I hear you, I knew I wanted them in mid-March and requested Pickering to deliver then, but for some reason DA roses say they'll ship at the appropriate time for my area. That's OK, as long as I get them in mid-March! And lo and behold, I got them and that's a good thing and the roses look big and healthy with a good root system and nice beefy green canes. First time ordering from them and so far they don't disappoint, and like Christmas, I like surprises, as long as they are nice ones like this! Our springs go from freezing to 80 overnight it seems so I do like to get dormant plants in the ground now while there is plenty of moisture in the ground and before the hot drying winds and sunny days fry them before the roots start to grow. I just freaked out a bit when they came because of the snow, my daughter had no school today because of it, but hey, that's Kentucky for you. One flake and they shut everything down. They were already out for a whole week due to the ice storm a few weeks ago. So I started out soaking them in a garbage pail on the back deck, then worried about the water being too cold for them out there, and hauled them inside and they are now soaking in my daughter's bathtub. She almost had a kitten when she went in to fix her makeup before going out tonight and saw "creepy things" in her tub! I'm pretty sure she thinks her mother has now completely lost it. I don't think she will ever be a gardener.

Kansas girl, agree you should get on the phone with Customer Service asap 800-328-8893 with your order number & receipt in front of you for reference. (Saturdays 8 am - 4pm Central Time.) A personal conversation by phone is usually more productive than email, though an immediate email to follow up your call, detailing what was discussed, is also important. Explain your problem - you've received the Wrong Rose after indicating you'd accept no substitutions without your authorization. See how they offer to correct the mistake. Acknowledge that you understand how busy they've probably been getting out orders for Mothers Day & that mixups can happen, that you ordered it for yourself & you'd be even more disappointed if it had been a gift to your mom, how fabulous David Austin's reputation is, that sort of chat. You want the service rep to be kindly inclined to help you, so be sure to convey that you're not unhappy with them personally, but with the situation, which you're sure they want to correct appropriately. Take note of the names of anyone with whom you speak. Personally, I'd want the rose I ordered sent at no additional charge to what I'd already paid. If the rose was unavailable, I'd want a full refund. I'd expect to keep the wrong rose sent in any case as apology for the mishap, unless they sent their carrier for pickup with a prepaid return label. I might mention at some point that the soil was knocked out of the pot of the wrong rose, assuming they'd want to know that as well. (The bit about the mildew & blackspot I'd keep to myself, as it can indeed be brought on by the stress of shipping, and will usually right itself. However, if the Right Rose arrived that way, I'd call to let them know the condition & that I'd be expecting a replacement if it didn't shrug it off.) I expect they'll apologize for the error & get this straightened out graciously. On the offchance that the service rep is not helpful, nor their supervisor, my aces would be letting them know I'd take it up with my credit card company and mention of Gardenweb & Dave's Garden Watchdog membership. Sorry you got this mixup on your first foray into mailorder roses! Something similar seems to happen to us all eventually. Better you're aware from the get-go that it's not what you ordered, since with roses that don't bloom until a later season, some have only discovered the mistake after nuturing a Wrong Rose for months. (Thought I'd linked DA's contact info & hours - here it is.) Here is a link that might be useful: Contact info This post was edited by vasue on Sat, May 10, 14 at 13:58

I just got an Olivia Rose Austin on Thursday, along with a Princess Anne (purely for the name) and a Wollerton Old Hall. This was at a nursery and I got some Romantica, HTs and some of last year's grown up roses, Red Eden, Abbaye de Cluny, New Day, Sunshine Daydream, French Lace and the Pretty Lady Rose. Last year's roses are a great deal there- $10 for big 5 gallon roses, the climbers being the best because they are 4' or so tall. In the garage till the lows get out of the 20s.

Just wanted to update on the crown gall problem with DA. They have since replaced the plants and they looked fine except for again there was some mold on one of the canes. I think that it is more of a shipping problem than a DA problem. Heat and moisture. Anyway when I called them I also asked if the crown gall was in the field. Their response was that they "do their best" to keep diseases out of the field. Unfortunately I did not save their email to me or I would share it. So we will see how these roses fare. They are looking pretty good. All kinds of shoots coming out and I never know what to prune off. I know to cut the inward facing shoots but still, I just hate cutting too much. I don't grow many roses because of my climate on the central Calif. coast. If it's not mildew and botrytis then it's thrips and rose slugs. I have a beautiful Marilyn Monroe that's on fortuniana and she is 5-6' (and would be just as wide if not for a fence) that I have sprayed and sprayed and still every year the botrytis comes back. Just so disheartening. Next time I think I will take Cynthia's advice and order from Roses Unlimited. Over the years I have heard nothing but great things about them. Thanks for everyone's replies, Janet