'Golden Showers' is a fairly old rose -- Bred in 1950. Int. '56. And it's a really lovely rose, too.
Given the age of the cultivar, it certainly mostly is virused. And I always take
claims that roses are virus-free with a grain of salt. (IF they
advertise them as virus-indexed, I'll probably believe it.)

Though, I have bought virused roses from that source.

But this looks more like a nutritional deficiency to me. Or lack of
light, maybe, in a greenhouse setting.

Thanks for that feedback. The moment I opened the box and saw it, I was thinking based on what I've read here, that given the age of that cultivar that it is probably inevitably virused.

Nutritional deficiency... lack of light... why would a rose bush from Heirloom have any of those issues?

why would a rose bush from Heirloom have any of those issues?

?Because it got stuck in a light-less box and man and womanhandled across the country at the beginning of summer.

Ok well since you guys are confident it is most likely something else, I"ll stick to the plan and get it in the ground soon, thanks!

IF If the leaves drop soon, it is shock from summertime shipping. If the leaves persist, it is RMV of the vein-clearing type.

Oh! Then in that case, into a pot it goes first. It can sit on my deck for a couple of months in a big pot :)

Just an update, I called Heirloom to give them a heads up and I was told by the representative that they literally dunk the plants in water before shipping as it is summer time and they do not know how long it will take for the plants to arrive at their destinations. As a result, many times the plants are actually over watered and if the transit temps don't dry the plants out to a certain extent, they start to display those symptoms.

That has to be correct because my bush has shed those leaves and is now producing new leaves, so definitely not a virus.

That said, on the virus discussion "based on the age of the cultivar," 1956 is nothing compared to the old roses from 1700s and 1800s. I wonder why I never read that Zephy is surely virused?

I remembered to come and update this post as I just left a local nursery where they had a nicely growing and blooming, grafted Golden Showers in a 2 gallon pot, grown by Star Roses for - $10 less than I paid for mine. Ugh! I hate it when that happens.

I figured Star was a reputable distributor, surprised to hear that.

They are a "reputable" source. They generate viable plants of decent size and durability. They simply apparently have the traditional American view of RMV infection and prevention. If you want to vilify a source for RMV infection, Austin Roses should be the target. Their RMV denial already documented on the old GW forums, combined with the ultra premium prices they charge for their product, is unconscionable.

I saw rmv appearing leaves on what was listed as a new introduction. One of those post rmv plants....

If they are budded on Dr. Huey, they are almost-certainly virused.

And, braverichard ...
Did ROY&T sell Zephirine Drouhin (I honestly don't recall). If they did, it probably WAS. But it may since have been "cleaned."
Several vendors (including Heirloom) have worked with programs that are Virus-Indexing varieties. If they have done that, they will note that their stock is "Virus-Indexed," or "VI".

Yes,
ROYAT sold ZD for many years. It isn't listed on the Foundation Plant Services
list from UC Davis. FSC doesn't maintain a list of what varieties they cleaned
nor to whom they were given. The only nurseries to have reported the provenance
of their roses was Vintage in their Big Catalog, Trophy Roses from Arlington, Ill which supplied "virus free" exhibition roses for a few, brief years and Pickering with their
statement that every rose they offered was tested and treated if necessary. I am unaware of any other nursery here, or in Canada, to make such claims. Heirloom reportedly worked with the U. of Washington and others to obtain
treated plants, but the only "guaranty" their plants are RMV free is the boiler
plate ravings set in place by John Clements thirty or so years ago when he
proselytized roses from any and every source and sold them as soon as he could
produce them. When they picked up roses from a Huntington Plant Sale in April
and they appeared six months later in the October catalog as magically "virus
free", even though he bought obviously virused plants, something was
"irregular". That was the year they began offering Morey's Pink and Moonsprite,
both of which I sold him at the Sale in April, and both of which were presented
to him as definitely RMV infected. I suggested the roses and I told him which
were infected. Whether he offered the Huntington Morey's Pink or Muriel
Humenick's from Rose Acres is immaterial as Muriel's was the source of the own
root Huntington plant and both were (are) obviously
infected.

Wow, lots of history here guys, thanks

Heirloom did announce in some of their old catalogs when they got some of their varieties cleaned. I only have a few of those old catalogs accessible to me now, so I don't know how much appeared in other years. FSC had listings online, in articles, of roses they treated. I may have partial lists stored somewhere or other. But I may have previously posted the info on gardenweb.

I was pleasantly surprised to see "VI" or "VID" on the tags with a few roses I got from Roses Unlimited last year. When I emailed about this, I was told that they have quite a few roses offered this way. It's a shame they don't note which are clean on their website.

:-)

~Christopher

You could, I guess, ask them if they have a list of which are VI. Those so marked should have originated with Foundation Plant Services, UC Davis. Supposedly, they were going to discontinue their VI program when the rose industry crashed, but it appears from the latest list, some of the older types are no longer grown while quite a few newer ones are listed. Foundation Plant Services Rose List

Zephy may not be virused because it's usually sold own root. As jerjen pointed out almost everything on Dr. Huey is virused. I have Golden Showers, I bought it as a 'body bag' 13 years ago and it's one of my best roses. I has never shown signs of virus, although I'm sure it is.

I bought a Tradescant on Fortuniana which is showing some virus on its leaves. So it's not just Dr. Huey. However, unless the plant doesn't do well, I don't worry about the virus.

My approach is similar to yours Buford, but how something was produced has no bearing on whether it's infected. Start with an infected rose, root it, bud it to VI root stock and you still have an infected rose until it is appropriately heat treated. Own root means nothing, other than the lack of suckers and the potential for it to return from the roots should something destroy the above ground growth.

I wonder whether the rose in the OP defoliated as I expected. If so, it will recover.

michaelg(7a NC Mts)

I wonder whether the rose in the OP defoliated as I expected. If so, it will recover.

braverichard (6a, North MO)(6a)

Just
an update, I called Heirloom to give them a heads up and I was told by
the representative that they literally dunk the plants in water before
shipping as it is summer time and they do not know how long it will take
for the plants to arrive at their destinations. As a result, many times
the plants are actually over watered and if the transit temps don't dry
the plants out to a certain extent, they start to display those
symptoms.

That has to be correct because my bush has shed those leaves and is now producing new leaves, so definitely not a virus.

That is mosai virus. I ordered and received 20 roses from roseunlimited and 3 have mosaic one have RRD tested by the county extension office