The thing that bothers me is all of the hype. The own-root nurseries spout propaganda about the superiority of own-root roses and never admit that it's simply a smart economic choice for them. They can sell roses six months after they root the cuttings instead of having to graft them and then grow them in fields for two years. In spite of this, some of them have the nerve to charge us more for the own-root rose than we'd pay for a good grafted one.
Pickering is the only nursery to date that has admitted it has had to offer some own-root roses because it can't afford to pay experienced grafters to handle all of its roses. The situation will only get worse as grafting becomes a rare skill and perhaps even a lost art.
I appreciate Burlington and Chamblee's because they sell their own-root roses at low prices and generally don't offer roses that are almost impossible to grow on their own roots.
