Sources for Mail Order Purchases of Miniature and Miniflora Roses

                                                           By Jim Wagner

Below are excerpts from an e-mail from Wendy White, a hybridizer of miniature and miniflora roses, which we received via the Maine Rose Society as we are still members of their society.

“Nor’ East roses are available from some quality growers:

Rosemania is handling orders for Bud and Bloom Collections from Nor’ East.  They should be the same quality plants as purchased in the past, as they will still be shipped from Nor’East/Greenheart but will be ordered through Rosemania.  I am told there are 19 varieties available for these collections.  You may order the Exhibition collection, Garden collection, or Micro collection, but as always you do not choose the specific varieties.  Rosemania will handle all the billing and any questions you may have.”  “Rosemania is also selling the AOE (Award of Excellence) winners for 2010.”

“Heirloom Roses and John’s Miniature Roses carry many of the Nor”East varieties”  “John’s Miniature Roses has a wider assortment of miniature roses.”  “They do not have the 2010 AOE winners?”

If you have not already heard, you will be receiving information about the Syracuse Rose Society hosting the American Rose Society National Miniature Rose Show and Conference in Syracuse on June 24 - 26, 2011.  This will be a major undertaking for SRS requiring the help and support of many of our members.

In the past SRS and several of you have purchased roses from Nor’East Miniature Roses but in 2009 they discontinued selling miniature and miniflora roses on a retail basis.  But this may be a good time to expand your plantings of these kinds of roses or to venture into growing some of these as part of your overall rose gardening experiences.  Those roses that you purchase and plant in 2010 should be ready for exhibiting at the National Miniature Rose Show in June 2011.  Even if you are not into exhibiting, they make a good addition to your garden with blooms from June through fall.

Below is information about ordering roses from Rosemania, Heirloom Roses and John’s Miniature Roses that I found in further researching what they offer.

Rosemania.  Collections: http://www.rosemania.com/Budbloompage/htm; Individual roses:  http://www,rosemania.com/   Telephone (Questions – 615-794-4461); (Orders -800-600-9665).

For their “Collections” (see above), there are 36 roses in each collection but you have to take whatever varieties they send.  You cannot pick and choose varieties.  If you and a group of your friends, and/or other SRS members wanted to get together and order one of these collections, the cost would be $197.64 + $38.00 shipping or about $6.55 each.  These would come from Nor’East Roses but must be ordered through Rosemania.  Preferred payment is a rose society check. If paid for by a credit card there is an extra 5% charge which would bring the cost up to a little under $7.00 each (or about what you would pay for a two or three 4 packs of annuals and less than the cost of most perennials).

Rosemania also has a limited supply of individual Miniature and/or Miniflora roses that are grown in their greenhouses in Tennessee at a cost of $10.99 each plus shipping that ranges from $8.00 for 1 or 2 plants down to $4.00 for 5 plants and free shipping for orders of 6 or more plants. Their website lists 39 varieties including Amy Grant, Arcanum, Conundrum, Jeanne Lajoie, Kristin, Minnie Pearl, and Show Stopper.   At the time that this in being written in mid-January, some of their individual varieties had been sold out.  If you are interested in any of their individual varieties, it would be best to call them first.

Heirloom Roses and John’s Miniature Roses.   Their respective websites: http://heirloomroses.com and http://www.johnsminiatureroses.com.  They are sister companies in St. Paul, Oregon. Toll free telephone of 800-820-0465 for both.  John’s seems to have a greater variety of miniatures and miniflora roses – a good 100 varieties in total to choose from.  Both companies receive part of their roses from Nor”East and grow part of their own.  A sampling of varieties from either nursery that I recognize and/or that other SRS members have recommended include Aristocrat, Baby Boomer, Bee’s Knees, Fairhope, Irresistible, Kristin, Red Beauty, Rise ’n’ Shine, X-Rated, Autumn Splendor, and Leading Lady. 

The costs of their miniature and miniflora roses are $7.95 + $1.95 shipping or $9.90 per plant + a one time per order packaging charge of $4.95.  Roses from both companies may be combined into the same order.