In this case, Porkpal, raising hell included a fish taco and margarita binge.
As for my experience with Vintage Gardens, the nursery used to be within walking distance of my house, so I would walk over there periodically and buy enough bands (12) to fill a large shoebox -- sometimes two shoeboxes if I didn't also have to juggle an umbrella that day. Over the years, I bought hundreds of bands from Vintage. All of the gallicas, teas, hybrid perpetuals, polyanthas, and hybrid musks grew beautifully.
Most of the roses I bought were flloribundas and hybrid teas, however, so my success rate at growing the bands wasn't 100%. Some of them grew into spectacular bushes, as large and as bushy as any grafted rose. Some of the best are Chanelle, Chic, Nimbus, and Matangi -- all floribundas. Some hybrid tea bands also grew into spectacular bushes -- Contrast, Shot Silk, and Condesa de Sastago come to mind immediately, although there are many others as well
Some floribundas stayed smaller than they should have, however, and many of the hybrid teas stayed small or languished and died. I tried to grow some of them three times. I would blame myself the first time, still have doubts about my growing practices the second time I tried to grow them, and give them up as a lost cause the third time. At that point, I would feel confident that it was the fault of the rose itself, especially in view of the absence of photos of them on HMF in spite of the list of gardens that supposedly "housed" them.
Sometimes it was Vintage's fault. Three Tom Browns from Vintage Gardens failed to thrive, but Heirloom sent me a beautiful Tom Brown, which is still alive and producing flush after flush of blooms three years after planting. An Almondeen from Rogue Valley Roses is small but healthy, whereas three Almondeens from Vintage Gardens quickly died (and so did their own parent plant, according to Gregg).
All of this has little to do with Cardinal Hume or rootstock, but this has never been a forum where we feel obliged to stay on topic.
