Sara-Ann
I was never interested in miniature roses until Seil posted some pics of hers, like Marriota and Your The One, those two have peaked my interest and I would like to learn more too.

I just bought my first minis this year. I've seen them at rose shows and they fascinate me. They are so small and so perfect! Keep in mind that some of the bushes can get quite large, it's the size of the flowers that make them minis or mini-floras. I say get a few and go for it.

You love them! They come in as many bloom forms as the big girls do and size of bloom ranges from the micros, under one inch and smaller, to the minifloras which can be over two inches in size. But as buford noted, the "mini" only refers to the size of the leaves and blooms, not the plant size. There are climbing minis that will get 8, 10 or 12 feet tall! But not all minis get as large as the standard size rose plants so you have to pick the ones that do stay smaller if you're concerned about space. I have a couple that I've had for many years and they're never much taller or wider than a foot or so. Others will get 3 X 3 feet easy each season.

I really like them because they seem to bloom more and repeat more quickly than the larger ones. So they have a lot of punch for a small package. And I'm fascinated by the amazing forms in those tiny delicate blooms. There are some that are supposed to be fragrant too. Either I don't have those varieties or can't smell them though because I don't find any of my minis particularly fragrant like the bigger roses. I don't mind that. I just enjoy how charming they are!

Iced Raspberry
{{gwi:308638}}

Magic Show
{{gwi:308640}}

Softee
{{gwi:308642}}

X-Rated
{{gwi:308644}}

Thank you everyone. There are some impressive minis shown. Seil - I have noticed some of yours before and have been impressed, you have some lovely ones. and thegardenat902 that Baby Elizabeth is adorable. I think I have had the idea that all minis look like the ones they sell in grocery stores sometimes, since I haven't seen any other type in person, I'm beginning to change my mind. I do recall that several years ago I sent for a Nor' East catalog, I think not realizing they only sold mininatures, I did think some of those were adorable and was tempted then to order a few, but never did. That company is no longer in business are they?

This post was edited by Sara-Ann on Fri, Jul 25, 14 at 9:35

No NorEast closed when Mr. Moore passed away. But most of his roses are still available at places like Burlington and Heirloom. Also check out For Love of Roses site for some too. There are several other good places that carry at least a few minis so look around.

Thank you Seil for the info, I appreciate it very much.

I got mine from Burlington. Very nice healthy roses.

The are similar to the ones in the supermarket. Those are also mini roses, but they may not be registered so could not be shown in roses shoes. But they are still very nice!

If you really want to get a few, use Forloveofroses. Richard sends really healthy roses with a good root system. A couple of really good growing and blooming roses are Shameless, Lo & Behold and since you like pink, Brand New Girlfriend. This will get you going and not be disappointed. Get them going in 1 gal pots until they fill the pots with roots. Then move them into their new home. In the garden or in decor pots (10 gal with good potting soil).

I adore minis!
The infinite number of forms.
I must confess to buying grocery store minis in particular.
But I do buy some nice registered ones too...

My absolute favorite mini ever I purchased at a grocery store 4 years ago.
Beautiful flowers that vary from almost white, to buttery, to pink depending on the weather.
The fragrance is divine and stronger than most my roses. Sweet and white wine like.
Up until this year it was around 1.5 feet.
This year it sent up canes that are about a foot higher. Lovely bushy shape, and a very very giving bloomer.
Minis in general noticed tend to be nicely bushy, and giving with blooms.

Ok... I'm done. I just wanted to sing their praises.

Ordphien - Those are very nice pictures, thank you for sharing them. Maybe all grocery store minis aren't equal. When I made that statement I was thinking of my local market which has limited choices at times.

The grocery store minis are regular roses but the companies that produce them just don't always bother to register them. They do list names on their web sites but they're also known for interchanging those names with several different roses. So if a place orders a gross of pink minis named Pinkie they may get any one of a half dozen different pink roses the company has available at the time to fill the order. Sometimes if the rose is very distinctive you can match them up but if it's just a pink rose you probably will never know which one it is. And you have to be sort of careful because I have gotten a couple that turned out not to be minis after all. They were small when I got them as little potted cuttings but when planted grew to be floribunda size blooms in the end.

Oh no. I strongly encourage you to buy registered hybrids. In general they are much better plants. My favorite mini just happens to be from a grocery store.

As far as registered hybrids, I love my Denver Dream rose. Green ice is a real winner and cascades beautifuly. Rainbows end really puts on a show...

Double post.
I'll put a picture here instead.

This post was edited by Ordphien on Sat, Jul 26, 14 at 16:50

On the topic of grocery bought minis: I grow grocery bought them. Since I don't spray, I generally will get rid of those that defoliate too much. I have tried about a half dozen varieties now (small numbers, I know), and the only BS resistant mini among them is probably called Mistral. It is from a Canadian producer called "Rosier". I don't really know much about minis, but just in case you see that rose when grocery shopping...

I was accidentally sent beauty secret ( for buff beauty) and it has been a delightful mistake! Lipstick red perfect blooms, no disease. Not sure where it will go in ground as I don't have any other reds. But I do love it ! I'll get a pic in a few days as more buds will open.

Lilyfinch, pot it! Then you can move it where ever you want some color or enjoy it on your patio.