Is there a difference between own-root roses and grafted roses?
Well, yes. They both have advantages and disadvantages, but the difference for most people is a subtle one. Grafted roses are easier for the nurseryman to produce, and are faster to reach a saleable size. For the person who purchases it, a grafted rose is going to make a bigger plant, faster! It is often a more vigorous plant and often produces better, bigger blooms than a rose growing on its own roots. However, a grafted plant is considered to be a “temporary” rose. By that I mean this: a grafted rose will eventually grow thick, dense tissue at the graft location that becomes difficult to transmit water through, and so the plant “wears out” and often gives up, leaving only the “wild” rootstock variety. (We have all seen a rootstock variety take over after the top grafted part has died out.) This is a major disadvantage, in my opinion, and so I usually prefer my roses growing on their own roots. “Own-root” roses, on the other hand, often have an indefinite lifespan. This is because eve
