Hi anderson_dc,

I've gotten austins from each of the vendors you mentioned with the following results.

I am entirely pleased with my purchases from Chamblees (a dozen roses in all). Chamblees roses are potted own-root and have grown into some nice specimens.

I am moderately pleased with my purchases (2 roses) from Roses Unlimited. RU roses are also potted own-root, but are a bit smaller than those I got from Chamblees. The RU roses have not performed to the level of those from Chamblees, but that is likely because I selected more roses less suited for my area and/or placed them incorrectly.

Finally, I got one rose from David Austin USA. Though DA now sells own-roots, at that time all their roses were grafts. The problem with my DA USA purchase was that the rose has Rose Mosaic Virus, which didn't show up until the third year I had the rose. As a result, the rose doesn't have the vigor and stem strength it should have. I have since learned that Rose Mosaic Disease is a risk associated with DA's practice of grafting onto Dr. Huey at that time (2005). I don't know what DA USA's practice is now, as I haven't risked another purchase from them.

I would choose Chamblees since their roses are shipped in one-gallon pots and I've had very good luck with them. These are own-root so I'm not sure how that would work out in your area but they do very well here.

Ingrid

Ditto on Chamblee's. I have been very pleased with the quality of the David Austin's I've gotten from them. As I recall, I think that they come in little pots, are bands, but grew quickly.

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:236074}}

David Austin Roses sells bareroots, some own root, some grafted.

I am in complete agreement with all that has been said about Chamblee's Austin roses. All the Austin roses that I have purchased from Chamblees have done well. The plants are smaller than the grafted plants that you would get from the David Austin Roses headquarters in Tyler, TX, but the cost (including shipping) is much less. Additionally, there are usually more than one rooted cutting in each pot, sometimes up to FIVE. I have a bed of 5 Ambridge Rose plants that came from a single one gallon pot from Chamblees and all 5 are doing well. I have grown some grafted plants in my garden for over 10 years and have seen some decline as they age. I therefore prefer to have own-root plants, as I have not seen these plants decline with age.

The only down side to Chamblees is that they have limited number of Austin varieties, perhaps only around 40-so you may not be able to find the ones that you *really* want to grow here. And they have not been introducing many new ones, at least lately. If you live in a area with a short growing season, it may take several seasons for an own-root plant from Chamblee's to catch up with a larger, grafted plant. I find that I can get a good sized plant after only 2 seasons from a Chamblee's plant, but in my area, my plants continue to grow through most of fall and I can still get blooms into December.

Another place that I have bought Austin roses, budded onto multiflora rootstock, is Pickering Nursery in Canada. When my mother plants get a bit bigger in a year or two, there will be a Virginia source for some of the lesser-known Austins. :)

Connie

Connie, Austin scouts out illegal propagators like a hen on a june bug. I wouldn't be bragging about it on line.

Connie may be talking about out-of-patent or never patented varieties.

Regarding own root vs grafted, all mine are own root although some began as grafted. By planting the bud union 4-6 inches deep to protect in in our cold snowy winters, the portion of cane above the bud union but below the soil level will root and give you own root plants. When doing so, the grafted rose may pout some allowing a larger healthy own root rose to grow and bloom just as well. I'd not hesitate to plant either in our zone.
My own rooted cuttings are grown in pots until they've gained some size. I never put a band in the ground. Usually by year two, in my garden, they've grown to a similar size as a grated rose. Regardless, it takes a good three years for most to get established and begin producing as promised.

I would recommend chamblees but ditto on the selection thing stated above. It will take 2-3 years for one of the own roots to get a decent size. At least in zone 5 they have not gotten as large as the grafted ones I have. But that is not necessarily a bad thing since Austins can get HUGE.
I have some grafted Heritage that are well over 6 foot tall canes.
The plants I get from Chamblees have been minimum one foot tall or more canes and I have never lost one austin from them.
I have some austins also grafted on Dr. Huey that are over a decade old, and they are doing great. So I would recommend Chamblees or if you want more variety - the david austin site is where to go, although I have never personally ordered from them... they do graft onto Dr. Huey which seems to be doing very well here for me. They are more expensive but they have online specials I see.
FYI: Pickering has grafted onto multiflora and they have some older varieties that David Austin does not carry any longer it seems. I do not have any pickering david austin roses.
Good luck - The david austin english roses do very well in zone 5.

I must be the only one who had a problem with Chamblees. I bought a few from there 2 were mislabeled, two died and the ones that are left are still small after 4 years.

I have a few own root Austins. Believe it or not, the best ones came from J&P when they were still offering them. I have Crown Princess Margarite, Golden Celebration, Bishop's Castle and Jubilee Celebration. I also have a Graham Thomas from Ashdown (no longer in operation) and a Pat Austin from Roses Unlimited.

The ones I have from DA themselves are grafted. They have all done very well.

Some of my own root Austins have died. Others have survived. Get varieties that are hardy in zone 5a. Sharifa Asma, Evelyn, Tradescant, Jude the Obscure, Gertrude Jekyll, St. Cecilia, Charlotte, Gentle Hermione, Crown Princess Margareta, Winchester Cathedral and Abraham Darby have survived in my garden without spray or winter protection. I get mine from RU. You are from Iowa. Do you have any Buck roses?

Not bragging ... just sayin'. Many Austin roses are disappearing from commerce, and the rescuer/salvager inside me can't allow this to happen if I can help it. To clarify, I am talking about roses that are no longer, or have never been, patented. Illegal propagation is something I feel very strongly about, and I NEVER do it. (Google Patents is a great tool to search for patent info, BTW. Plant patents are in effect for 20 years from the date of application.)

My own Austin collection has come from a variety of sources besides Pickering. I received nice roses from RU, Vintage, Rogue Valley, and Heirloom over the years. I never ordered Austins from Chamblees.

Sitting here in comfy Zone 7, it's really great to hear that so many of these roses do so well in the colder zones.

All the sources you name are very good, so I wouldn't spend much time worrying over which one of them to use. Pick by which rose you want and which source is closest to you. Most nurseries only carry a limited number of David Austins, so if you want a much larger selection of DAs, go to the DA site itself.

I think I've read posts here from northern gardeners who argued that grafts are better since, given the shorter growing season, grafts tend to grow faster. At any rate, make sure any grafted roses are planted with the graft 3-4 inches below the soil surface--absolutely essential.

Kate

FYI: Don't order Pat Austin own root. She is just too weak of a grower to not be grafted here in zone 5. I have one, she has never gotten over a foot tall here. Lovely flower though.

Connie, I for one am very grateful that you and other nursery persons are salvaging the older English Roses, some of which I think have a charm not seen in some newer varieties.

Any chance you might some day have Charmain? I suppose I could have VG propagate, but $45 and then I would have to pay shipping. I am still trying to decide if I love it that much.

Great responses everyone, i really appreciate all of the wonderful input!

Im looking to plant a grouping of three DA Golden Celebration roses on the south side of our house this spring. The Golden Celebration is supposed to be one of the hardier DA roses and we like many of its attributes.

Sounds like it's a wash on own root vs grafted. I might be more inclined to choose a grafted rose because of our shorter growing season but it sounds like an own root, once established, will be just as large.

Ive never ordered from Chamblees so that might be a first for me, sounds like a lot of positive feedback too!

So if i plan on ordering from Chamblees, i might get more then one cutting per pot? Do i have to divide those then? As i mentioned prior, im looking to do a grouping of three Golden Celebrations to create more of a "bush" appearance.

Predfern: Yes i do have a couple of Buck Roses! Last year was my first year planting roses and we decided upon two Buck Roses (Hawkeye Belle and Prairie Star), a hybrid tea Peace Rose, and a Easy Elegance Grandma's Blessing rose. I look forward to see how they made it through the winter after i take the winter protection off.

GC got huge for me, but that was in zone 9. Made a spectacular bush with arching branches. I can't imagine what three of them would look like. Do you have a way of seeing for yourself the size of a mature specimen in your area before you spend for three? Mine got no mildew, can't say about BS, and was surprisingly low on water requirement, far more so than that guzzler GT.

Nastarana, dear, I don't have Charmian yet.

I am totally thrilled with the way my newly planted Austin baby roses have come through our winter. It was nothing like an Iowa winter, but it was still cold and very windy here. Every single little baby rose is fine, breaking bud, and appears to be ready to take off and grow. Yippee!!

Nastarana, I dont know of any Austin roses in my area unfortunately. Im new to the rose hobby and havent joined any clubs or anything yet so my local resources are pretty limited.

Our growing season is somewhat limited here in central Iowa so the roses probably wont grow as large as those in Cali and with our harsh winters i would expect to see some die back each winter. I might give Austin's a call and see what they would suggest with my climate and number of roses.

Here we are pretty good on powdery mildew, its the blackspot and spotted cucumber beetles which are the problem.

An old remedy for the cuke beetles, you are talking about the virus spreading curcurbut pest, right?, is to plant radishes amongst your curcurbitae.

Charmain is a particular favorite of mine, but it does seem, as I recall, to be very slow to start growing. It might be a rose that needs to be grafted.

{{gwi:236075}}

Above is what im talking about (spotted cucumber beetle)