Wow. Sorry to hear this. They're one of my top favorite companies. I am at a point where I have just about enough roses but I am eager to see what they'll offer since it is the last chance to get them from them. The mad crush to order will probably be even madder this year. For those of you who like multiflora rootstock don't forget Hortico. Seems like they've expanded their offerings and have a good selection of Austins as well.

I have gotten amazing and healthy roses from Palatine so thos mews is so sad but, I too have zero room but that had mever stopoed me from ordering more. I will be interested to see what they offer.

Very sorry to hear that. I am wondering if it's time to retire.

I wonder what prompted this decision

I am so, so bummed about this. They are my absolute favorite place to get roses.

Very sad news, for years the provided a great selection of top quality plants at reasonable price. Since they are continuing with the fruit and cut flower business, I wonder if grafted roses just are too much work for the profit. As Erasmus said, Hortico greatly expanded multiflora grafted selection in recent years, Grace Rose Farm has also said all their ‘collection’ roses are multiflora this year.

Correction: GRF said this week this year’s grafted roses are on Huey. When they take over their own grafting in-house, they will be multiflora.

I am so sad to see this news but thank you @erasmus_gw and Ben for the tips on other vendors who offer roses grafted on multiflora rootstock. It is is the gold standard for my growing conditions.

Oh nooooooo! They are among my favorite rose vendors and always have amazing interesting offerings as well as their own bred roses. They will be sorely missed! I'll be combing the offerings and watching for the release fervently. I can't imagine the rush for ordering this season particularly but I'll be among that. I wish them all the best with their retiring from the business.

Cynthia

Too many iffy rose sellers floating around the internet, hyping tarted up photos of roses from questionable sources. Diane

Where do Canadians now turn, to online companies that charge $60.00 - $70.00 per bareroot, I guess this will effectively now end my online rose purchases sad to say!

Well, this is certainly sad, but I will NOT be ordering from a nursery charging good money for good quality products willingly dropping them when we all know they are ragingly successful with their rose business.

My first order from Hortico matches the nightmare stories I've read online, and my first experience with them will probably be my last.

Farewell, Palatine.

Steven

I only ordered from Palatine once, but I received the most robust-vigorous growing and beautiful 2 roses ever,

Palatine sent me 2 grafted bare-root Rosarie Chatalet! They are super bloomers & so colorful in the front yard. First year they were “very big“ & always have grown well! ! Very grateful! So sorry to have Palatine close up garden rose shop. Their rose quality is unsurpassed of any rose I ever ordered elsewhere!

I have purchased from Veseys in Canada. They are quite knowledgeable. And have had great success

Too bad Vesey's doesn't ship roses to the US though they apparently ship other things. They're the only source I can see of Chinook Sunrise which is very hardy and trouble free.

Cynthia

In Canada there's Wildwood Express, they carry a vast rose selection and many new varieties, though rose prices are high, other nursery stock is better priced. I placed my first order this spring, mostly bulbs and clematis, all received in good order, no roses though. Thing is though, I like my roses on multiflora rootstock, those obtained from the US often are on otherwise and can have those awful long "necks."

I can't imagine the headache of the shipping, all the vast numbers of emails and situations to sort out dealing with weather, lost, delayed or stolen parcels, etc ... as goes with all things, at some point it comes to an end :(

I never ever been able to order from them😔. I always get the last slot shopping time, or either my items are all gone, or they sell out of my cart so it makes no difference to me.

Today, I got the nicest rose from rouge valley. Usually they are tiny..

Z10socal, Rogue valley roses is anout 5 miles from my house and I gage gotten some grest roses trom them too

New this year Ellen Toffelmire

My first rose orders were from Pickering. LOVED that company. They put so much effort into growing healthy roses and everything they sent me stayed healthy for the past 14 years. The head of their family died from a heart attack and they decided not to continue with the business.

Then I made one order from Palatine in 2019 and two of the three roses did not stay healthy. One I already shovel pruned, but I blame myself because I ordered a rose that was a hybrid tea that didn't have enough history of good health. The other problem rose has been 'Savannah' which developed some kind of systemic disease the second season I had it. I kept it and allowed it to recover on it's own and it did to a degree but this year should have been the year it started to show that recovery and it was a terrible performer. The success story was 'Beverly' which is a really healthy rose. Fragrant and blooms a lot. Two problems that I can live with, are that the outer petals start to deteriorate sometimes before the bloom is fully open, and it was supposed to be a shrub rose and it shot up 10ft and is more like a short climber or a pillar rose.

I haven't bought from them since 2019 but that is only 5 years ago and the prices are crazy now. In 2019, the 3 roses I bought cost $22. each. I just looked on their site yesterday and now they are $50.? Doubled in 5 years.

I'd really like to find a new grower who, like Pickering, makes healthy stock a priority. Starting with offering varieties that have a good history of health and of course going to all the trouble you have to go to, to keep your stock healthy. Interesting that both companies I've ordered from are in Canada. It would be even better if the grower was in the US. since I wonder if they might offer lower shipping costs?

In the meantime, Erasmus, has talked about starting roses from seed and I think I might try my hand at that. This might be the year to do that, since I have not been able to keep up with the deadheading and I might have some hips this fall.

Yes, Pickering had such an amazing vast selection and good quality, was sad of the struggles endured forcing hand upon closure of the company, I believe as well rootstock issues and importation to the US market sealed their fate. When it comes to Hortico, I had placed four or five orders over the years and only once decently satisfied with quality, though the rose I most wanted being mislabeled. Other orders were headshaking pathetic tiny things, some with broken or ripped off canes or roots, in general there was no consistency in quality! Their claim of stock being two year old and smaller due to the shorter Canadian growing season, though oddly enough, I can produce larger plants in a single season of which is six weeks shorter than theirs! Apparently, many Americans claim to receive reliable quality stock, I guess Hortico sends the good stuff south and their rejects to Canadians? Now, I haven't ordered for years and hope matters have improved, though am too leery to try again!

Frozebudd - I find the same thing...I won't order from Hortico again and haven't for about 2 years. Other places I ordered from last year are Wildwood, Phoenix Perennials (expensive), Fraser Valley Roses (own root, though...ordered one last year...not doing that great), HB-101 (interesting roses, but haven't done as well as Phoenix and Wildwood, and now Heirloom (own root, not very big plants still).

Oh, I just found out about this. Palatine has been providing me with roses for over 20 years!! They are incomparable in quality. I found this in National Gardening Assoc. (poster is Mike) by googling... As a small family-owned and operated business, we have decided to focus on the primary aspect of our business: fruit production. While wild theories may arise, the truth is simple—we are all getting older and have decided to end this wonderful journey on a positive note.

They certainly should be able to end it on a positive note! Sending them my part of a standing ovation.

I'd keep your eyes peeled for more reports from those trying Hortico. As far as I know they've improved . I will order from them again if I have room . I used to love Pickering.

Rosecanadian, I take it the quality of the Wildwood Express roses were good, though by chance are they on multiflora? The company sure does have a very extensive and tempting listing ... heck, I drop big bucks on other plants and shrubs, if I really want and need a particular rose or two, why deny, lol.

Erasmus_gw, unfortunately, I've been waiting twenty five years for Hortico's quality to improve, again for whatever the reason, I think Americans are shipped the better plants, because any good reports almost always originate from the US and not from Canada, rather strange I know!

That's very strange, FrozeBudd. I was nothing but pleased with them including dealings with their office person. The only problem was that plants arrived much later than we usually plant bare roots here.

Frozebudd - I always thought the same thing that we got the roses they're going to throw in the garbage and then go, nah...let's sell them to Canadians. I won't try them again. Yes, Wildwood roses are good. :) I just checked and they sell to the U.S. too! I'm surprised. I'm not sure what rootstock they have.

Erasmus_gw, I'd love to be saying otherwise, I always like to give praise where due, though I've had gasps of disappointment and shock when opening their parcels, I wish I had saved a photo, one bush was pretty much ripped in half by their machine harvester, as Rosecanadian mentions, should have been thrown in the garbage! Was just peeking at Wildwood's listing, and likely shall place my name on a few :)

That's awful, FrozeBudd.

Frozebudd - I ordered a Barbra Streisand and a Chantilly Cream. :) Now, I'm just waiting for Palatine's list...last list.

Kristine LeGault 8a pnw, nice! How is their nursery?

My experience matches FrozeBud re: Hortico. My Crimson Glories were not only under Grade #2, they were both completely unscented, bright flag red.

They refused to refund me.

Sometimes, another person's experience isn't isolated, and "another point of view" does not change that.

Steven

@PraireMoon2 z6b MA,

I have 2 Beverly, ( Kordes) roses bushes which I love, but they are own-roots from Heirloom roses & they grow 5-6ft, but I always prune them back to 3-4ft where I like them at 2 yrs old & 3 yrs old. I ordered only 2 roses from Palatine, Rosarie Chatalet, but on Mutiflora stock they always grow tall easily-very robust! The difference between Palatine grafted-Mutiflora stock roses & growing own-root roses is ”a HUGE difference.” If you want ”tall, vigorous, robust,” try Palatine multiflora-stock roses, Lol! That is probably why your Beverly is sooooooo tall. Also, Kordes roses are German roses bred for superior disease resistance so they are robust and healthy usually. I have had over 20 Kordes roses & most of the newer bred Kordes roses are outstanding in disease resistance-the best! Hence, Beverly is a winner for a healthy robust rose.

Canadians,

&

Friends,

I have ordered from many rose nurseries in the US which are reliable & may be available for you to order:

I have ordered from Heirloom Roses, US, for over 30 years. I ordered over a hundred roses from them over the years. Each year I still order a couple roses. They sell healthy big and lovely own-roots and the first year “own--root roses grow slowly to establish their roots & may get a few small blooms: however, by 2nd & 3rd years they take off & are mainly vigorous growers & great bloomers. It has been the most reliable company for shipping on time and always high quality roses with sturdy canes. HR now ships to Canada so it’s more available. Also, they have lots of sales, so could reduce the price for you. Look for their sales.

I bought from a few other nurseries that send reliable roses such as Antique Rose Emporium which sells large healthy roses. And smaller roses from Rogue Valley & Northland Rosaium, but they often had unique ones & good quality!

More larger high quality roses I ordered from ” All My Thyme Roses-LARGE 2 gallon potted roses,” & “Catttail Creek Roses-LARGE grafted-potted bare-root.” They both sent huge superior healthy roses! These 2 nurseries are the best!!!!!

JessicaRosesUSA sells very large healthy own-root roses and excellent quality! Some DAs disco tinued & asian roses. Her nursery is fabulous, but mainly out of stock right now. Will be replenished come later fall/winter for spring.

Also, I ordered from other small rose companies for unique roses which have been lovely!

I hope my list of nurseries is helpful to give alternatives of where to now shop.

Happy Gardening!

Kitty - Thanks so much. Yes, that makes sense about the grafting onto the Multiflora for Beverly. I actually like the robust tall growth on her, so I adjusted. I just wondered why I would get something different than I was expecting.

I managed to wrangle Beverly into a red tall tomato cage this year. [g] Just got to it just in time. If I had waited for it to branch out any more, I never would have gotten it over it. You can see it is taller than the Monarda in the foreground and Little Lime Hydrangea right under Beverly and Julia Child rose on the Left midground.

Beautiful blooms and fragrance. Nice long stems too.

I have noticed that a lot of people say they’ve had very good success with the health of Kordes roses. In the beginning when I was shopping for some, they were not offering as many that were fragrant as well. Lots of very healthy mild to no fragrance. Do you have another favorite of the Kordes roses that are healthy and fragrant?

So, New York zone 6 and own root roses do well for you? You prefer that to grafted roses? I am going to have to find a new rose supplier and I’ve looked @ Heirloom Roses before. I haven’t ordered an own root rose yet. I’ll take a look at some of these other rose suppliers too.

For the nurseries that sell potted roses, do you have them shipped? Isn’t the shipping cost high? Do you find any difference in health between a potted rose and a bare root?

Kitty - yeah, I ordered from Heirloom this summer. They are very, very slow growers, but I'm hoping for better next summer. :) :)

PrairieMoon - those are deliciously beautiful Beverly blooms!! :) :)

MrGreenThumb, apparently, standards with Hortico don't much exist, seem it's too much bother to cull or replant the small inferior stock. Quality brings in and keeps folks returning, they've lost my good chunk of change that instead goes to worthy companies!

Kitty, thanks for mentioning Heirloom Roses now ships to Canada, I was not aware of this. :) Rosecanadian, good to know you are among the Canadians having received from Heirloom, I shall consider the option or go the route of ordering from Wildwood Express.

PrairieMoon, I've been tempted by 'Beverly', it's offered by a local nursery, I might have to bite! :)

PraireMoon,

Frozebud,

You are welcome! HR is great! Own-rootcare medium sized, slow growers first year, but very healthy! By 3rd year all of mine are 5ft and trying to be taller soooo I prune them back! I like 3-4 ft roses-easier care!

PraireMoon, Your Beverly sounds wonderful!

As I mentioned before, I do have sone grafted. My best grafted wete from Pakatine-robust, vigorous growers, biggest! I have a few grafted from FA which are ok. I am trying to order mainly iwn-root DAs & other roses now, because over a 3 year span the own-root eventuallybare most healthy, (except Paoatines rises are always sensational!!!)

Enjoy Heirloom Roses & Wildwood and your other favorite nursery choices!

Carol,

When is WB-101 sending you roses? It is an US asian nursery, sililar to all thecasian nurseries I order from. When I order these asian nurseries ship the roses all year around, often 2 weeks after I order & sonetimes in mid-winter. Did you ask to ship in spring?

When we visited Niagara Falls in 2015, I took my family to Palatine Nursery. I am not a neophyte and wasn't a neophyte then either. I asked questions. They taught me a few things. I am not sure how this could be true but they told me they do not spray fungicides. Instead, "We keep the ground clean to control disease."

This led me to meticulously clean the dead leaves under my roses after the thaw in the spring. I still occasionally spray, but not nearly as much as in the past.

I have kept cypress mulch below my roses, and refreshed it as needed, My roses are much healthier after Palatine told me they did not spray, and they kept the ground clean.

They sell great roses, to boot. Bare root mail order has become more expensive in recent years. It takes a lot of effort to keep the ground clean under roses, and my hand bleed from it.

I am so sorry to hear they are leaving the rose market. I wish they would stay.

Frozebudd - anything's better than Hortico IMO. Heirloom has a great variety!! I do like Wildwood roses, though. I'm ordering two from them this year.

Kitty - thanks for the info on Heirloom. :) :) I'm hoping for better each year. I've got one bud on a few from Heirloom. I've 5 roses from them that I haven't seen a bloom on yet. Last year, HB-101 shipped in the spring. And their website says for 2025. This is where they are:

HB-101 Canada (Office)

245 West Beaver Creek Rd Unit 6 Richmond Hill, ON L4B 1L1

Lucky Flower Greenhouse (Retail)

4910 Elgin Mills Rd E, Markham, ON L6C 1L5

Mark - yes, I pick out all the dropped leaves/petals from my rose pots. I'm glad to have confirmation that it works. :) :) Palatine is the BEST place for roses...I'm sad they're leaving the industry too.

Goodness. These roses came from Hortico, and they're some of my best, all Tantau, except Royal Bonica. Diane

Bernstein-Rose

Augusta Luise

Royal Bonica

Diane - proves our point, lol...they send their best roses to the U.S. :) :) Did the come as tiny, thin plants with barely any roots? Granted, I did get a few that were a bit bigger...but I got so many that were just terrible. To make up for how crappy they were, they'd sometime send two. lol

Diane, those beauties make me jealous!

LOL, rosecanadian, same here, several times I received two pathetic twigs bundled up as one. Oddly, enough as well, even when placing a fall order almost immediately upon Hortico's stock being updated and confirmation all within my order was available, I'd later receive notice of shorted inventory and my shipment instead to be sent come spring, then sure enough I'd receive a parcel light as a feather with puny and mangled misfits.

Greenland Nursery (near Edmonton) brings in a lot new roses, though I'm a bit of a drive away and hate the busy traffic in that area with overpasses like a bowl of spaghetti! It's headshaking how quickly the two major cities in Alberta are growing!

I'm just curious what year you ordered from Hortico, those of you who were sent bad plants.

I went to Dave's Garden Watchdog and looked up Hortico. I don't remember seeing any recent reviews. They had a lot of negative reviews and quite a few positive reviews. I think it's valuable to hear from everyone's experience, the good and bad. It's entirely possible for companies to improve or to go downhill. So recent info is relevant. I can see how someone might have been so burned by a bad experience that they'd never again even consider that company even if it improved 1,000 %. That's fine.

When I first ordered from them a couple of years ago I expected plants smaller than Palatine's and that's what I got but they weren't tiny and weren't damaged. One didn't make it. The rest you can't tell now they were ever a little bit small. This spring they sent really big plants on a par with Palatine practically. Who knows what Canadians got. Hard to imagine a Canadian company shorting their Canadian customers deliberately. But you could be right about that. I don't mean to try to change anyone's mind about them who has had a bad experience but I think for someone else who hasn't ever ordered from them they might consider that possibly the company has improved. I know their selection shrank a lot at some point but now is a lot better. There was no mad rush to buy the plants I wanted, either. Here's what I got:

1st order: all doing great despite being sent on the border of hot weather

ST. Ethelburga

Chandos Beauty

Quadra

Janice or some such...didn't make it

Imperatrice Farrah

2nd order:

Meg

Darcy Bussell

Crested Moss...making a beautiful big plant unlike my old own root one

Eustacia Vye

Summer Dream

Horatio Nelson

Oklahoma

The Lady Gardener

James Austin

and two for my friend

Erasmus, it appears rosecanadian has received a more recent order than myself, but with the same sad results. Always have kept hearing they've improved, though hard to get past my not so good feelings, as they say, once burnt, twice shy ... but, in my case, it's three or four times! Who knows, now with Palatine fading off into the sunset, I "might" at some point drop another Hortico order, of course with zero zip expectations!

FrozeBudd - I'm from Calgary and grew up in Edmonton. My parents both recently died, so I won't be going up to Edmonton again, probably...but we would go almost every year to get roses from Greenland. :) :) They do have a great selection. I hear you about Hortico...same here...exactly the same. I really am done with them. There's Phoenix Perennials, Wildwood, Heirloom (U.S.) and Fraser Valley Roses. That's enough for me, especially as I'm running out of room...everything new will be at the expense of roses that are doing well. Rats. lol

Erasmus - when did you get a Chandos Beauty? I really, really wanted one and would make an order and then they would say it wasn't coming, but they gave me two scrawny (less than a chopstick width/length with no roots) roses that I had ordered with CB to make up for the shipping. I ordered my last order from Hortico 3 years ago. With so many other places, I just don't want to take the chance with them again. I'm glad you got some wonderful varieties that came in good shape. :) :)

Carol, sorry to know of the loss of both of your parents. I hope they had enjoyed long healthy lives ... but, yes, a big void left within one's heart. :(

I have more than plenty space for roses on the acreage, though the very deep cold winters necessities the chore to protect the inground plants. My garage attempts haven't always been so successful, I blame such on the soil mixture having held too much moisture, though think I've gotten past that, potted plants can also be buried deeply within the garden.

'Chandos Beauty', yes, as well would love to again grow this highly fragrant rose!

May I also extend my condolences on the loss of your parents. It's the end of an era isn't it ?

FrozeBudd - thanks, FrozeBudd. I've lost both parents within a year of each other and my mom just died a few months ago. It's been a tough year. Yes, they enjoyed long lives...both lived to 88. My dad suffered from Rheumatoid Arthritis...really bad towards the end. But they were both happy people. If you want my method of overwintering roses in the garage, I can share that. :) Another way (people here in Calgary do this) is to use 3 inch thick styrofoam on the sides and top of the roses and stuff garbage bags full of collected leaves from the yard (go to stations where people drop them off and snag lots of bags) around the roses inside the styrofoam. I don't do this because in my area of the city we have glacial till and roses don't grow that well in it. That's why I use pots and the benefit is I can grow roses that aren't normally hardy here. I have about 55 roses that go in our garage each winter. :) Yes, I grew Chandos Beauty for about 4 years and then I killed it during winter when my daughter left the garage door open for a whole day when she was shoveling. I call this the Great Garage Die Off or GGDO. Chandos Beauty was truly an amazing rose.

Vaporvac - thanks so much. :) Yes, it's the end of an era and now my sisters and I are the elders.

I'm sorry for your loss too, Carol.

I think I got my Chandos Beauty in 2022. It's about as fragrant as they come and it's a great bloomer. I hope you can find another one.

I'm sorry to hear this about Palantine. I always thought of them as a very nice replacement for Pickering. I am still mourning the loss of Pickering.

Thanks, Erasmus :) :) Yes, I would always pick a bloom and carry it around with me in the garden...I've never done that before or since with a rose.