There are so many wonderful varieties of roses and as we all know, variety is the spice of life! The local big box stores rarely offer roses that are known to do well in South Florida, so for the most success in your garden, get your roses from a reputable nursery online. Below are tried and true retailers that are recommended by South Florida Rose.

Roses Grafted Onto Fortuniana:

Roses grafted onto fortuniana are going to be the most successful. This rootstock is heat tolerant, strong and resistant to root knot nematodes found in our sandy soil.

COOL ROSES  coolroses.com

Cool Roses is a locally owned South Florida nursery that grafts onto Fortuniana. Unfortunately their website is a bit lacking on information, but they are easy enough to reach by phone. Although they primarily sell via mail order and small gardening events, they hold an annual sale in June where they put many of the roses on sale for $10-$20. We attend this sale every year and its well worth the drive to Palm Beach. Geoff and Debbie Coolidge are also great sources for information on growing roses in our climate.

FLORIDA ROSE COMPANY  floridarosecompany.com

Another good source for roses on Fortuniana offering mostly hybrid teas and a few shrub roses.

K&M ROSES  kandmroses.com

Another great source for roses on Fortuniana, K&M boasts a large variety of roses not available via Nelsons or Cool Roses. They also have the largest selection of David Austin roses grafted on Fortuniana. Plants arrive large, healthy and ready to plant.

NELSON’S FLORIDA ROSES  nelsonsfloridaroses.com

The largest nursery offering roses on Fortuniana rootstock, Nelson’s has many varieties that have been tested and known to grow well in Florida. Mail order is available by calling or visiting their retail sales site. Shipped roses are smaller, in one-gallon pots, but are healthy and in good condition. Nelsons also ships to various retailers throughout the state. Check their site to find a local retailer. They also update when new shipments come in so you can check out the roses as soon as they arrive.

Own Root Roses:

Some roses grow well on their own roots in Florida, mostly old garden roses and some of the Romantica style roses. Own root roses can also be grown in large pots and enjoyed on the patio.

A REVERENCE FOR ROSES  areverenceforroses.com

Located in Hernando, FL, A Reverence For Roses is a new rose nursery of own-root old garden roses and modern roses with a user friendly web site, a large variety, and thus far a good reputation. Give them a try.

ANGEL GARDENS  angelgardens.com

Located in Gainsville, Florida, Angel Gardens is a great source for old garden roses. They also carry a variety of modern roses that do well here in Florida.

CHAMBLEE’S  chambleeroses.com

A great source for good disease resistant varieties and the largest seller of EarthKind roses. The roses are well priced and come in great condition.

HEIRLOOM ROSES  heirloomroses.com

A rose nursery with a beautiful website where you can spend all day perusing the lovely roses.  The roses are a bit over-priced, but are of good quality and shipping is included on all orders over $50.

ROGUE VALLEY ROSES roguevalleyroses.com

Offering a very large selection of rare roses, including old garden roses and many from famed breeder Paul Barden which can be found no where else.

ROSE PETALS NURSERY osepetalsnursery.com

A specialty nursery in North Florida, which has many varieties of antique and old garden roses with a few moderns thrown in the mix.

ROSES UNLIMITED  rosesunlimitedownroot.com

Another great source for own root roses, Pat at Roses Unlimited has a huge variety to choose from and carries many hard to find varieties including old garden roses, Delbard roses and Mediland roses which have a tendency to do well in our climate.

 Dr. Huey Grafted Roses:

Dr. Huey doesn’t do all that great in South Florida, however, a rose grafted on Dr. Huey can last 2-5 years here, depending on the variety and can still provide plenty of blooms for the garden or vase. Many varieties are only available on Dr.Huey. These grafted roses from mail order are almost always sold bare root.

BRECKS http://www.brecks.com

Although Brecks lists roses at very high prices during the beginning of the season, they have great deals later in the year. Keep an eye out for their annual rose sale in early June where they usually sell them at half price or even less.

EDMUNDS http://www.edmundsroses.com

A dependable retailer, Edmund’s boasts fair prices and a large selection. All roses are sold bare root.

JACKSON & PERKINS http://www.jacksonandperkins.com

Once the champion of all rose-growing operations, Jackson & Perkins had a reputation for being the best. Sadly after filing for bankruptcy a few years back, they seem to be a shell of their former selves. However, some varieties can still only be purchased here and they seem to be quickly getting back on their feet.

REGAN NURSERY http://www.regannursery.com

Regan Nursery has the largest selection of bare root roses available online. Order early as popular varieties sell out quickly. Roses are shipped only during the bare root season (Jan-June).