My DD's wanted to go own-root, so I would say yes. They developed wide plate-shaped crowns. However, you would get a faster start with grafted.

I would just say it's my favorite rose. I don't know about zone 6 or own root, mine is a J&P grafted. But it's very hardy. I came back strong after this horrible winter with no winter protection.

Buford,

Did you get your Double Delight bareroot through mail order directly from J&P or did you pick up a J&P container rose from a local nursery?

I think you will miss the vigor that a graft gives to DD. I've grown my grafted DD for something like 8-10 years and haven't noticed any virus problems. Bought mine as a container rose from a local nursery.

Don't know if any of that applies to your gardening region or not. Good luck. And remember that DD hates being sprayed by Daconil.

Kate

Patrick, I ordered it mail order. It was one of my first roses, it's about 12 years old. The graft is HUGE and I should really dig it up and replant it so it doesn't show and maybe would go own root.

I also haven't seen any hint of virus. Just the rampant BS and PM. But as Kate says, no Daconil. Mine wouldn't bloom with it. It does like the Bayer Advanced Disease Spray.

Thanks Buford. If I go grafted (and it looks like I might have no other choice) then I'll get the plants from two different sources and cross my fingers. BTW, I'm fully aware Daconil fries the foliage on Double Delight. Right now I'm using Bayer (Tebuconazole) and previously Mancozeb.

Patrick, the disease pressures are different where you are from Nebraska, but I've been able to grow own-root Double Delight here in zone 5 reasonably well. In fact, my first DD was grafted from a local nursery and it was a wimp - never more than 6" tall and maybe bloomed once in 6 years. My plant from Roses Unlimited survived last year's brutal winter and is already taller than my grafted plant ever was. No telling how well it will bloom, since I pinch off blooms for the whole first year, but initial signs are promising.

You should note however that I seem to have notably poorer responses of grafted plants in my yard to others reporting on GW. Even the grafted plants that survive quickly go own-root if they last out more than a winter or two, so it doesn't resolve the question of whether grafted would be better for you. All I can say is that it can be done in zone 5, and I've not seen any sign of virus so far on this plant (doesn't mean it's not there, of course).

Cynthia