Jean, where are you located? I'm in Belmond which is 60 miles north of Ames. I was lucky enough to listen to a talk in Fort Dodge given by Buck's daughter. I've been thinking about getting some ever since. Hope you get lots of responses and information.
mary

I have a few:

'Rural Rhythm' - beautiful - rabbit food in the past. This year should do better as moved behind a rabbit proof fence. We will see how "that" works also.

'Distant Drums' a great plant, highly recommended. the contrast in colors make a beautiful shrub.

'Gentle Persuasion', 'Paloma Blanca' are too new for me to comment on yet. Seem to be doing well.

Sam Kedem http://www.kedemroses.com/ has a nice selection.

http://www.ag.iastate.edu/centers/cad/rose1.html

is another link. They list many vendors.

After I get my soil ready for some more roses I will probably get a few more Buck roses.

Have fun!

Here is a link that might be useful: Buck roses

There is a great display of Griffith Buck roses at the Reiman Gardens at ISU (near Hilton Coliseum). The display has many varieties.

You might want to see them in bloom before you commit. The one that had the greatest eye appeal to me was 'Country Dancer," which is highly rated by independent sources for its hardiness and disease resistance.

I've started down the path of growing Canadian roses (Explorer and Parkland series). I keep telling myself that the Quad Cities is zone 6 but today's morning temp of minus 11 cuts into that delusion! LOL

Trish

Boylan farms in Dewitt carries Buck roses and I think Weeks. Nice people --new facility and nice palnts. I'm adding them to my landscape this year. (Yes, I know I swore off roses!) But we will try again.

Trish --it feels more like zone 2 today!!!!

Cathy

A new place in DeWitt you say??? With Buck roses?? Ooooh, another good reason to go East down the road a bit. ;) Do they carry anything else? :) I'm always up for a roadtrip. :) Since I'm flipping up to Rochester, MN, a couple times a year, I try to hit a few of the garden centers in NE Iowa. Usually try to do Willowglen, and I think there is a new one up there that I need to hit. I think I saw it in this forum, it's only open at night. Maybe all you really great gardners should revitalize that favorite garden haunts list. :) Spring really is coming!!

Diann

Diann, it's K&K gardens in Hawkeye, Ia. Definately worth the stop. Tell em Mary sent ya!!
mary

Here is a link that might be useful: K&K Gardens in Hawkeye

There is a very nice display garden of Griffith Buck roses at the Cedar Valley Arboretum & Botanic Gardens in Waterloo ($3 admission).

Meyers Nursery (Waterloo) and Jordan's Nursery (Cedar Falls) usually have some of the Buck roses on hand. I've grown them extremely successfully here in Z4. Plant the bud graft deeply, mound up the compost right before the freeze, and don't prune until the canes show signs of life in the spring.

At the state fair last year there were a couple of Buck roses planted by the Master Gardeners and I wrote down the names so I could buy them but promptly lost the note. They were very healthy looking. This winter I ordered 8 Buck roses from a company in Texas which sells newly rooted roses for $5 each. I am anxious to see what they look like. Last week Wayside had a rose sale on and had some Buck roses quite reasonable (6% off) but I don't know if they are still on sale. You have to have the coupon number to get them 60% off. Look on the Rose Forum and it tells all about them. I bought some roses (not Buck's) last year from the Wayside 75% off sale and they all lived and were really nice.
Jean

I've had a short (5-plant) hedge of "Carefree Beauty" for 14 years, and they're spectacular every year. The rabbs have been at them hard this year, but i fully expect them to come back again. They're a bit blowsy, but pretty and flamboyant--a bright pink, and they have a nice-enough fragrance. Do be sure to get own-roots, if you can, so freezing and rabbits won't be fatal. I thought mine were own-root, but one of them has a persistent suckering problem, which is a nuisance.

I ordered my Buck and Canadian Explorer roses from Hortico nursery in Canada. They were very nice when they arrived last month, and are growing nicely thus far:

http://www.hortico.com/roses/series.asp?cid=3

We are zone 4, and we bought from Kedem in Minnesota, (they are grown on their own root). They have performed well and we are waiting for another shipment to be delivered, our Garden Club this year voted to try them and we each got one.

I live about 4 blocks away from Reiman Gardens in Ames, so if any of you make a trek this way to take a look, give me a shout! I'm always up for meeting new Iowa gardening friends.

I just learned about Buck roses and have ordered Carefree beauty, Prairie Star and Serendipity from Chamblee. Several questions: I had hybrid teas which got black spot very bad, had planned to remove those and plant the above. Would this be a no-no? Also, how to I need to prepare the soil --it is very clay-ey. This is No. Il. I am looking forward to sping and trying these new roses. They sound wonderful.

I'm not sure. Maybe someone else will see this. Last year I exchanged a rooted cutting (from S.Dak) with this gal and was surprised to have the little dickens cover itself with bloom all summer. She had taken the cutting the previous summer and sent it to me in May. It was a real trooper and I scurried out after our first substantial snow and piled it under. Imagine getting dh to help load the pick up with snow son had piled up to protect my new babies. Can hardly wait to see how they do this year.

Hi Iowa! Hope you don't mind an Illinoisan (Quad Cities) jump in here (but does it count that I was born in Sioux City?).

Anyway, I have Distant Drums and Carefree Beauty and they are both great roses. I plan to get more Bucks (when I can find more space for roses...we have 136 right now). I would recommend either of them. I just wanted to give you the link to the website of the DeWitt place. I haven't been there yet, but definitely am planning a trip there this spring!

Ginni

Here is a link that might be useful: Boylan Farm for Buck Roses

Oh duh! Sorry, I just read the Boyland site and they have stopped selling roses retail for now and are only selling to stores. Guess it wouldn't do any good to make a road trip there to get roses!

Ginni

Ginni, We visit with anyone___only requirement is you are interested in gardening. 136 roses!!!! You must have lots of room and lots of help. I've reached the point of "I can only take care of so much". I see something I think is really neat and then recall the effort of getting over all I already have___. Finally after 50 years I've tried to adopt the plan "you can't buy it until you already know where it is to go." But if you are addicted it's hard to stick to the plan.
You can probably answer laurano's question about soil preparation. Jean

Jamlover, where are you in zone 4 if you don't mind saying? We are in the northwest corner between S.Falls and S.City. I have 87 hybrid teas in my rose bed and after 45 years of growing, they are getting to be a real chore with our sometimes brutal winters. I gather all the leaves from our acre and mound them well. Rather messy when the wind blows hard and they redistribute themselves. Also have to be removed each Spring so quite a job now that I am older and my husband can no longer help. Would like to order some Buck roses which perhaps don't need protection? I did order an own root from Jungs this year so perhaps they are similar? Sounds as though you have been growing for a long time. Would like to hear from a fellow Iowa gardener. Mary

I have ordered own root roses from Jungs for two years now and I have to say they sent out beautiful large plants with healthy roots that took right off. I think their prices are reasonable also. No, I do not work for Jung Seeds. Just a gardener here in NE Iowa.

Growlove, i live in north sioux city and i did a lot of research on buck roses and finally decided on prairie star and enchanted autumn both bucks from chamblees. They are both own root as i felt it was best to start with own as a first year gardener. They have been in the ground since the middle of april and both doing wonderful! Enchanted autumn has more than doubled in size already and has 8 buds ready to pop right now. I do not spray, only water on the leaves and they need no winter protection. I love both of them so far even though they are still very young. And they were in excellent shape when chamblees got them to me. I would LOVE to see your garden with all your hybird teas, i bet it is gorgeous! I would like to try my hand at just a few, since they need so much protection, which i would have to learn to do. Also, if you ever need any help in the garden, i would live to help in exchange for a rose or two and some advice. :) the photo is encjanted autumn bloom. Beautiful!

Growlove, i live in north sioux city and i did a lot of research on buck roses and finally decided on prairie star and enchanted autumn both bucks from chamblees. They are both own root as i felt it was best to start with own as a first year gardener. They have been in the ground since the middle of april and both doing wonderful! Enchanted autumn has more than doubled in size already and has 8 buds ready to pop right now. I do not spray, only water on the leaves and they need no winter protection. I love both of them so far even though they are still very young. And they were in excellent shape when chamblees got them to me. I would LOVE to see your garden with all your hybird teas, i bet it is gorgeous! I would like to try my hand at just a few, since they need so much protection, which i would have to learn to do. Also, if you ever need any help in the garden, i would live to help in exchange for a rose or two and some advice. :) the photo is encjanted autumn bloom. Beautiful!

{{!gwi}}

I grew them on a cold windswept hill in Ohio-- Earth Song and Summer Wind sailed right thru the winters with no protection and come spring pruning there was virtually no dead wood. Amazing.
Also for hardiness, constant bloom and overall health Carefree Beauty is outstanding. If I only had room for one Buck it'd be Carefree Beauty.