Here we go again with the Wal Mart question. Wal Mart is not the best place to buy roses

I'm looking for White Out and Sunny Knockout so I wandered WalMarts roses while there yesterday and I saw the same roses with similar tags. Did you look on the otherside of the tags. I did and found the variety printed there.
I went past Home Depot today and my Home Depot had some excellent looking hybrid teas marked down from $16.99 to $12.99. I'm hard nosed though and didn't look too hard. When I go to a garden center, I usually go for a particular rose or item. I've become very good at walking past all the temptations.

Isn't that aggravating? I noticed that too--that Wally World decided to market its roses as "Roses for Dummies", can't trust the average consumer with the actual identity of what they're purchasing. It's a rose, it's pink, it's got green leaves and thorns--now go home and plant it, you idiot! I do remember, however, seeing some rose names on the BACK of the descriptive tags, so check your tags again just in case.

It's not Wal-Mart's decision to withhold the name, but the producer's. Big-name producers may dump a surplus of patented roses that they don't want competing directly with their named product; or discount producers may propagate out-of-patent roses whose name is trademarked and illegal to use without permission.

Mich, yah...MARKETING. The topic in the other thread. My Dad who is old and grumpy now..he says if he likes the color he buys the rose. He couldn't care less who made it or what it's called. I tried to explain but it fell on deaf ears

A reason that the registration name is somewhat hidden may be that there are a lot of states that require plants to be true to the name they are sold as.

I'd never buy a rose that I wasn't certain of the name. I like being able to get another one easily if I like the rose, or not accidentally get two if it turns out I don't like it. Anyway, one of my favorite nurseries had a really nice selection of roses this year so I bought a bunch there and more from the Jungs outlet which had some of the Edmunds roses. So I haven't found any need to look at roses anywhere else.

Sometimes I wonder if the people in the corporate offices making decisions about lawn and garden are idiots. Last year our local wal mart quit stocking the lawn and garden before the season got underway. This year they are dragging tons of junk in. They discontinue a lot of chemicals that most people use. This year they did not carry their patent roses. I always bought several of those and so did other people. But, they have tons of knock out roses. I am sick of seeing knock out roses; is that the only type of rose public want to grow?

They carry what sells! Remember, we're not the average rose buyer and we're a small minority. That's why the mail order vendors are there.

For the average rose buyer, this is simply not a problem. It merely accelerates the inevitable.

Sometimes I spot a very interesting looking rose while driving, and will sometimes stop to look or take a photo. If possible, I will also ask the ID of the plant. Of the countless times I have asked, the answer I get is always that they don't recall, and they threw the tag away. Over and over, this same thing happens. Even in a garden that looks fairly serious and well tended, this same thing happens.

So the "average" rose buyer simply does not care. No point in giving the rose a name. They don't need it nor want it.

Regina nv--that's what I'm afraid of, that gardening in general will be increasingly dumbed down to descriptions and "brand names", and the few of us who CARE about the exact varieties we plant will be left in the dark. I know what you mean, though, about people who have no idea what they've planted--I don't understand gardening that way, but to each his own, I guess.

I've given several easy-to-grow plants to non-rose gardeners. The plants thrived, the people liked them, but none of them remember the name even with repeated prompts and nudging.

The first batch of roses I ordered included a mystery rose (a sport, as it turned out). I was immediately disturbed not to know the name and wrote to the supplier.

I stopped by roses from Walmart quite some ago. To many problems. I am however, ticked off by the fact that Walmart stopped carrying worm casting and natural fertilizer unless its by Miracle gro. Last year I got a package of tree spike were natural/organic in nature. I went back to get more since they worked so well and of course they were all gone. So this year, I tried again and nothing. Thank goodness I was able to find worm casting tree spikes at HD.

I will ashamedly admit to not caring about rose names when I planted my first roses 15 years ago. I was too consumed with color to care, I guess. Didn't have a clue how to take care of them or how to feed them, and it's a miracle any of them even survived, poor things.

I have three stubborn survivors left; one is a glorious Red Gold that I've been able to identify, but the other two I'm clueless about. It is now driving me nuts......
-terry

Of course, Walmart isn't highly recommended as a rose (or any kind of plant) vendor. But I used to think of the place as a hunting ground where I had a chance of spotting a treasure or two.

Thriving in my garden is a lovely rugosa with the unfortunate name of Wildberry Breeze, which I found in a body bag, part of a rose display in Walmart's parking lot. Several years ago I turned down a healthy looking Julia Child (I didn't know what I was doing) in favor of an equally heathy Lady Elsie May. (I should have bought both.) And one spring I had the good fortune to be standing in the right spot when Walmart took delivery of some gorgeous Kordes minis (before they had a chance to kill them off).

But all that changed this year. The store seemed to have only Knock Outs, and very few of them. I can say just about the same for Lowe's and Home Depot. The thrill of the hunt was definitely gone.

But even my local nursery said roses were hard to get this year. They didn't know why.

My local Walmart had tons of minis this year; I've never seen them stocked before. And strangely, no Knockouts.

I did find some own-root Carefree Wonders from Lowes when they first came in, and they were in one-gallon pots and very healthy. They're now planted as part of a hedge; I'm hoping they will mimic Pappu's beauties.
-terry

At the Meijer store here - they had explorer roses. Sold under the "windmill" brand nursery name. Champlain, winnipeg parks, and a few others. I was very surprised. Meijer is a michigan chain though. And I have been continually impressed with what they sell and their quality (for a big box store) and the prices. Someone who runs that places must have a brain.

I bought one rose from Walmart when I was first trying roses--a bodybag Golden Showers. Other than a few rugosa albas, it was my very first rose to try when I moved to a place where you can really grow something other than palmettos and roaches. I bought it as an experiment to see how roses would grow in my yard. Yes, there are going to be issues with getting roses like this, but it can be a great way to get your foot in the door. This has been a wonderfully healthy rose, and since I only paid about 4 bucks with it, it's one I can learn on. Hmmmm--let's try bending some canes this way, whacking them that way. I don't spray, and you can see for yourself how the leaves look:

{{gwi:300488}}

I've never had a climber, and it's been very accomodating as I try different approches to pruning & training. This year I tried bending half of it over the porch rail and whacking the other half pretty far back:

{{gwi:300489}}

This little workhorse has been great to learn on, smells great, and I think it looks good, too. I haven't bought any more roses from Walmart, but if I hadn't bought this one, I wouldn't have tried some of the high priced roses from nuseries and specialty dealers.

Wow, Lucretia1, your entryway is pretty!

I did see these pots and Walmart and was able to identify many of them by sight. I did find Chuckles it had a field tag as well as the Walmart description. I bought two of those and I'm looking for more. I also bought an Oklahoma because it was a month before my garden would bloom, it jumped into the cart. The price was right, and I knew what they were!

A comment in this thread is one of my biggest Peeves. I can not abide someone who tells me they grow roses too and it is pink. WHAT? Even as a newbie I KNEW was it a shrub rose, it was a climber etc. I can abide not knowing a name but not what it's growth habit is? Perhaps growing up on a working farm were we had to make decisions on what worked best and tried different varities in test plots to improve our crop makes me retentive on this topic. Drives me nuts, this is common sense stuff. This is why people tell me roses are to much work and complicated to grow. Read the labels people! Sorry but it drives me nuts, I want more roses grown to support the industry not less because way too many of our populations refuse to engage brain and not just in this area. Sorry to rant but it bugs me. Susz

Wow...I'm speechless.

Iam surprised by the number of responses to the post.I guess we all have our own ideas about buying roses at walmart.I have been gardening for four years now and this year most of my purchases were from mail order sources and local nurseries.I have come to prefer these sources for the quality and the variety.This spring I have lost a lot of roses and started looking for replacements locally .I buy bushes with bloom/s on them (to avoid mis labelled roses)and try to get the ones with 4-5 good sized canes on them and feed them liquid fertilizer and wait till I see lot of new growth before I plant them in the ground.This is how I happend to have moonlight magic,lobo,smoky,oldtimer and world peace.
Karl,thanks for letting me know about the labelling.Mine had the name printed on the back.It is arizona and Iam happy about the ID.May be in a few years I will stop buying from boxed stores altogether.But for now I DON'T SEEM TO HAVE THE WILL POWER TO RESIST THEIR PRICES.
For people who are buyig walmart potted roses beware that they have same pictures and description for different roses and have different names printed on the back.I noticed that Arizona and Oldtimer had same decription and pic and If I hadn't identified the bloom on oldtimer(which I have) I wouldn't have gotten Arizona.
Thank you all for responding.It's nice to know what works for fellow gardeners.
Dana

Hey Dana!
How has the Moonlight Magic worked out for you?? I remember a thread on this last year.
I love mine, and the only place I have been able to find this particular rose is in the body bags in the big box stores.
Soooooo at least in this one case you don't have a choice.

Everyone has their budget and limits of interest in roses. When I saw this particular way of marketing roses, at first I was upset because the varieties aren't mentioned.
Qualities the beginning rose gardener might be interested in are the only things mentioned. I remember the first roses I bought. I had no idea how one would pick one from another. Even with lots of reading it was somewhat of a guessing game until the internet and the Rose Forum came along.

I'm really curious to know how this will work as a marketing tool. So far Walmart seems to have retained a lot of this stock in my area. The price are good ($9.00)so I don't think prices are the reason these remain in inventory.

I am so glad I read this posting. I am no means a pro at growing roses. I'm not even half way but I love my roses. I will go to great extremes in careing for them and am known to be devistated of one is sick. All of them are in lg. pots due to tree roots and now I am chasing the sun waiting for the tree trimmer whom hasn't shown up yet. Anyway, one nursery just over the MA./ CT line (woodstock) has carried Austin roses with Starr or J&P tags. Every rose I have bought there is the 1st to bloom and just keeps going till hard frost. This yr. they only had a few due to money & bad winter problems they said. I drove to many nurseries and they had mostly knockouts.
I thought it was me. Can't explain why but I was sure there was a problem with me. All I would leave with was some some pot fillers and even then I was disgusted with the care most were given. Forget Walmart or Home depot . Most of their plants were on the way to the grave. The only rose I bought this yr. was Heaven on Earth from J&P which I owe a pic of here after I bragged about the replacement. Sorry for the long posting. I was feeling lonely and I am so thankful for what I have learned here. I would be doing knockouts if it weren't for all of you. I mean no disrespect for the knockout people. I just wanted what I fell in love with after I saw posted here on GW. When I talk about my roses, the names of them etc. I am looked at like someone strange. I don't post a lot but look at this forum many times a day. Still learning and making mistakes, too many, but I love it anyway. It is good not to feel alone. Thanks for reading this. Donna

The not knowing, not caring to know the names of ones roses just boggles my mind. My friend is a MASTER GARDENER, fer cryin' out loud, and she cannot name one of her 30-40 HT's. Some were inherited with the house, so okay. The others were bought either on impulse, or perhaps she knew at the time then forgot.?
Another friend buys on impulse ( scent and sight) with nary a clue as to the growth habits or needs. They are happy with their gardens, and roses do well, for the most part, especially the MG's. I am not being critical of them...I just don't get it.
Rarely have I bought a rose on a whim, not knowing its habits. I don't have the room or time to waste on a once-bloomer ( I already have my old C.Brunner that I love). If I see a beauty at HD, et al, with a name I'm not familiar with, I go home to research it first. Usually I carry my rose notes with me, just for this purpose. Hmmm, maybe it's the gamblers gene I lack:>)
Beyond practicality, I love knowing the names, writing them down in a journal, but that's just me, I understand.
Oops, I may have strayed too far off the OP :>/

Honestly, I don't see what the big deal is with Knock Outs... yes, they're nice filler in a perennial border, or for someone who may not be experienced, but I really don't have anything great to say about them... and the local market was flooded with them this year... and last!

I've been a gardener for as long as I can remember, both indoors and out, and not knowing plant names makes me mental. Most everything I grow is either tagged, or I know its name so a tag isn't necessary.

I've always loved roses, but just began to get more heavily into them within the past few years. I'm pretty sold on the own-root roses, as opposed to grafted... and I adore my miniatures!

I tend to use mainly mail order to purchase the roses I want... I stay away from the big box stores and places that don't have experienced plant people caring for their stock. Nothing is worse than seeing all the dead and dying plant material at a store, when a simple watering could have saved them and kept them salable!

One thing I try to do is research the types of roses I want, and get several opinions on zone ratings... not every source will have them rated the same. I try to choose plants that are rated for zones 3,4 and 5... preferably 3 and 4... which pretty much ensures that, given proper care, they'll come back in spring and thrive.

In 4 years, I've only lost 2 roses... not bad considering I've planted absolute tons!

I'm new to the Rose Forums... though I've been a GW member for several years. This year in particular, I've got a deep rose addiction going on... and I'm reading all I can get my hands on, experimenting with some new varieties, and asking a lot of questions! It's all worth it when I walk the gardens, though... roses are truly heavenly!

Walmart... can't say I've bought a rose from them...

Linda,I bought two body bags of moonlight magic ,one from K-Mart and anotherone from walmart.Both of them bloomed well last summer and made it through the winter.Both of them have 3-4 small canes now(thanks to the baby bunnies thriving on the tender rose shoots )and have buds on them.Iam glad they both made it and I hope they will be decent sized bushes by next year.Lobo is another rose I haven't seen marketed in any form other than body bag and a GRADE 11/2 at that.After trying it twice I finally have band sized one cane wonder and Iam doing every thing to make it thrive. I try to work around a budget and every year I keep loosing a significant number of roses for various reasons and that is not helping .I do have four roses from renaissance series which are in their fourth year and they are the reason for my continued interest in rose gardening.
Prairie rose -thank you for mentioning about the names on the back of the tag.The rose I bought had a name and I think it matches the bloom I have seen on it.
Dana

Dana, try planting more own root shrub varieties like rugosas, Canadian Explorers, etc. Of over 400 I have, I lost 2 this spring, both last year's planted hybrid teas and they were even planted with the bud union 6 inches deep.
All the shrubs survived although many suffered severe dieback. The Rugosas came through practically unscathed and most are highly fragrant.

I don't have a problem with unnamed, misnamed, no-name roses anymore. Because I am simply not buying any new roses.

Rupturing my Achilles tendon at the beginning of the year made me take stock of the "monumental" task of managing the garden. So, I am scaling down in all aspects of gardening. The harsh winter of 08-09 gave a helping hand - it killed off a few of the HT's and cane killed some of my climbers. My humongous Parade is but a shadow of it's old self (although, knowing this rose, it won't be long before it regains it's former glory).

No, I am not buying any more rose. In fact, I started giving them away.

As for knowing the names of all your roses....uh, here in suburban Ca., I sometimes forget there are many of you , like Karl, with a piddling 400 or so roses!! Yikes! The feeding, deadheading, pruning, etc.....never mind knowing names. I am in awe!