Homewood-Grown Roses - Behind the Scenes

Here at Homewood we take great pride in the roses we grow each year. Find out a little more about what we do.

Our Process

Rose Selection

It all starts with us making good choices for you.

Grafted vs Own-root

Learn the difference between the two and why it's important.

Proper Pruning

Making the proper cuts to start your plant off on the right feet.

Removing the Duds

We make sure bad plants don't happen to good people.

Production Shots

Pictures from start to finish.

Rose Selection

Why we choose to grow the roses we do.

We go to great lengths to choose the best roses for our hot, humid Southeastern climate. Sometimes this means foregoing some of the classic roses that were popular back in the day. Many modern roses have been bred for increased disease resistance, faster re-blooming, and a longer life span than their older counterparts. Our rose list evolves each year to keep the best performers from the previous year, drop the ones that aren't making the grade, and add a few promising new varieties that we hope will become new favorites. Our goal is to make rose gardening easier than ever and more accessible for gardeners of all skill levels.
We order our roses from two of the most respected rose producers in the business, Weeks Roses and Star Roses.
Bareroot roses are graded by their growers according to quality, cane number, and cane size. Whenever possible, Homewood Nursery chooses Grade #1 roses, the highest grade given to bareroot roses, to ensure a great foundation for our plants to build on.

Grafted vs Own-root Roses

Proper Pruning

What's the difference and why does it matter?

Some roses can't survive on their own root systems. They are too prone to root rot or possibly not cold tolerant enough if they don't have a little extra help. Most of these cultivars are grafted onto a reliable old rose named 'Dr. Huey' to give them the boost they need to thrive. If not for grafting, there are some roses we just couldn't grow here in the South.

Other roses can live quite successfully on their own roots. They may be a little smaller and less vigorous looking at in the beginning but they make up for it in longevity. You don't have to worry about your graft failing if you don't have a graft. Own-root roses typically have a much longer lifespan than their grafted counterparts.

This critical step makes all the difference.

It can look a little bit cruel at first glance but the hard pruning of our roses
is one of the keys to our success. The roses we grow begin as just a pile of bareroot plants in boxes
that we receive in January. Many growers skip the important step of pruning their roses back since it's easier to plant them as-is, as soon as they arrive.
But here at Homewood we take the time to carefully prune and shape each rose before planting it into its pot.
By April, the result is a denser, more vigorous rose bush for you to take home.

Weeding out the trouble makers

Figuring out who makes the final cut.

Why do we go through all this trouble? We could easily sell our roses to you as bareroot plants in a box.
The answer: we don't want you to end up with a dud.
It happens. Some roses never come out of winter dormancy or simply have a failure to thrive.
Others show symptoms of incurable viruses that we don't want you to take home. We monitor our roses carefully for signs of trouble
and get rid of any that don't make the grade. This process ensures that the roses we do sell are in tip top shape!