I have no experience with roses or buying roses!
That said, I checked Garden Watchdog for roses in PA. Only 1 place came up (you could search other states), and they have all positive reviews. You can visit by appointment, according to their website. Something to look at until the real rose people come in, LOL.

Jeanne

Here is a link that might be useful: The scoop on 'Moore's Roses'

Do you have clay soil there, and less than full sun?

I have had a lot of luck with Hansa, which is a rugosa but can get fairly large and gawky. However, it does well in less-than-ideal conditions, and is wonderfully fragrant. I'm sure it could be kept smaller by pruning. I never tried to prune it very hard because it was in such an unfavorable location.

It's the only rugosa I've had any luck with. I never had to spray it--very healthy-- (and spraying kills rugosas, anyway, they say). It overwintered for years for me until it was totally shaded out by a tree. I tried a small yellow one once, and also the purple "pavement" one, in conditions not much worse than the one that Hansa had to deal with, but they both quickly expired. I think most rugosas prefer soil with more sand than is in most PA locations...in my location, at least. It had OK drainage in my yard, due to a very slight sloping of about 1 foot per ten feet in that part of the yard, and received sun from the Southwest in the afternoons.

I just bought a Hansa at a local garden shop (Highland Gardens, S. Central PA, which does carry a few old roses), but don't know what nursery they got it from.

Yo Lpink!

Welcome g-friend! Glad to see you gfound your way out of the kitchen and into the garden. LOLOLOL!

I know you said you didn;t want to mail order this time of year, but I would seriously reconsider that and take a look at Pickering Roses. They ship from Canada and the best part is they use miltiflora for rootstock. Rosa multiflora is that invasive weedy rose that is taking over PA, Pickering has vound a use for it! They actually farm it and harvest it (disease free) and graft the desirable roses on top. The benefit is that multiflora LOVES out PA clay!

My roses from Pickering are growing beautifully.

Good luck and let me know how you make out in your search...

Alexa

PS - Well shoot, I just peeked at the Pickering site and they are no longer accepting orders for spring. I would still strongly consider ordering from them for fall or keeping them in mind for next spring. Great company and you can't beat the root stock!

Here is a link that might be useful: Pickering Nurseries

I found Blanc Double de Coubert by happenstance on Friday, up at Werkheiser Garden Center in Tannersville PA, up in the Poconos. I went all the way up there to go to my job at the Community College and didn't know that the college was closed Friday due to the holiday. So I had driven an hour up there and had time on my hands so I stopped by that nursery. It looked small to me when I drove by it but I found out just the part facing the road is small, it is actually a huge place with a great plant selection, plus other really cool garden acoutrements.

I dunno though, if I am going to be able to squeeze in old Blanc. I am currently growing a wild pasture rose, and it is eating up my small yard. We'll see how the bloom goes this June before I decide its fate. I might be able to espalier a rose across my side of my neighbors chainlink, but I don't know how he'd take to that idea. I could put up an arbor but I hate to add more fru fru against that ugly chainlink, it just accentuates it. I'm trying to hide it with foliage.

Of course I have evil PA clay, although I try my best to ammend it in my yard. I double dug it in many spots with peat, sand and compost, and those parts are good, but I missed some spots.

I have heard that rugosas are japanes beetle magnets. My folks have one and it has severe beetle problems. So far with my one wild rose, Rosa virginiana, I haven't had a problem.

I forgot about your rose hobby Alexa, thanks for the tip. With a name like Pinkmountain I just have to have a rose somewhere in my yard! Perhaps I should stick with something in a pot, that would suit my vagabond lifestyle!