I am sorry this happened to you. I go to Lowe's all the time because here they seem to be cleaner and more together than HD. I would never think to see whether or not the garden section was owned by them. A few years ago I purchased 5 Boxwoods to put in the section I care for on my church's parking lot. They died, and Lowe's took them back with a smile. I did keep the receipt that indicated that they were guaranteed. I actually purchased them the end of Oct., and was worried that it was too late to purchase them. I think you have every right to be upset. Actually if you have the receipt, and a copy of the guarantee, I think HD should make it good regardless of who it is who is renting their garden section. Sammy

Years ago, I got a shipment of 50 bareroot roses in late February. It was the end of the vendor's bareroot season, and I'd been told by several reliable sources I could keep the roses in a refrigerator, and save myself a lot of money versus paying the shipping on potted plants. They were in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 weeks before I potted them up and let them break dormancy. They had their own refrigerator, so I could play with the temperature settings. The idea was to keep it as close to freezing as possible. Warmer than that, and they will break dormancy in the refrigerator anyway. They stayed in their shipping bag, which was open but folded over at the top. Every day I would check for moisture. If there wasn't any condensation on the inside of the bag, I would spray them with water. Forty nine of them broke dormancy fine. The 50th wasn't a good plant, but since I was already making out like a bandit on the difference between bareroots and volume pricing vs. potted and regular pricing, I didn't care. Now for less than two weeks, I'd just put them in a tub of water and keep them there. If you are afraid it is going to turn into longer, seriously consider potting them instead of waiting to put them in the ground. You don't say where you are, but if the roses were shipped at the proper time for your zone, you really do need to get them growing. The clock is ticking on pre-winter establishment.

Hi ccare_erin: Do not be discouraged and don't worry about your green thumb - I'm not the BEST by a long shot and have had various plants, sadly, go down the drain. It's sort of a learning experience. I'm not familiar with this particular rose, took a quick Internet check and it seems to be one of the newer "shrub type roses" that are fairly easy to care for. As for your "green stick" sounds like you had a lot of winter-kill, so if the "green stick" is showing any sign of life like swelling leaf buds or looks fresh and green, just prune off all the dead wood - it is not going to grow back - and hope the warming temperatures will coax the bushes back. Normally, for me and others, no pruning is done to rose bushes after September, as pruning encourages new growth, and you want the wood to harden off for winter. New growth is full of water and is vulnerable to freeze damage. This could be flat-out winter kill, if your winter was really bad. Also, if the roots had not grown deeply down the freeze may have gotten to the roots. Did you plant them in soil that drains freely? Roses need moisture but also oxygen in the soil. Next year you may want to mulch very heavily after the first hard freeze, and consider additional protection (in spite of the fact that these bushes are supposed to be very hardy). They may be, after several years of growth with enough roots to get through Minnesota winters. I would consider reading some more and replanting in good soil, with winter protection next year. Hope this helps some!

Rhodendrons, Azalea's, and Hydrangea's, mountain laural, Annabelle hydrangea, are all nice plants and they are acid loving plants. You should buy a soil test kit to check your soil. This would prevent problems later on.