Best Source for Roses?
Where is the best place to buy roses if you live in Brooklyn? Do you get them at your local gardening store, order them through the mail, or via a local sale or rose association? I am specifically looking for an old-rose climber, the kind that takes care of itself. I checked out King’s County…
Where is the best place to buy roses if you live in Brooklyn? Do you get them at your local gardening store, order them through the mail, or via a local sale or rose association? I am specifically looking for an old-rose climber, the kind that takes care of itself. I checked out King’s County Nursery but they didn’t have what I was looking for, and the one time I planted mail order root ball plants years ago, nothing came up.
Thank you all so much for all the great suggestions. Thanks, Sally! Re those evergreens, slopegirl, we’re doing just what you recommend. Pyrocantha already flat along one fence. Going to put something like Laurel in shady spot near house with a bunch of ferns, hostas, day lilies, shade hydrangeas, etc.
Not sure what to do with evergreens in the far, sunny distance. I really like box and holly so much. But I can’t quite see how it would look “natural” in a mixed bed full of things like dahlias, roses, catmint, etc. Especially when space is only 20 feet wide. Any one come up with a good solution?
As with everything else, Costco. Great roses every Spring – and an unbelievable return policy.
regarding evergreens: I remember reading a japanese gardening trick on planting evergreens to enlarge a space.
Plant large leaved evergreens (like a rhododendron or large needled pine) closer to the house, and small leaved evergreens, like japanese holly, azalea, cotoneaster, or small needled conifer, further away. This creates the illusion of atmospheric perspective–the leaves are getting tiny in the distance–and makes it look like a deeper space. I did this with good results in my mother’s small north garden in brooklyn.
I’d also recommend ferns, ostrich ferns especially look great against the dark greens of evergreens and go nicely with most flowers. Pyroncantha is everywhere but it’s easy to grow and makes a good fence or wall evergreen and you can prune it to grow flat against the wall.
Absolutely check Dave’s Garden website’s Garden Watchdog, I second that. I’ve had great luck with mail-order shrubs, roses included. In fact I did better with my mail-order shrubs than ones I bought at local nurseries. I also agree Martin Viette is fantastic; they have a huge selection of pots/containers too. At their annual sale which is when, end of Summer I think? You can buy the containers 2 for 1. Which is helpful because at full price they’re expensive.
I’ve mailed-ordered bare root roses from Pickering Nurseries–great selection and not expensive.
David Austin is well-known, but I’ve had problems with them. I’m not sure they fare well on Garden Watchdog.
Popular mail order roses sell out early, so act soon if you want to go this route. And it’s not too early to get them in the ground.
Mopar. The very best place to get roses is from David Austin Roses. He specializes in English roses and has been breeding these very hardy roses since the 1950`s. Go on his website (davidaustinroses.com) and you will be amazed- climbers, bushes, ramblers, old and modern. Last year I bought root stock through the mail and now I have several thriving climbers over six feet tall! My favorite is called “Teasing Georgia”. None of the stock I bought failed and all were extremely prolific the first season. Now is the time to plant root stock while it`s still chilly. Good luck!
Jackson and Perkins was one of the places I was trying to remember
Second zepherine drouhin — likes less sun than a lot of roses, and has a truly heavenly perfume. Also, not very thorny, a major plus. Mine is about 15 feet high.
Another climber that I like is Joseph’s coat — orange and yellow and pink-red. Also grows to about 15 feet, though I try to get mine moving laterally, more blooms that way.
Can’t remember which mail-order house I got mine at, but might have been White Flower Farm, which tends to be pricier than Jackson Perkins. Quality from WFF is always excellent, though.
For years I have been ordering roses from Antique Rose Emporium in Texas. They specialize in the old rose variety that you are referring to and I have a yard that is overwhelmed with roses.