Hi Rosylady, I thought about offering my rampant specimen of Gloire de Dijon to someone when I recently removed it due to its simply getting much larger than I had imagined it would (given its reputation for being difficult). Unfortunately I have had some issues with midge in my front yard in the past (I think it came in on a plant -- fingers crossed that my soil removal and plant removal worked!) so I don't offer any plants from my front yard out of an abundance of caution. The Gloire de Dijon I had came from High Country Roses. It was planted in full, all-day sun in the hottest corner of my tiny, baking hot front yard (there is a sidewalk on one side and a south-facing window on the other, both reflecting light and heat at it). If you have a south-facing wall that isn't shaded, I expect that Gloire de Dijon would do well for you there.

Unless you have someone like K&M bud it on Fortuniana or Wisconsin Roses bud it on multiflora, or you're fortunate enough to find it at one of Malcolm's plant sales on Fortuniana, I'm unaware of anywhere offering it as a budded stock plant. Also, if you go back to the old rose books of the late Nineteenth and early Twentieth Centuries, the best examples of both Gloire de Dijon and Marechal Niel were reportedly grown under glass. Not that they can't be grown acceptably outdoors, but the ones people swooned over were in green houses.

I bought mine from Pickering Nurseries circa 2000 and grew it in one of the greenhouses. It got BIG in fairly short order. A friend was very impressed with it and requested cuttings, which he rooted successfully.

Over the next 2 years we both watched the progress of his own-root plants of it, and marveled over their complete lack of vigor, even though they were growing in his large greenhouse (climate controlled specifically for roses, which he grew commercially). I took one of them home and put it in a big pot in my greenhouse, and it took 7 years before it finally threw up a basal shoot 6 feet long. And then it dropped dead one winter.

Although I am certain that some people can grow it well on its own roots, if they are very fortunate to have the ideal site for it, but in general, this is a very poor rose on its own roots. Of course, it gets even more complicated because there are several varieties floating around in commerce under this name, and a good percentage of them are incorrectly identified. Makes me wonder; are most of the reports of great success as an own-root plant based on a misidentified cultivar?? I wonder.

You may have to ask a nursery to custom bud it for you. I'd offer to do it myself, but I no longer have any plants of it (Killed in the Polar Vortex a few years back)

Pretty sure the one I had long ago was mis-named.

Maybe Burling could do it. Mine from HCRs is pretty good I think and did throw up a 6 foot basal here after 4 years. Elie Bouvilain and Adam seem to be faster growers. All own root.

I'm not aware of anyone who has it on 'Fortuniana' (we don't), but in case you want to try grafting your own, I did a video series a while back, on how to do that. I'll link to the first one here, and then in its description section are links to the other 4 videos. Best wishes and good luck. Malcolm Link to video series

Thank you for all the great information!

K S...it's good to know that GdD did well for you in Seattle and it was an own root. This gives me hope!! I also bought one from HCR, so maybe I can get a good result if I move it to a hotter spot.

roseseek....have you ever seen 'The Victorian Flower Garden' series? It was a BBC production from the early 80's. You can watch it on YouTube now. It shows a GdD being grown in an old glass house, and the gardener there was waxing eloquent about his favourite rose of all, GdD. Maybe that show is what got me started on this GdD obsession :)

Paul...I remember you talking about the wonderful GdD you grew in that greenhouse. I actually tried to grow mine in my greenhouse, but it did terribly in there! That's part of why I began to think my own root plant was just not a good one. The stars and moons must have aligned for your greenhouse-grown GdD :) That is very kind of you to offer to bud one for me! I may try to take you up on that offer if I can't get mine to grow.

Jeri....was that long ago rose a good one or a bad one? I'm guessing bad, since you no longer have it.

Sheila....I would love to see a pic of your GdD! I also have 'Elie Beauvillain' and she is a stunning rose in my garden...absolutely wonderful!! 'Adam' has been a slow grower for me, but is planted in one of the worst spots in my garden so I am giving it extra time to settle in and grow.

malcolm....I would love to try my hand at grafting, and since I have a flourishing 'Fortuniana' already I might try it. I will most definitely check out your videos. Thanks so much for the suggestion.

@Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR

Nice to see you've got the real cultivar, and it looks happy!

Sheila...that's glorious! You are way too modest :) There's just something about this rose that I find particularly beautiful...and yours perfectly illustrates that. Thank you for posting pictures.

I saw a picture of a beautiful one growing along the top of a stone wall and balustrade in England. It must have loved the reflected heat of that wall.