The middle of November is actually the best time to plant bare-root roses here in California. It's the start of our rainy season, which gives them a good start without depending on the gardener to water them every day without fail.
Palatine will hold your order and ship it to you in spring even if you order it now. They will be taking orders again closer to spring, but many of the best varieties will be sold out then, so this is the best time to order, regardless of your preferred shipping date.
Their roses are much better than the roses from Pickering, and I can say that without hesitation even though I'm a big fan of Pickering's roses. Roses from Palatine have longer roots and more of them, and they usually have at least five or six good canes instead of the three or four on Pickering's bare-root roses. If you're accustomed to buying roses from Pickering, you'll be amazed when you see the difference. I think the people at Palatine probably grow their roses in the field longer than Pickering does before digging them up and sending them out.
