sensitive to cold.. basically, it grows in Zuzu's yard and no where else!

But I TOTALLY love GVR!!!

I don't even have it, Toni. All of that talk about its sensitivity scared me too.

If you have the time and the inclination, please run over to Garden Watchdog and post a positive review for GVR.

Done! I'm looking & drooling and wishing I had about another $200 I could blow on roses.. *sigh* Maybe next year.

Sigh, yes I read those too. But since I can't have my Buttercup this year, I'm going to put Romantica in a fairly protected place and see how it, and I fare.. I just decided I had to satisfy one rose obssession this summer Haven't really told my gardening partner about this 'special needs' rose . yet. She still not over the fact that I actually ordered Green China and Abracadabra .....

Abracadabra is a magnificent rose. I like Green China, DH does not. Oh well.

Abracadabra looked so strange to me in the pic, I just wanted it! Can't wait to see what it looks like in person.

Green China is going in a container on the patio for my amusement. I have a brother-in-law who fancies himself a 'plant expert' and it wil be most entertaining to have him consider that one.

Plus the history of Green China, and the description of fragrance are fascinating to me.