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farmer_rons_patch

Rose availability for next spring.

Hi,

I'm looking for sources for the following old fashioned rosebushes 2 or 3 year old bare rooted stock, or rooted cuttings.

I read that these are vary fragrant, and I'm really only interested in fragrant roses.

Alfred De Dalmas
Autumn Damask
Common Moss
La Reine Victoria
MME. Hardy
MME. Isaac Pereire
Mrs. John Laing
Maiden's Blush
Fantin-Latour

Which one is more popular than most? Also, is the easiest to grow? I read an article in an old magazine that was talking about Old English Rose Gardens, and how to plant one.

Are they available, and where?
Also does anyone have any suggestions as to other fragrant (strong?) roses available. I live in zone 6 near Lake Erie in New York State.

I have a 50ft long space by 2ft wide that I would like to plant with roses and companion flowers. It would be sort of an Old English Rose Garden type of planting along our western side of our condo. It get a lot of light and our soil is sandy loam.
Thanks, Ron:)

Comments (12)

  • mad_gallica (z5 Eastern NY)
    9 years ago

    Two feet next to a building really isn't wide enough for much of anything. Particularly rose shrubs that can get quite large. Six feet is a lot more realistic.

  • dublinbay z6 (KS)
    9 years ago

    gallica has a good point about the width. You might have to settle for modern hybrid teas and carefully select the ones that are more narrow and upright, as well as perfumed. Peter Mayle, for instance, might work in that situation, and I do have Mrs. John Laing growing in a somewhat similar situation--she is tall and narrow also.

    I think I got my Mrs. John Laing as an own root from Roses Unlimited. Either that or (if it is grafted---I don't remember for sure) I got it from Regan Nursery which carries lots of grafted roses.

    I've seen most of those roses listed as being available at a lot of places--I think even David Austin (in America) offers some of those older roses, probably grafted on Dr. Huey. Right off the top of my head, I think you will have better luck getting many of them own root from places like Roses Unlimited, Chamblees, Antique Rose Emporium, etc.

    Palatine Nusery in Canada offers some of them--grafted on multiflora, I think.

    Just put the name of the rose in the google search box --add the word "rose" so that you don't get the life histories of every Mrs. Laing that ever lived--and google will guide you to which nurseries carry which roses.

    Good luck--wonderful list of roses there--if you can manage to squeeze them into that narrow strip.

    Kate

    This post was edited by dublinbay on Thu, Sep 18, 14 at 11:49

  • mendocino_rose
    9 years ago

    It isn't much space but you might get away with growing some of these like climbers attached to the wall. The Albas, Madame Isaac, Fatin Latour, Autumn Damask are the ones I'm familiar with that might work.

  • rosefolly
    9 years ago

    I agree that you might want to consider training the roses flat onto a trellis against your condo. Two feet isn't really wide enough for roses to grow in their natural form -- even many modern ones, in my opinion. I cannot think of a single rose I grow that is as narrow as two feet in width.

    I would recommend that you start by contacting Palantine (http://palatineroses.com/roses) or Regan's (http://www.regannursery.com), and it is not too early to shop right now for next spring. Some varieties are already sold out. While I prefer to grow own root roses in my situation, for you I recommend grafted bare roots, at least in the case of the old once blooming roses (gallicas, albas, and damasks). These will sucker on their own roots, sending up canes from the roots at a distance from the main plant. They are trying to form a thicket and without your constant attention, they will. With your narrow bed, you don't have space to deal with this issue, so grafted will suit you best. Palantine uses multiflora as a rootstock. That is probably a better rootstock in your climate than Dr Huey, the rootstock used by most rose grafters in the United States. I don't know what rootstock Regan's is using. The vendor they used to get their roses from is not shipping this year.

    Of the ones you listed, I would NOT buy Autumn Damask. It is fragrant and healthy, and it does repeat some, but it is a huge, coarse, and viciously thorny plant, best grown in the back forty and viewed in a landscape rather than close up in a small garden. You would not be at all happy trying to train it flat against a trellis. Also, do not buy Mme Isaac Perriere unless you plan to spray fungicides. In a humid summer climate it will get a LOT of blackspot. It is as beautiful and fragrant as you are imagining, so your taste is excellent!

    Do not be discouraged. I think you will find a way to make it work, and in the end, your garden will be lovely.

    Rosefolly

    Here is a link that might be useful: Palantine Roses

  • farmer_rons_patch
    Original Author
    9 years ago

    Ok, but the condo association would have a conniption fit if I went more than a two foot row.

    So what do you recommend that would be fragrant and easy for a beginner?

    Thanks, Ron:)

  • ingrid_vc so. CA zone 9
    9 years ago

    Alfred de Dalmas, in my very different hot and dry climate, stayed small, and then declined since it wasn't happy here. Of the roses you listed it probably is the smallest one, and may be the only one that you wouldn't have to treat as a climber. When we were looking for houses eight years ago I refused to consider one that had any association that would be able to tell me what to do on my property and make me pay for the privilege of having my gardening plans thwarted.

    Ingrid

  • catsrose
    9 years ago

    You might try Clotilde Soupert. She is a small polyantha, but very fragrant. She also has a climbing sport which might work well on a trellis. Here is the link to her on helpmefind.com/roses, a site on which you might search for other roses, including other fragrant polyanthas, of which many are small.

    http://www.helpmefind.com/rose/l.php?l=2.1230

  • dublinbay z6 (KS)
    9 years ago

    You might check some of the smaller David Austin roses. They have a number of small shrubs that are around 3 ft tall but only 2 to 2.5 ft wide. But if you look at the Austin shrubs, make sure they are described as growing more vertically--more upright.

    Right off the top of my head, these are around 3ft tall and 2-2.5 ft wide: Molineux (yellow/apricot), Boscobel (pink/apricot), Princess Anne (darker pink/magenta), Darcy Bussell (brighter red), Shepherdess (apricot pastel), Scarborough Fair (pink), The Alnwick Rose (apricot pink). There are probably others also.

    Good luck searching.

    Kate

  • farmerduck NJ Z6b
    9 years ago

    Julia Child does not seem to get too big here, fragrant, relatively blackspot resistant and has good repeat. It is also easily available here (i.e., no mail order) in Northern Jersey. You can find it at stores that carry Week's roses. It seems like a small beginner rose, here.

  • rosefolly
    9 years ago

    You might consider looking for roses with long, pliable canes. You could grow those wrapping the canes up a post or obelisk, a very pretty effect that can be kept narrow. I am doing that right now with The Generous Gardener, which is a David Austin English rose (modern reproduction rather than a true old garden rose).

    Here in California most roses get way bigger than they do in your climate, so I hesitate to suggest varieties. Also, I can grow some roses that will suffer in your climate, and some of your best roses sulk here, missing their winter chill. Your best suggestions will come from people who garden in the northeast or upper midwest where winters are cold.

    Rosefolly

  • RocksAndRoses
    9 years ago

    You may be able to grow a climbing rose on a trellis against the wall. I would suggest trying only one at first. I lived in a townhome before moving to a small house. I chose roses that grew larger than expected and had to fight to keep them in bounds.

    Florabundas may be a better choice.

    Could you put a fragrant Austin rose like the cottage rose in a large pot by your entrance?

  • Campanula UK Z8
    9 years ago

    pah - I grow roses in less than 2 feet of space....but, they are climbers with relatively flexible canes. Avoid ramblers which can spread from the base and try some of the large flowered climbing hybrid teas such as Etoile de Hollande, Souvenir de Claudius Denoyel, Guinee and so forth. As long as the soil is deep and well-nourished, plant at the edge of the 2feet strip and train the canes onto wires (my favourite option) or trellis (but do not let the canes go behind the trellis). I have many roses growing in very slender strips (and you can also add clematis) but you will have to be prepared to train and prune to shape every year. Also, although the footprint can be contained within a tiny space (many roses are grown against walls or on pergolas in the UK growing out of tiny tiny spaces), the rose will extend beyond a 2feet area once above ground level.It is, however, perfectly doable ....I grew 2 Zepherine Drouhins in a border less than 1foot wide (although I would not recommend this as it is a mildew magnet especially against a wall.
    Will have a think about particular fragrant varieties which will do well for you.