OK, so it's five years later. I'm quite sure that over the years I ordered a total of five or eight times from VG. My orders ranged from five to twenty plants each time. I think I placed three large orders in the year of their closing. I'm quite sure I ordered more than 100 roses in the last year alone, and I'd guess that it was more like two hundred all together...
These roses from VG survive: Nouveau Monde, Crepe Rose, Centennaire des Lourdes, America, and Climbing Gold Badge. The latter two roses have not yet grown waist high. Cl Gold Badge has yet to bloom. I treasure the two cultivars that are no longer in commerce; but I am not sure I'd pay the full sum that I did to get them.
Moral of the story:
1) It's a rare hybrid tea rose that will survive the yo-yo freeze-thaw cycling of an Arizona Mountains spring.
2) It's a rare hybrid tea rose or floribunda that will thrive on its own roots. Roses bred before propagation by budding, on average, fare better.
3) It's a rare rose that can go from growing in a band in a California greenhouse to growing in a garden. Ones from other places have a better record; so, too, gallon plants.
I would draw similar conclusions based on experiences with Rogue Valley Roses, Heirloom Roses, and Antique Rose Emporium, although I can say that in all of these cases, my batting average has been materially higher.
