Yikes! That's too bad. But those last two have some green on them. I'd cut off the dead canes and cut the roots back and pot them up and see if they recover.

I've had the exact same experience and have wondered the exact same thing! Thank you for posting. I thought I was the only one. My worst weren't Kordes roses but the David Austin's out of Florida in the unmarked pots at Lowe's. Yikes! They look just like yours. I actually don't know how my Dark Desires looked as I just put the pot in the ground, but they have been pretty vigorous so I don't think they have the same issue.

The Olympiad I got at home depot you could see was just thrown in roots up and over side. I took it out, and put it in a bigger pot. They didn't bother covering it, or I probably wouldn't have known. They don't seem to know or care. :-(

Does this mean we have to unpot the roses we buy, wash away the dirt and straighten the roots for success?

Maybe. You should examine the root ball carefully when transplanting out of a pot. Even for own root roses, if the roots are pot-bound, it helps to spread out and loosen up the roots before putting the plant into its new home.

I also think rinsing off the soil helps get rid of any midge. I think that's how I imported mine.

I have seen these roses at Lowes just shoved in their pots with their roots bent up and sometimes even sticking out of the top if the pots! Its shameful the way these roses are getting potted lately. It was going on this past fall as well. I don't know if machines are doing this or people but Kordes et al should yell at whoever is in charge of this.

I bought a seemingly very healthy Double Delight at Lowe's. Planted it. It started dying in its 2nd week after being planted. Same for a tree rose bought at the same time, same store. Now I'm wondering if the massively thick cane 3rd rose will suffer the fate along with the Fragrant Cloud replacing the double delight. Their early death now makes sense.

I think Lowe's has a 1 year guarantee. Maybe that would work on these roses. I was in our local Lowe's the other day, was looking at the roses. Just pathetic! Most were wilted, dried up, crying out for water. A guy who looked like a manager pranced up to me, all smiley faced and asked if I was finding everything all right - I said yes, but would you please get someone to water your poor roses? I am a rose person and it really bothers me to see those poor plants dying from lack of water. His happy face burst like a balloon and he gave me a blank stare. He pointed at a lady employee and said oh, that is her department. She apologized and said she has been really busy. I thought - doing what? Watching the roses die? Most of the ones on display were in death throes from lack of water. I strolled through the garden area later and she was watering - not the roses but ferns, etc. that looked just fine. Then they put the half dead plants on 50% or more off.....when they could have just cared for them and sold them at full price. Go figure! I haven't noticed roots like what you all described but will check. They are bad about mislabeling plants. I bought on another trip there a rose that had probably just arrived, looked great, beautiful buds. It is labeled Carefree Beauty but it most certainly is not. It looks like a pale pink double Knockout. Have seen the candy pink, pink blush, more like a single, but not one like this. And....the other day it produced a bloom that is half red/half blush pink. I have heard of KO's that occasionally do this. So who knows what it is? Its pretty - healthy and is going in my pink bed - and I WILL check the roots!

Judith

I think the most important thing you can do with a new rose, body bag or decent bare root is to "grow roots". I take them out of the container, clean off the soil, soak them in a wash of water and bleach, 10-1 ratio, over night, then I pot them up in a good potting soil in a new-to-the-rose container and grow roots. I don't plant a rose into the ground until I know it has a healthy root mass.

This practice has made a huge difference in growing roses in my less-than-ideal soil.