Among other epithets, Real Jewelry Month is one of the names given to November, so the thumbnail for this month is Diamond Eyes.

Striking rose! (I hope there isn't a fake jewelry month.)

Over the years I've found many reasons not to buy roses from Heirloom Nursery, but some of their latest price hikes could cost them even their loyal customers of long standing. Who but Heirloom would have the nerve to charge $99 for a one-gallon own-root Sterling Silver?

https://tinyurl.com/y7je6bex

- And if it is such a treasure, why are they discontinuing it?

Exactly!

There is a nice article about sustainable roses here:
http://statebystategardening.c...
The author talks up the Fairy Tale series of roses, the group that I have ordered from Palatine for spring, 2018 delivery. She advises buying own-root roses, but all the Fairy Tale roses I found are available in the U.S. only from Palatine, so they are grafted to Multiflora root stock. Is there a U.S. source of own-root Fairy Tale series roses?

I wonder why the author gave that advice. Maybe she likes compact plants? I remember when Northland Rosarium was selling an own-root Pomponella Fairy Tale and said it grew 2-3 feet in height. I have to struggle to keep my Pomponella from Palatine at "only" 7-8 feet tall.

Chamblee's has a fairly good selection of own-root Kordes roses, and some are Fairy Tale roses.

https://www.chambleeroses.com/...

Roses Unlimited also has own-root Fairy Tale roses in their "Shrubs" category. Just do a page search for "fairy tale."

https://rosesunlimitedsc.com/2...

There are many other U.S. sources, I'm sure, but these are two own-root nurseries I trust.

In case you aren't keeping up with sitewide news, here's the latest on this year's photo contest.

https://garden.org/apps/photoc...

Heirloom roses drives me nuts with their pricing to the point I refuse to even look at their sales. Still too high for me. There are other places with great plants at a great price. I'll stick to those.

Speaking of rose prices good and bad, I wanted to say that I was wowed by the size of the plants I received from Reverence for Roses. Thanks for the heads-up. Hoping I can keep them alive since the top growth seems a little out of proportion to the size of the root system. Still, a lot of rose cane for the price: well beyond the height to be ravaged by rabbits. The deer were fond of the lush green new growth on China roses Napoleon and Cramoisi Superior; but they ignored Carefree Wonder. Penelope arrived without leaves.

Nice link, Carol. As much as I complain, a large part of the reason is that roses brought me to gardening. I can still remember how easy to grow a rose can be. Interestingly, my one Knock Out rose is not performing quite so well as most of my DA roses and most multiflora hybrids (counting floribundas).

I think the own-root recommendation derives from the high probability, in frosty places, of a scion dying of frost after a year or two in the garden. The whole PNRV thing shifted a lot of people to own-root roses, once. I don't think this would occur to many other people, but sometimes rose collectors might want smaller plants so they can fit more cultivars into their gardens. All that said, I'm just about done buying HT roses on their own roots. With thirty pounds of elemental sulfur added to the garden this season to lower the pH, looks like I'm invested in getting Palatine's roses to grow here.

edited for grammar.

Actually, the Kordes roses were bred to be grown own root. They do not need the extra vigor provided by budding. That is one of the reasons they grow into monsters.

Since Ball Industries, owned by Star Roses, bought Newflora, including the US rights to Kordes roses, we will probably be finding Kordes roses available own root in more locations in the US.

Re: Heirlooms prices, the the new owner has paid to have his mother plants virus indexed to enhance his ability to sell clean roses. That's expensive.

He is also actually testing to see if the roses WILL grow well own root vs budded. Again, that's expensive.

Also, instead of selling rooted cuttings that are more like twigs, he is selling established plants. That means he has to strike a lot of cuttings, then grow them on for more than one season for them to reach the size of plant he has for sale with a solid root mass.

Yes, he is charging more money for the roses, but at least he is going through the process to provide a better product for the customer. I don't know if his prices are out of line. I don't know of any other own root nursery that sells virus indexed roses tested for own root viability at that size, so I can't compare prices.

porkpal said: - And if it is such a treasure, why are they discontinuing it?

Re: Sterling Silver ... my guess, and this is only a guess, the rose does not grow well own root. That's the only thing that makes sense to me because it does not fit his business model.

@zuzu - looks like we needed a push to get things going again - a week into November before the first post! But I suppose it is the beginning of the slow season and I must admit, it couldn't have come sooner - I am ready for a break. No snow yet and there are still quite a few leaves to fall, mainly from my neighbours birch, so there are still a couple of chores.
Here a couple of November blooms

and
Edgard Degas, finally after four years in the garden, showing some stripes

I see the stripes! Your photos are stunning, as usual, Sharlene. You have so many roses that aren't being grown by the rest of us. It's quite exciting to see them.

This is an odd time of year. I'm sad that it's cold and wet when I have to do my winter cleanup and pruning, but I'm glad that the wasps and bees are gone for the year. They disrupt my gardening work the rest of the year, especially the wasps in underground nests. I'm always afraid that pulling a deep-seated weed will infuriate them and send them (and me) flying.

Where is our wonderful @IrisLilli, who was doing such a superb job with the roses of the day?

Sharlene, your photos are always such a treat! I'm particularly fond of Comtesse du Barry, what a precious beauty!

Zuzu, it seems we are experiencing the same sort of weather right now! Cold and wet and there is quite a strong wind today. We have snow predicted for Sunday and I am sure if it does snow, it will be wet, heavy snow so I have been outside doing some winter pruning. I still want to cut the last blooms to bring inside but have had to come in to put on another layer - I am freezing!!!

@IrisLilli - yes where are you!!!! I hope all is well!!!!!

Neal, it looks as though Comtesse du Barry (aka Goldern Border) is going to live up to my expectations. I can see that it has the potential to look like the photos on HMF and it is a real blooming machine with large clusters of medium sized blooms. And mine is still a baby.

I'm still here!

I have been busy with work, family and garden chores on top of a bit of bother with my back, so haven't been on here for a while.

But now that I am, I rush to post a rose of the day:

Today is Veteran's Day:

(aka JACopper, City of Newcastle Bicentennary, Lady in Red, Five Roses Rose)

glad you're back Lilli!! And sorry you have been having trouble with your back - hope it gets better soon! We are headed for the quite season so we can recuperate and get fit again for next years season. These days I am noticing that the old body is not what it used to be.
I didn't get to cut my last blooms yesterday because it started raining but I went out first thing this morning. There are so many buds that are doomed but I still got three buckets full. I didn't get to arrange them today because we had our annual rose society brunch but tomorrow. Although arranging is not quite my forte @gemini_sage Neal, wouldn't it be great it we were neighbours!

Neal ... I've started my winter exercise program so that I don't lose the muscle strength I gained this gardening season. I simply hate spring pain more than I hate exercising ...

Hurray, Lilli's here! Sorry to hear about your back. It has been raining here for days, and I also will start having trouble with my back if I continue to sit in the house all day instead of going outside and stirring my stumps.

Your buckets of buds are enchanting, Sharlene.