The fall of a dynasty.
Before you know it, the 2012 roses will be here. But, before I tell you about them, lets see what’s up with the rose industry. In 2007, Jackson Perkins (JP) was bought by the Park Seed group. The high standards and quality, that had sustained JP for 135 years, started to fall apart. In 2010, Park Seed and JP filed for Chapter 11. They blamed it on the economy and the retail companies who couldn’t pay for the roses they ordered. Another part was retailers who won’t pay for all the plants they received, this is called pay per scan. (Don’t get me started on this subject…I will push my soap box to the middle of the room and start an hour-long rant…and it won’t be pretty.) Attempts were made, by other rose industry players, to help JP, but nothing worked. That spring, RCW started to see how bad it really was. JP didn’t send us anything, not a catalogue, not even a note. Yet, they were still selling over the internet.
We were warned by rose growers and industry experts, that there would be a million roses shortage for the 2011 season and that we should place our orders as early in 2010 as possible, which we did. Most of the JP roses were available from other growers, but a few patents are still held by JP. Those varieties may never make it back into retail nurseries. As these things often do, JP’s situation sent out a huge shockwave that affected other rose growers. Some, who were under contract to grow for JP, have also filed Chapter 11. Others have seen an increase in sales and business has been good. It’s a winners and losers situation.
Never fear!!!
So, what does this all mean to the average home owner who wants to grow roses? Probably not much. If you simply must have a rose that only JP grows, you will need to deal with them, directly. As for RCW, we have close to 2000 roses arriving in January. You should be able to find a rose from our selection, that will do everything you want it to. Whether you need a ground cover with red flowers or something to cover an arbor, we will have it. It may even be hard to decide! We have completed our 2012 Rose List https://67.199.8.22/file_repository/RCW-2012-Rose-List_201112171647.pdf (This is the earliest we have ever had it done!!!). In it, you will find complete descriptions and prices for the 2012 roses. There are also lists by color, fragrance, use, thornlessness (is that is a word) and shade tolerance. You can also see pictures and read about all the roses on our website at https://rcwnurseries.com/rcw/roses.aspx If there is a rose on the list, feel you must absolutely have, please let us know as soon as possible, so you don’t miss out. There will be no reorder on most roses, with the exception of the Knock Outs, Julia Childs (our favorite), antiques, Drift Roses and (maybe) a few others. Call us at 281-440-5161 and we will call you when they are ready to pick up. Talk to you soon!