HarmonyP,I hope you haven't thrown out that poor Paradise rose with the signs of RMV. After all, it isn't contagious except through the propagation process, so it won't spread to your other roses. It is very common among big box store roses and still appears sometimes in reputable nurseries. The serious vendors seem to be taking it seriously and trying to glean it from their rootstock sources and budwood source plants, but its hard to eliminate completely because it often doesn't "show" itself at times. But anyway, RMV tends to, over time, weaken the plant and reduce productivity and resistance to diseases and winter frost, but different roses seem to show varying degrees of resistance. So once you know you have it, you might as well keep the plant as long as it seems to be growing and producing ok. I've had some infected specimens that still produced beautifully for several years. As for vendors, I think it makes perfectly fine sense to do what you've done. I did the same. Early on, I could not afford a lot of expensive plants but wanted to expand my varieties.I've had some great Lowe's roses and even from (gasp) Walmart. But once I got to a point where I no longer had room for many more roses, I naturally felt comfortable being much more selective, and the specialty vendors were there ready and waiting. I just got rid of roses that didn't please me. That was many cheap roses, but also some expensive ones. I don't consider the expense entirely wasted, because I satisfied some curiosity about the variety. I've had a few that were first purchased cheap and then replaced from a serious nursery, such as Chrysler Imperial and Elina. But I've also kept some of those cheapies for many years. One of my best workhorse roses has been Paradise, purchased from Home Depot, which I agree is generally one of the worst sources to buy from. Go figure. The big box stores definitely mislabel much more often, but you know what, I've had that happen from some of my favorite nurseries, too. It happens. One of my favorite roses ever was an obviously mislabeled red rose from Kmart (back in the early 1990s). Even friends with the Mobile Rose Society never were able to identify it, but it was a gorgeous,voluptuous velvety red rose of impressive size --and thorniness. Sometimes those unplanned mistake events turn out to be pleasant surprises. Last year I made one cheap purchase, just for no reason. I bought Chicago Peace for 3 bucks, because I saw it and had already spent what I had budgeted on "serious" roses. It even had waxed canes. It produced beautiful blooms even though the plant didn't seem very robust. I thought I'd replace it with a better Ch. Peace this year, but lo and behold, by November it was starting to bulk up and become a proper bush. So I've given it a repreave for another year. Who knows, I may never have to replace it.

Oops. Here's the second photo. Image link:

hi , im sorry i wish i did could u post a picture when it done it sound cute ...linda w

According to the American Association of Nurserymen: Grade 1 Hybrid Teas and Grandifloras must have three or more strong canes, two of which are at least 18 in. (45 cm) long. The canes should be well-spaced around the graft. Floribundas meet the same standards, but the canes need only be 15 in. (38 cm) long. Polyanthas must have four or more canes at least 12 in. (30 cm) long. Climbers and ramblers must have three or more canes 24 in. (60 cm) long. Note: "Strong canes" is not defined, but is generally accepted to mean canes which have attained their mature size in diameter. As a minimum, at least one cane must be at least 1/2 in. (12 mm) in diameter. Grade 1 1/2 Hybrid Teas and Grandifloras must have two or more canes at least 15 in. (38 cm) long. Floribundas must have two or more canes 14 in. (35 cm) long. Climbers must have two or more canes 18 in. (45 cm) long. Note: Polyanthas which do not meet Grade 1 standards are not graded. Grade 2 All classes must have two or more canes 12 in. (30 cm) long. Assuming that yours are modern hybrid tea roses, if they were advertized as Grade #1, then your roses should have had at least three strong canes. Check the catalog/website to make sure how they were labelled, then I'd contact the vendor. IF any of your new arrivals are antique/older/species, then most of them are not graded by the same criteria, since there is so much natural variation of vigor among them. John