K & M Roses offers hundreds of varieties of roses grafted onto Fortuniana rootstock; however, despite this large selection, we have not scratched the surface of the thousands of roses available in the rose world. We often have customers ask us if we can graft them their own plant of a rose they encountered while visiting a friend or one that has been blooming for 20 years in their grandmother’s garden. The answer is yes, we can! We offer specialty grafting if you can provide us budwood of the rose. The only caveat is the rose must not be patented.
How do I know if my rose is patented? Numerous websites exist to help you find information about roses. I recommend using Google to search the name of the rose followed by ‘rose’ and ‘help me find’. (ex: Moonstone rose help me find) One of- if not the- first results should be from a website called Help Me Find. When you click on the hyperlink, you will be directed to a webpage with information on the rose for which you are searching. Toward the bottom of the page will be a patent date for the USA. Patents expire after 20 years.
"My rose isn’t patented!” Great! The next step is to send us budwood. You’ll need permission from the owner of the rose to cut off some of the plant. You will need to wait until the plant is blooming. The best time to send budwood is in the summer and fall with peak times being July, August, September, and October. Once the plant has an open bloom, you will cut the stem with the bloom on it. You will need a section with at least 3 sets of three leaves (see photo above), but the longer the stem the better. The longer the stem, the more plants we can graft, and the success rate will be greater. You can cut off the bloom at the top, but leave the leaves intact. Once you have obtained budwood, you will need to wet several layers of newspaper or paper towels and wrap the stems in them. Seal this in a ziplock bag, and write the name of the plant on it. You will box this up and mail it via Priority Mail to 1260 Chicora River Road, Buckatunna, MS 39322, preferably at the beginning of the week. You should also call us to let us know you will be sending budwood at 601 648 2908.
Now what? Now, unfortunately, you’ll have to wait. It takes between 4 to 6 months to have a plant large enough to ship safely. We do not charge extra for custom grafts, so the plants will be $20 for one gallons or $25 for two gallons. If you pick the rose up, you will be charged sales tax. If you have the rose shipped, you will be charged whatever UPS charges us to deliver. I hope this has helped! If you have any questions not covered in this information, please do not hesitate to call me at the office (601 648 2908).
--- Stacey