My favorite
rose suppiers
Roses for you
When you want that special rose…
These catalogs and web sites will have roses that your local nursery might not carry. Whether you are in the frigid northern climes, or steamy and sultry south, there is a rose you can grow! Click on the name to go to the website.
Antique Rose Emporium. From Texas, this outfit supplies old fashioned varieties that have gone “extinct” to some extent and some of your grandmother’s favorites. Some have been grown from old cemetery cuttings (this practice is known as “rose rustling”). Some claim to be from settlers in covered wagons. You can search for rose by year of introduction, like 1840! There are lovely options here.
Heirloom Roses. Another fantastic supplier of roses. With this outfit, you get roses grown on their own roots. (Did you know that most of the roses you buy at your local nursery have been grafted onto a different rootstock?) What this means to you is that if someone carelessly mows over your rose bush, or it freezes solid, it will come back true, the original rose. Not some strange, ugly rose that was picked for a rootstock because of it’s aggressive growth.
Wayside Gardens. This catalog is full of sumptuous and lovely roses. While they don’t specialize in antique varieties, they do carry David Austin roses which are modern versions of antique roses. What this means to you is that you can grow giant, fluffy, many-petaled roses with gorgeous scents that are bred for beauty and disease resistance. My favorite David Austin rose is Abraham Darby- a lovely apricot pink. They also have a section of plants that are great companions to roses. Both my grandmother and mother loved this supplier, you will too!
Edmunds Roses. This web site will let you search for roses by trait. Meaning, if you’re looking for something that’s thornless, or a certain color, or shade tolerant, or heat tolerant, etc. This is the site for you.
Jackson & Perkins. Full of award winning roses bred for disease resistance, scent or just beauty and form. Lovely catalog for dreaming up your rose garden.
