Even Star and Weeks? That's disappointing. I know from experience that even roses that "don't need to be grafted" look better when they are. I have enough duplicates on both types of roots to see the difference. I'm just glad I'm not starting out as a gardener today. I have more than 40 years of growing big and beautiful grafted roses to look back on, and now I'm getting too old and weary to buy lots of new roses. I am more determined than ever, however, to buy more roses from Palatine before it joins the rest on the own-root bandwagon.

Palatine is going to start growing the OGR on a different rootstock. Rachel told me the name but I can't remember it right now.

mike said,
zuzu, I know you've not been satisfied with RVR; I included them because they are the only online nursery I could find that (presumably) carries Singin' in the Rain. It was consistently one of my longest blooming roses -- remember the photo I took several years of it blooming in the snow on Thanksgiving day here in New York? My only complaint about this rose is that the stamens are quick to turn brown and a little mushy while the petals hold up for a very long time.

Hi Mike. Roses Unlimited might have Singin in the Rain. When I checked the alphabetical listing it was not listed. However, when I went to their "rose varieties" page and looked under floribundas it WAS listed. Maybe you could call them and double check. Good luck

You're right, Margie. RU is selling it this season. RU's alphabetical list hasn't been updated for the last few years. I had to break the habit of looking for names there.

I just picked up a Singin' in the Rain at Home Depot on Friday.... here's a display they had of them earlier this year. http://garden.org/thread/view_...

Wow, Toni! I wish our Home Depot had nice roses like that!

Margie, thank you SO much for alerting me!

Toni, those are beautiful roses; however, they must have been mis-marked, because Singin' in the Rain is an apricot colored rose.

Toni, those must be Singin' the Blues.

*rolls eyes* Imagine that.. a big box w/a mismarked plant.. who'd'a'thunk it? But, you'd figure for $29.99/ea, they'd at least get the stinking name right...

Stunning garden transformation. Absolutely beautiful.

I noticed Pluton on your list of shade rose Mike. Is that one you've grown yourself? I didn't think it was available in North America.

Good heavens, this post is 6 years old, and the article I wrote that included Pluton is 16 years old! That being said, I don't think Pluton is sold in North America, but is available in France.

I've been looking for purple roses. Pluton came up on my helpmefind search and caught my eye because of the name. Pluto + proton? Appealed to my science nerdness. A search for it on garden.org led to your thread! Got thoroughly distracted by it though. Lovely pictures!

My husband and I bought our house last year and the garden was a blank slate. Everything was apparently overgrown because the previous owners were elderly shut-ins. The flippers just pulled everything out except for a rose and some hostas that they just cut to the ground. That rose is now almost 3 feet tall after being babied.

Neither of us were gardeners but I rapidly became addicted. This was supposed to be a starter home but if I have to move I'll be frantically pulling out and potting all my plants. One house we looked at had it in the house listing that the GARLIC plants were non negotiable.

You have a very beautiful garden and it's clear that you put there you love and soul to see it like it is now. You've done a great job so you can be satisfied about your work for such many years. I look at these pictures and all the kinds of wonderful flowers that you have planted and think that it would be a nightmare if terrible storm destroy all this beauty. I know some people who had such situations and my advise is to find a company that will help you not to loose the money that was invested in this garden and the guys https://www.moneyexpert.com/ho... can give you many options, good luck!

So would I!