It does really depend on the nursery and who ever their supplier is. You do need to call and ask. Own root may grow a little slower at first but will be more winter hardy.

Apricot and Sweet Sweet Drift are the two I chose for edging my rose bed. Got rid of the pain in the neck mini roses which preceded them. As lovely as the minis were, black spot and spider mite control with regular heavy duty spraying barely kept up with the onslaught of these two bad boys. The Drifts are pretty bullet proof, though not entirely black spot free, but what occurs is negligible.

I chose Apricot and Sweet Drift because they were the most full petaled of the Drift series, and am glad I did. Strangely, reports on their fragrance I can corroborate, although the marketing information states, no fragrance. How could a rose breeder not bend down to smell the product of the intense labor of breeding roses?

However, I passed on Popcorn Drift because its flowers were semi-double/single, but to my surprise my niece's Popcorn Drift is amazingly beautiful, more tailored in bush form than either Apricot or Sweet Drift. Popcorn's flowers are also presented in a more refined manner. Now, I wish I had given Popcorn Drift a try. I don't know if Popcorn Drift is fragrant.

Moses

patty57

Are Drift roses always grown and sold on own root or are some grafted onto a rootstock?

I have never seen them grafted. They are extremely vigorous and probably much easier to propagate by rooting cuttings rather than by grafting. Also grafted, they may grow to enormous dimensions, countermanding their, "Drift," nature.

Moses

I, too, have never seen them grafted.

Excellent point ( countermanding) that Moses raises.