Why are miniature/mini-flora roses so hard to find? Is there a recommended vendor?
Northland Rosarium in Spokane, WA has a number of them. Believe you can find their catalog online.
Miniature and Miniflora roses are so hard to find because big growers do not believe that they are profitable to produce in large numbers. This is why so few new varieties get introduced by Weeks, Star, Certified, and Jackson & Perkins, and when they do introduce one, it is usually not listed in their catalog for very long. Part of the reason why these roses are not popular on the mass market is because many are highly disease prone. This is because they grow low to the ground and as such are prime targets for fungal infections. Also, and I can speak to this personally, many Miniflora roses are not reliably hardy on the East Coast where we suffer freeze-thaw cycles in the winter. They require heavy protection to be grown in this region and many gardeners feel that the small flowers are not worth the payoff for all the extra work for disease control and added winter protection. This is not to say that all roses in this class face these problems. Green Ice and Fitzhugh’s Diamond are good examples of Miniature and Miniflora roses that are reliably winter hardy and are highly disease resistant. But remember, big growers are not selling to rose growers, they are selling to the general public who doesn’t know much about roses.
With that being said, there are some places that still grow and propagate Miniature and Miniflora roses mainly for hobbyist growers. There is K&M Roses in Mississippi. Most of their roses are newer varieties. Roses Unlimited and High Country Roses also have a few older Miniflora and Miniature Roses that are good garden roses, but are not so hot for rose shows.
2 Likes
Hi Pam,
I was told that minis were too hard to grow and no one wanted to buy them. Yeah right… then why were there several mini rose nurseries when I first started growing roses a couple of decades ago? Most of these mini rose nurseries are no longer in business not because of lack of interest but the owners retired. There is one dedicated mini rose nursery- Burlington Roses. I believe this woman took over a lot of Ralph Moore roses varieties as she used to work for Ralph. The website is very sparse so it is better to email her and ask for a current availability list. http://www.burlingtonroses.com HTH.
2 Likes
I agree. Burlington has the oldies but goodies!
1 Like