At the prices they go for, it doesn't hurt to take a flyer once in awhile. Who knows, something good could come from it. If things don't work out, then not much money has been lost. Body bag roses are all about the same, ie the over-runs or left overs from the big sales. They are a company's chance to get some return for the stuff that didn't really move well. Occasionally you get a good hit, but it's fun to play around anyway.

One of my first steps down the slippery slope of too many roses was a WalMart body bag "Golden Showers". We'd just moved to the pacific northwest from an area where rose growing was too much work. When we saw neglected roses blooming their heads off all over the place, we thought it was worth trying one just to see how roses would do here. I figured it was 4 bucks--if it didn't work, no big loss. That rose is now one of the biggest, happiest plants in my yard. It's my victim for experimenting with different pruning approaches--if I screw up, it was only 4 bucks, after all. I've moved on to own-root OGRs, and try and avoid Walmart because of rude personnel, but next time I'm in there I'll probably look at the body bags again. After all, if it's only 4 bucks....

Well, I did something EVEN WORSE than body bags recently and I scored (I think). Well, I was poking around the "end of season" potted rose $5 specials at a Home Depot in about Novemeber last year and found one labeled "orange stripe" and that was all. Those are the ones that not only have endured body bag status, but which have also not sold during that season and then been returned to the grower for potting up, and then back to the stores where the stores can neglect them some more. Poor thing was close to dead. Well, I fed it and watered it and it has rewarded me mightily for the rescue.

Remember that Swirling Orange that IrisGal posted pics of last year over on the gallery. I think that's what I snagged. I'm ecstatic and so is the rose, which has been blooming its fool head off this month.

So keep your peepers open -- it does happen.

Kathy

Here is a link that might be useful: Swirling Orange in the Gallery

LOL Windeaux!! My house is already so small, I can't knock out any walls!! Just need to cut down 8 60-80ft Ponderosa pines, two 40ft black walnuts, 2 40ft oaks and a 40ft maple tree and then I'd have another 1/3 of the yard to plant more roses in. It's just too shady back there. But I can't afford to have them cut down. It's around $1000-1500 per tree.

Kathy I rarely get to HD anymore. But I think I'll try to see if they get any of those SWIRLING ORANGE roses in this spring. Surely they must eventually get some. I've been drooling over the pics of the ones Iris gal and someone else has posted of them the last couple yrs.

Another rant, I'm afraid, but I refuse to shop at Walmart because of their shoddy products from China, their mistreatment of employees and their pushing out mom and pop stores wherever they go. Since I love mostly old roses I don't find much of interest anyway but did buy an Angel Face at HD which I passed on to a friend because it looked too modern for me although I love the color and fragrance. My best find was Betty Prior at HD which is a rose from the thirties. I also really want to support the mail-order suppliers since they're having such a struggle to survive. Once they're gone, where will we find the exquisite roses of the past which, when picked with care, so often outperform the moderns roses without the need for spraying poisons and fussing over them?

Ingrid

I wholeheartedly agree with Ingrid.

'SWIRLING ORANGE' is gorgeous.....what a find!!!

No offence but you need to get out more and quit watching Fox False News
I canÂt find Walmart on any top 20 list of Worst Places to Work.
Home Depot is right at the Top though and you buy there. So do I.
Although anyplace is the worse if you don't like it there.
I'm not trying to defend any company just the practice of making statements not backed up in fact.
Also name a company that does NOT import or have product made in China?
I'm sure there are plenty of Chinese that are complaining about the poor quality of American goods.

Top 5 Worst Companies to Work For
January 16th, 2007
The Home Depot  Home Depot has legions of angry consumer as well as employees. Home depot used to have qualified personnel to provide expert advice. They essentially canned them all to hire cheap labor. After firing all of their decent staff, they took or severely cut back any worthwhile employee benefits and incentives; merit badges worth $20 each, tuition reimbursement, dental, employee discounts, Christmas bonuses (now just a coupon) credit signup bonuses etc. Several sites host complaints by disgruntled employees, from the Consumerist toRetailworker.com.

AOL Â From training employees how to charge credit cards of those trying to cancel their accounts, to censoring or firing employees that stand up to their ethics, AOL has, is, and probably always will be one of the worst places to work.
Best Buy - From forcing employees to practice questionable ethics, to flat out manipulation by managers. Their management system is reportedly structured to the point that there is no accountability; the blame tends to go downward, ending up on the floor employees that work the hardest. Years and years of complaints have been logged atwww.bestbuysux.org. Shopping at Best Buy is about as fun.

McDonaldÂs - If this is your first job, fine but if itÂs your second job, it just sucks to be you. McDonaldÂs is host to incompetent supervisors where "mediocrity is looked up to, but never quite achieved" Â. The educational level of even the highest ranks of store management is about the end of high school and will likely teach you nothing. Hopefully this will force you to strive for a positive exit plan.

Verizon - "They destroyed the lives of 33 pilots to save retirement expenses" Â - just one example of their business practices. Freezing pensions by email - another. Additionally the poor top-down management has caused some of the lowest moral ever in a company.
 washingtonpost.com

2009 Worst Retail Companies to Work For:

4 AutoZone

15. Kmart
16. RadioShack
17. Forever 21
18. Sports Authority
19. Fastenal
20. Bed Bath & Beyond

2008 Worst Retail Companies to Work For:

6. Radio Shack

18. Chrysler
19. Borders
20. Rite Aid
21. OfficeMax
22. Blockbuster
23. Macy's
24. Circuit City
25. eBay

Sorry I was in the midst of modifying that post and was not finished trimming and refining it and sent it before it was ready. And once its sent I don't know how to edit it.
I meant no offence.
Most retail jobs require no experience and are usually at the bottom of the barrel for worker satisfaction, especially if there is a Union at work. I only wanted to point out that Wal-Mart is not the only company that people complain about. I could say if you don't like a job then leave it. I did several times in my career. I started my own and treat my people the best I can but even then some take advantage of me. If you hate Walmart but buy at Home Depot then whats the difference?

I bought lots of Walmart roses last year, and a lot of roses from a rose nursery. I found that I lost about 1/2 of the Walmart roses, but that is probably because of my lack of proper preparation with the body bags. The rose nursery roses were in pots. I did find a Belle de Crecy at Home Depot, and I snatched it up. It's doing fine.

This year I'm going to try to buy most of my roses from the rose nursery. I just hate to lose a rose, and obviously it's easier for me to plant them from pots. But if I happen to be at Walmart, you never know - it's hard to resist a pretty rose!

'SWIRLING ORANGE' is gorgeous.....what a find!!!

I second that! Beautiful!

That Mr. Lincoln body-bag looks pretty good. There were hardly any bareroot roses at the local big-box stores this year, and what there was looked pretty bad. Not that I have any room for more roses.

I just got Firefighter and Memorial Day from Costco, they look really good, better actually than the ones I got from the local nursery. Firefighter has feeder roots everywhere, they are from Weeks Roses.

I found Cinco De Mayo, Easy Does It and Julia Child at our local Lowe's, in LARGE healthy bare roots. I cannot remember the vendors name,but they are happier looking than the ones Edmunds sent out. They were in gallon cardboard pots full of sawdust type materials, and were labled BARE ROOT. In their defense, Edmunds DID give me a $10 credit on one that didn't grade out as high as they wanted it to and offered me a replacement or refund before August 30 (I think) if the rose fails to thrive. Lowe's offers a one year refund on the ones I bought.

I do not shop our Walmart. Won't get into WHY other than to say everytime I go in there I want to kill someone....rude people don't interest me.

Here is my Easy Does It, right after planting and before I pruned off a few pieces of damaged or dead wood.... It will go in the ground later, but for now its in a larger pot. My rose bed at home is still being prepared. One day.....

{{gwi:231880}}

I don't know if you realize that Wal-mart and Home Depot will take back any rose caucus that dies the next year for a full refund. I have returned all the ones I bought that died and bought more the next year. The company I bought mail order from will also after I pay return shipping both ways,which cost about as much as the bush.

The only way I control myself from throwing all the bodybags at wal-mart in my cart is by making a conscious effort to buy own root roses, which are found online. HD has awful roses here, I'm guessing those of you who shop there have better nursery personnel than ours does.

They all seem to be hit or miss. I was at Wally World last night and all the bags were outside and all were filled with water. I poked a hole in one and the water drained for a good 10 minuets, I'm betting soon they will be dead. Home Depot has not gotten theirs in yet. I haven't tried Kmart and Lowe's is too far. Believe it or not I have found them in Freds.
The reason I don't like to buy mail order is because I still don't know what roses grow good here. The reason I don't buy from a nursery is there are none that I can find with anything except knock outs.
If I order mail order and it doesn't grow here I'm totally out. If I lived closer to a large town I would try some nursery's, maybe after I get a decent showing going I will drive to Atlanta or Chattanooga or Huntsville.
My ground is mostly clay and small rocks under 2-3 inches of topsoil. I'm on a bluff which means the bed rock is from 2-8 feet down. When I lived in Florida I had more than 100 roses and all grew there.

Larrylwill, How close are you to Chattanooga? I can tell you of some great nurseries to go to if you want that are all around Chattanooga and a few others in N Georgia. I visit these places frequently and lots of them have their rose list on their website. I buy from every place that sells plants, Wally World, Lowes, local nurseries, online, ANYWHERE!!! I just love to shop for plants. Take care, Judy

1-1/2 hours 75 miles. I live across the river from Scottsboro, Al. in Section Al. 35771
Although until this spring and some of what I have dies or looks bad I would have to squeeze more in.
Here is what I started with last spring. Over the summer the runners completely covered the arch. I can't find a picture later in the summer.

[IMG]http://i127.photobucket.com/albums/p133/larrylwill/Picture020.jpg[/IMG]

Well now thats not tooo far away to go have a looksee at some roses. These nurseries are more expensive than what you pay at the big box stores but they do usually have some different varieties each year. The ones I visit are Holcombs Nursery (2 locations), Barn Nursery, and Ooltewah Nursery. In NE Ga (I think, not real good with directions unless I Mapquest it) theres Autumn Hill Nursery and Scottsdale Nursery. We have Pikes Nursery too but they are about 2 hours from Chattanooga so that might be just to far away unless your going that way anyways. I always check out our local Home Depots and Lowes too because they are always getting in roses. Plus like I said I order online too. So if you get a minute you can look up some of these nurseries and see just how far they are from you plus see which roses they do have available and if they don't have anything you are looking for then it will save you a trip. Have fun with whatever roses you choose. Judy

Larry, I know we went somewhat off-topic but I do want to thank you for your enlightening (and disheartening) post. It's a sad commentary on our society that good workers are treated in such a shabby way, and that corporate greed is alive and well everywhere.

Ingrid

ingrid_vc:
I agree with you, I believe unless we change some minds and attitudes we are doomed as a country. Especially after the supreme court decision about letting corporations buy congress. Also it never ceases to amaze me just how little most people know about whats going on in this country and how politics work, (I'n not aiming at you). Few people actually look at both sides of the coin but only read what inflates their own opinion.
We can't survive with the superior attitude we put forth to other countries. Lifetime politicians are killing us. Corporate Greed knows no borders, on the other hand I have been in Unions that have killed the company, think GM. $40-$50 per hour for assembly workers. Wal-Mart employs approx 1.6 million people With or without benefits. Without them in rural areas we would have no choices and little places to shop. They also have a very liberal return policy.
Mom and Pop stores employ very few people and have few choices, most specialize and their far apart, its another world today. My brother has a business and he gets remote controls made in China to his specifications. Without that outlet he would be out of business as companies won't pay the prices it would cost him to get them made in the US.
However soon China will price themselves out of the market as their economy grows and people demand more money and get unions then the US companies will go looking for somewhere else to move production, Mexico is already over remember the sucking sound from the Ross Perot days.
These are my opinions but I also respect yours.

prettypetals:
I will check them out.
Thanks

One more item. I do not think Wal-Mart or any other store runs out mom and pop stores, I think people do. You shop where you want and buy what you want. If I buy cloths from the Joe Blows because they have what I want maybe I'm ruining some other store out of business. WW is just more convenient most stores around here close at 5-6pm. Need something at 7pm too bad.
I still shop at the local Lumber Hardware store over HD many times because they have what I want at a better price if I can make it before they close.

Larry, from what I understand most Mail Order Sources are familar with what roses grow in what zones..Also you can come in here and ask..I have done that in here and people have been very nice.

Good point about people shopping at Wal Mart and driving Mom and Pop stores out.

Ok, I will ask in a new thread, thank you

Larry: I live right outside of Chattanooga and I have already been to Holcomb's, while a good source of plants, J&P shorted them on this years order and they do not have enough to make the trip. There is a small nursery on Hixson Pike called Green Thumb they have a very good varity and everything I have purchased there grows well in this area. Also their prices are very competitive with Lowe's and Home Depot for what you get, they also will clearance what is left in early fall and I have always been able to find good plants that make it through the winter. . .

Garose, I agree with ya about the lack of many roses at Holcombs. I just go to the site and see what they have to offer and it saves the trip. I have never heard of Green Thumb but be assured I will look that place up. I love to go check out places all the time for all kinds of plants and goodies. If you know of any other neat places close to Chattown let me know. Judy

Well as not to be a snob I have looked at Lowe's roses, and a small chain nursery here called McClendons. McClendons had some J and P roses..and they were bare root but BIG. Most of the canes didn't look very good. I do agree that the Mr Lincoln Larry bought looks nice. I saw NOTHING that nice.

Who is Certified roses in Tyler Texas? Certified is the brand that Lowes had

WHO CARES WHERE YOU BUY A ROSE IF YOU WANT IT IN YOUR COLLECTION AND THE ROSE LOOKS PRETTY HEALTHY AND THE PRICE IS RIGHT.... IT'S TO YOUR ADVANTAGE TO SHOP AROUND AND BUY WHAT YOU WANT, NO-ONE IS TWISTING YOUR ARM TO SHOP ANYWHERE.
Anyway I went to HD in December prior to bareroot roses coming out, I found a couple of left over roses in 5 gallon pots that I was very excited about and they were on the sale rack, I got Pink Promise the Breast Cancer Rose that is beautiful, I got Disneyland which I was so excited about and I got Memorial Day one of my very favorite pink deliscious scented roses... I just moved into a house and have been planting for 2 months straight, I bought roses everywhere.... only got what I wanted and only fragrant roses... JUST LOOKING FORWARD TO SPRING..... I LOVE ROSES~

I bought 4 potted roses at HD at the end of the season also but they didn't have a name just a tag that said rose. I have to wait for the spring (if it comes this year) to see what they are. They look good though.

Sweet, you obviously didn't read why many of us choose to go to the nursery or mail order.

Ok please enlighten me, I'm a little dense sometimes.
What did I miss? What do you mean.
My hobby is a treasure hunter. The price I paid it was a good gamble. If they are junk then they get planted somewhere on my 1200ft property line, if not I win.

Larry, I was responding to Sweetmich a few posts above me. She said "who cares where you buy your roses". As I explained above I care where I spend my dollars. But then I have a small places for roses. You have a huge place to fill. If I had that much space I might be looking for a few deals as well. I think that bag Mr Lincoln you got looked pretty good. I have looked around a bit at bags this year and I have in no way found the guality you found in that bag. Mine are much worse. Maybe it's shipping time. I see many of those roses are from Tyler Texas. I am in Seattle..I think you are closer to Tyler than me.

If you live in a cool climate, please be aware that your bargin rose may expose your neighboring roses to a virus infection that affects their performance and ability to surive the winter.

Here are pictures of the WW roses I bought recently.
{{gwi:231881}}
{{gwi:231882}}
{{gwi:231884}}
{{gwi:231885}}
{{gwi:231886}}

You know our Wally World has some nice roses in bags too. All the ones I have planted the past couple of years have done fine so far and I wish you the best of luck with yours. They look like nice ones. Judy

There is a thread in the antique rose forum about bag roses

I found Chicago Peace and Heirloom at WW for planting in my mother's rose bed since she doesn't like bands... For me, I am trying to keep my orders to 20 bands from four or five online vendors this year, but I'm at about 23:) plus one that is available only grafted from the local nursery.

Just got back from K-mart and Freds and I got snagged by the bushes again.
K-Mart $6
Sundowner #1
Kordes Perfecta #1
Proud Land #1
{{gwi:231887}}
K-Mart $5
Dolly Parton #1-1/2
Blue Girl #1-1/2
{{gwi:231888}}
Freds $3
Marchesa #1-1/2
Therese Bugnet #1-1/2
Love #1-1/2
{{gwi:231889}}
Lowes $4
Double Delight #1-1/2 Not good but the only one left
{{gwi:231890}}

Larry, I believe Therese Bugnet is mislabled. The canes should look different on this one.
They look resonably good , I agree, but I had so many mislabled and virused roses from places like Kmart, WW, Lowes, etc in the past when I was still buying some modern roses. I am a rose collector and OGR lover. Roses I love and want to add to my garden are not available in such places, so not much of a temptation for me now. I also have strict "no virus" internal policy. If roses shows some signs of a virus (any virus)it is gone. Percent virused roses in bagged roses is unbelievably high, in some place it could be 100%.
Olga

After I get the garden growing then I will be more selective also. What kind of Virus do you find on bag roses, what do I look for?

@Larry... some of the time you will see yellow patterns on the leaves of virused roses, but they will still grow and bloom, sometimes very well. However, there is some doubt as to whether virused plants decline faster or bloom less than nonvirused. Dr. Huey grafted plants (most often found in CA and other west coast and warm locations) are almost all virused, but everyone grows them and most roses in California bloom like crazy, so you don't have to worry too much about it I think. And even less if your plants are not Dr. Huey grafts. Buying own root or other rootstock grafted plants lowers your risk of virus, but is not a guarantee.

Larry, I mean viruses of mosaic family, usually people just call them RMV(rose mosaic virus), but actually there are more viruses then just RMV.
This is quite controvercial topic. Many people especially in warm climates think that these viruses are not a big deal. Many others (I am among them) feel that they affect plants health, hardiness and amounts of bloom. Some data indicate that there is a possibilty of viruses transfer from plant to plant. Again there are differences in opinions on this subject and the actual data are limited. I have nice collection of roses that I want to keep as clean as possible. I am a virologist (not a plant virologist) and I know that viruses in general shouldn't be ignored.
Olga

Examples of virused roses:

{{gwi:231891}}
{{gwi:231892}}

{{gwi:231893}}

{{gwi:231894}}

{{gwi:231895}}
Olga

Thanks for the pictures, I will keep an eye out although I havent seen this before and hope I never do.

It is not always easy to see. These examles are for really bad cases of virus. It could be just one or two leaves with signs like this and only in spring. It doesn't mean there is no desease, just no visible leaf signs of it, plant will be still virused. If you are aware of this and your eye is trained, you will find it.
Olga

I would have guessed that the second pic from the bottom has a nutrient deficiency, but I am no expert, so thanks for the pictures. They are very helpful. I hope that switching to own root and Fortuniana grafts has lowered my risk for RMV, but time will tell.

I couldn't resist. Got an All American Beauty, it's sitting in the cold room waiting to be planted.

I think I gave in b/c years ago I only bought a few bushes, and the 'cheap ones' thrived, while the expensive tea roses I got from a local nursary peetered out really quick.

Now, off to figure out what to do with it.

Well, that was a waste of time..... perhaps this is a better spot to ask "since the soil in my yard is frozen, what should I do with the dormant body bag rose I got from WW?"

tnx in advance

Take it out of the package, rinse the junk off of the roots, and put it into a bucket of water to soak, make sure the water covers the roots. If the ground is still frozen after 5 - 7 days of soaking, then get a pot and some potting mix and pot it up unti you can dig in the yard.