Heirloom no longer sells bands but only gallon roses now. Every year I receive the most well rooted plants compared to some other online nurseries. Their business structure is different than other online rose nurseries, rolling the cost of shipping into the rose if you spend at least $65. Considering shipping costs, it has never been more expensive to purchase from them since I rarely order just one rose at a time and they are always having a sale.

I used to order from them (Heirloom) all the time before they got new ownership. Back then it was around $20 or so, for a band and free shipping. It was a little special treat for myself every month or so. I knew they were bands though and most were well rooted and took off quickly.

Now they are advertised as 1 gallons and the shipping has went way up. I've ordered only a few here and there and only, if there's a sale. I got a Strawberry Hill from them and it was 1 gal size and well rooted and decent sized. Another had hardly any roots and could have fit into a band sized pot and was small. I guess its a gamble.

I've been mostly getting my own roots, nowdays, from A Reverence for Roses, Rose Petals Nusery, Northland, and Antique Rose Emporium. Out of the four, in general, ARE and A Reverence for Roses sends the biggest plants.

ARfR does sell in a large band size pot but the roots will usually fill the pot and often coming out the bottom and I've had roses several feet high. I probably have photos if you want to see any.

I actually love the way ARfR sends good sized roses in a very well rooted band pots and keeps their shipping $ lower. I live in FL same as ARfR so it may be cheaper to ship here so YMMV.

If you buy on sale and more than one, you usually get free shipping. I've found their roses to be quite healthy and pretty equivalent to what I can get at ARE at about the same price, overall. But, they hardly sell any real "heirloom" roses anymore, meaning old garden roses. So, they don't have anything I want, usually.

But then, ARE has reduced their stock of OGR's too. Really annoying. I buy very little anymore. It's all about the $$, of course.

Have none of you tried Burlington Rose Nursery?

https://www.helpmefind.com/gardening/l.php?l=17.18773

I understand what you are saying, Kenneth. When I first started ordering from online sources, I was very surprised at how variable it could all be. So many different sizes! I try to only order from Heirloom when they put them on clearance, and they go down to about $19. Then save up my “buds n‘blooms“ points for $10 off and try to clear the free shipping minimum. All that I have bought from H. have done exceptionally well in my garden, the only one that didn’t arrived looking sickly and they promptly replaced it.

I completely agree on RfR‘s plants, Sultry—very healthy and quite reasonable shipping.

I sooo wish I could order from Burling, Jeri, because she has some real gems. But the phytosanitation plus shipping from CA makes it very expensive, and I haven’t found enough in stock to make it worth it. Maybe someday! :-)

Ben, you made me laugh out loud about getting Mr. Lincoln at McDonald’s. Maybe people just don’t realize how many others there are out there? I sort of remember what that was like, lol!! :-)

Burling's fantastic and has so many great, but unusual roses especially in the polyantha class.

Rosepetals Nursery is another winner. They have so many interesting plants.

Seriously, take your business to Burling's nursery.

I love Burling’s but do understand they are bands (i.e. smaller plants that take a year or two to get going compared to most bare root roses).

Oh, well, if it's modern roses you are buying . . .

But if it's classics, and Old Roses, and you are in the western states . . .

Kenneth (OP) is in Tennessee, but I have ordered across the country and it worked well too.

I’m considering ordering garden delight and Abe Darby from them on the sale today before it ends. Will be 58 dollars total. Does this seem like it’s still too pricey for those roses? I’ve never ordered from heirloom before I’ve gotten roses from j&p and high country. Those are the only online companies I’ve ordered from. I read these forums a lot, and decide I NEED roses based on all your beautiful photos. :)

I have to agree with Ben, I would’t order from them or other mail order nurseries unless they were uncommon. Abe Darby is sold by many mail order nurseries and you would likely get a larger plant initially if you purchased the bareroot directly from David Austin. If you’re looking for own root, DA used to sell Abe own root but I do not see this option on their website right now. You could call them if to inquire. Just a thought, though. $58 for two one gallon roses is not bad IMO.

Perma, I ordered Lady Ann Kidwell from Burling and it wasnt terribly expensive. That was a few yrs ago though. My problem was, I was dumb and greedy (:D) and ordered during cold weather and it must of froze a little, somewhere along the way because I had a few dead sticks and one halfway decent branch. Guess what? It totally bounced back from the roots! Its a slow grower but doing well. I would totally order from them again but not in the winter due to all the cold places it could go through.

I blame it all on Jeri though, because her gorgeous LAK pushed me over the edge and 'made' me order when she posted it with these gorgeous Christmas Bow Blooms all over it. (just kidding -but it was gorgeous lol :)

Interesting:

Dave6aMO

Heirloom no longer sells bands but only gallon roses now.

Kenneth zone 7A - Southern Middle TN

Im here thinking well ARE sends good own roots , oh chile what i got from them was bands at a high price 37 bucks

Kenneth:

Did you recently receive these bands?

Or are you saying that their 1 gallon roses are puny?

IF they were true bands:

Did Heirloom indicate to you that “industry 1 gallon” (their language) roses would be shipped?

I do see that now, today, the few individual roses I checked at Heirloom are listed as 1 gallon. Though the site does show photos of a band rooted cutting as typical of what the customer will receive.

I love @BenT (NorCal 9B Sunset 14) the comment about mr lincoln i got him for 7.49 as a body bag rose at TSC and look At him, i wouldnt dare do no 45 buck heirloom should be ashame Lol

The text accompanying Heirloom’s photo of the rose pot refers to it as a “deep seedling pot” without any mention of “1 gallon”.

Kenneth

Looks like you super-sized Mister Lincoln. Did you get the fries and a drink, too?

Lol omg when i read your comment i laughed so loud because i was just saying that to a girlfriend i mean seriously this rose is not 45 worthy . Not even a david austin (laughing emojis) i guess theres limits to my crazyness i got these on sale and had a coupon and free shipping that made it accessible but this company is no joke coming for them coins & i cant be mad lol because they seen to have a audience .

Thank you for clearing that up.

I do order from heirloom when I meet their shipping requirements and they are on sale. I am comfortable with that price . But at first I was not ... when they changed their format I dug my heels in and said I wouldn’t shop there but I do get a bit from them. They offer a lot I love ! They grow fast.

Do you ever notice slowly you become immune to the price of something? We liived in Tennessee, gas was $2.65 ish where I lived. Now in California it is 3.89 cheapest I can find . I cringed so much at first but now I’m just paying and getting on with it . That’s what happed with roses for me ! Lol i used to pay 28$ max locally at a garden center in Franklin.( and I hated that !) Now here in California they are about $40 unless on sale ( Lowe’s is cheaper but not always interesting).

Sometimes I factor in shipping and how much time I would have spent and gas to get the roses shipped to me , and that makes it worth it . Especially now with two kids , my hours of garden center hopping are over .

Lilyfinch they are not necessarily over. Sometimes you get one that likes the hunt. They might need a slurpee or iced coffee to sweeten the pot but to hang with you and get a little treat is a lot of incentive....

Lilyfinch, I have 3 young kids and still manage a bit of garden center hopping. You'll get there again. Isn't your littlest still pretty new? My youngest is 2 now, so it makes it a tad easier that they can all run around there. They sometimes do whine the whole time. I'd rather pay to be able to pick up groceries without setting foot in the store, and spend that time saved looking at plants instead. I agree about getting desensitized to prices after a while. I'm pretty cheap when it comes to most things, but then I'm like "Oh hey, thats a beautiful plant, and its only 25 dollars- no biggie right?" If my husband saw my plant receipts...

Tina and Sam I sure hope you are right! And well yes Sam I have a 6 week old so maybe I’m being dramatic lol . We will see in spring how he is ! My daughter loves going with me to garden centers. She knows a lot of plants and she’ll comment on things too. Also she tells on me when her daddy asks what we did that day ! Lol !!! But man do I miss when I had no kids and would go when my husband golfed. I went all over town . I filled up the car sometimes had to drop stuff off at home and go back out lol ! Or just spent the whole day in the garden covered in dirt , only stopping for a ice cold Coke and lunch . Of course I wouldn’t trade them for the world but I so enjoyed those old days too.

Amen to grocery pick up! Wahooooo

im super cheap too ! Omg my clothes are ridiculous. I have been trying to improve on that . I wear things way past their prime , and complain on $40 jeans that are way more of a necessity than $40 David Austin rose I don’t blink an eye at !! I need an intervention sometimes :)

Omg @Lilyfinch z9a Murrieta Ca reading who you are is who i am . Im a plant addict could you imagine the damage we would of done garden shopping

One thing about Heirloom is you can meet the shipping requirement with other stuff besides roses. One time I ordered a rose on sale and I didnt really want to buy another one (big miracle lol) but I bought a nice pocket knife from them to get to the free shipping requirement which was $50 at the time. It is actually a decent and very sharp knife, handy in the garden and kinda girly too :P

It even has etched purple roses ♡ They had other colors.

@Lily.. I have three kids. When they were little they were a terror to go anywhere with because they were are all very close together in age. My younger son would always try to run off and hide in the clothes racks at the store and pop out at people. I swear this one time he almost gave some older lady a stroke! Same kinda thing at the nursery, they were bored.

Somehow, I have still managed to still be a tropical plant hoarder so I must of had time in there somewhere lol. I used to do a lot of plant trading in the mail. There wasnt as much available to buy online back then, as there is now. I was working on my BSN full time during that time too. I musta been nuts lol.

It gets better as they get older. Two of my kids actually like plants now. My daughter is into cactus & succulents and my oldest son likes veggie gardening and cooking with what he grows. The youngest wouldnt be caught dead with plants but 2 out of 3 aint bad.

I have actually been kind of down on Heirloom of late. I have had a couple of roses from them, at their very high prices, that simply didn't thrive. For example, I tried Quicksilver from them twice - both plants died over the winter, and I don't think my zone is the problem since, for example, Moses, who is I believe zone 5 grows them with success. Plus, I got one from Northland and so far (knock on wood) it has been doing great, even bloomed for me in its first year. I'm sort of at the point where I'll only order from Heirloom if they have something I can't get elsewhere, or maybe if they are having free shipping and there's just one plant I want. There are too many other great sources for roses who deserve my support, and Heirloom also seems to have gotten to be less like a family-run business and more corporate (or something; just my impression).

Lilyfinch, I had to laugh when I read your comments about clothes! I too deeply resent having to spend $ on clothing! I'm lucky in that I work at home, and DH and cats don't care if I spend all my time in ratty old sweats (the neighbors have finally gotten used to seeing me walking around in ripped up old pants and etc). Plus for the times when I do have to look presentable, I'm fortunate in that I have a best friend and a sister who have both given me a lot of "nice" clothes that they no longer wear; so honestly, I really can't remember the last time I bought a new article of clothing (but again, realize I'm lucky to be able to get away with this, not everybody can!) Its a slippery slope, though - sometimes I find myself looking at an expensive plant in a garden center (or online), and thinking to myself "but hey, there are people out there who spend hundreds, even thousands, on a pair of shoes! So is $30 really that unreasonable??!!"

I try to be super frugal when it comes to the plants themselves...it’s the arbors, trellises and pots that get me justifying my actions! They are so hard to find for a reasonable price!

This post has become hysterical... I think we can all relate. My clothes are completely ridiculous, although I "clean up well" apparently. My next door neighbors didn't even recognize me when I ran into them voting..... I had on something other that hand-me-down jeans and an old grubby shirt. Even my helper dresses better, but somehow I always get filthy and he stays clean. I don't get that. One thing nice about winter is that I can finally get my nails clean and KEEP them clean.

oursteelers, I'm with you on the pots. That's one item that's hard to find cheap, but around here we do have some stores that have great pots reasonably priced, but the style is generally not what I want.

I’m right there with you guys. I can’t wait to retire and live in my gardening clothes. We had an ”Alter-Ego” Day at school, so I went dressed as a gardener—of course, a cleaned up version. Most of my students didn’t recognize me at first, in overalls, wellies and a baseball cap.

Lilyfinch, this may sound crazy to you, but I miss the days I could put my guys in a shopping cart and keep them there. They used to drive me crazy when I was trying to shop, but I really miss that time now. They are 19 & 21 now, and twice my size. I remember when I could carry one on each hip! I had the best arms then, lol!! :-)

Perma, I know what you mean. My sons are 22 and 25 and every time I give them a kiss good bye I get a pang. The scruff, the height and they don’t smell the same! My girls are 27 and 13 and for some reason I don’t get the pang in quite the same way.

Aww I love all the stories about y’alls children .. it is very sweet to read!! I am trying to savor every second of elijahs newborn stage and smell. He’s losing that squishy baby feel where they curl up so adorably! He’s only 6 weeks but has changed so much. There’s so much I miss about Lucia too , and much I’m glad for as well . Parenting is bittersweet all around !!

I hope to instill the love of nature in both of them .

I love that I’m not the only one living in garden clothes . My poor neighbors always catch me at my worst ! First day here Lucia and I were in bathing suits ,me 7 mo pregnant and no makeup , slathering sun lotion on and only half done when he knocks to introduce himself. My bulldog ran out , so I run out after him into the street , when my top strap becomes loose and falls . No flashing thank the Lord but I’m trying to hold onto a 70 pound dog and fix my top and coerce him back in... when Another neighbor comes out and wants to see the dog ! Oh sure .. lol guys I had my bathing suit on at 7 mo. No shorts or cover up , just me and who knows what else in public .

Now I wonder why I have no friends here ?! Lol

Oh Lilyfinch, I'd be your friend. When Vaporvac came to get the figs I was grubby from moving figs in for the Winter. I had no make up, and an old sweater and I had dressed up! I didn't even wear my favorite jeans (deep pockets for tools) which have faded to almost gray with white Chlorox splashes on the lower legs. The thighs have a light coat of ground in wood stain. Clothes just don't have the thrill factor that roses do.

Cath

Cath, you looked adorable! I dressed up to come to your house! I was hoping someone else would help put the things in the car. That was my big outing for the year! You should have seen me on the other end though. :-) hoisting them on the dolly and down the stairs and into their cold room and up on a chair. I definitely wasn't wearing my nice clothes for that :-) Lilyfinch, it makes me so sad to hear you say you have no friends there. I would be your friend too. In fact, I think we all better stick together. I think my neighbors just consider me a weirdo. However, their kids really like me for some reason and they find my yard fascinating. Whenever one visits they want to learn all about what I'm growing. So that warms my heart.:-) I'll give you credit for even answering the door.:-) :-)

You all are a hoot - feel like you are writing about me. Sultry, my son when he was little loved hiding under clothes racks too. I was always scared he would run off and get kidnapped. I got so fed up one day I marched him off to a kids store in the mall after he had just pulled his stunt in Penny's and bought a little yellow harness so I could keep my hands on him. A frustrated father with a little boy came in just as I bought it and was told the only color harness left was pink.........he yelled I'll take it!! and whipped out the cash. I still laugh over that.........but now my darling boy is 36 and in the Navy and I see so little of him - he is deployed now, wont be home til March. But I have 2 small grandsons and a granddaughter who remind me of the good old days when he was small! Lily.......these days when kids are small and your life is not your own seem endless......but believe me, the years speed by and you will miss those days, so enjoy every minute.

I look like a hobo when I work outside......and could care less. Thankfully, I dont have to look at myself! My "work" clothes are stained and have holes, but are comfortable and until they totally rot off, I see no need to spend money replacing them - I can buy roses with that money! I buy alot of my clothes from Walmart just to do errands around town- [they actually have some decent things that can be dressed up with big earrings!] but do have "nice" clothes for the few times I need to dress up. I never fail to make people do a double take when I do dress up as they are so used to seeing me in my regular duds. I have horses, chickens and plants, which means if I am outside, I am dirty. Have quit buying clothes - my closets are full, no more room, but plenty of room for another rose! My son isnt interested in horses and plants, but loves the chickens! Luckily, the grandkids adore all three and being outside at Mimi's house so I hopefully am turning them into nature lovers. Am darn sure teaching them how to get dirty!

I do buy from Heirloom but only if there is something I want and cant get elsewhere. They send nice plants but Chicago Peace for $35?? And Austins for $45 when you get great plants from DA for $30.........They have alot of really interesting roses that are perpetually out of stock that I wish they would propagate.....bet orders would start pouring in! Wish they would offer more $19 sale roses............

I love Burlington roses, she has a awesome collection. But just a word from the wise if you order from her, your gonna have to baby them. They will need to grow longer in the pots she sends them in then potted up and growed even longer. I always have to be super careful and baby them extra. They do not come that well rooted, but she has such a awesome collection, that if you really want that particular rose, it's gonna be extra work. But worth it!!

I want your roses to grow and be beautiful and I would hate for you to kill it , so wanted to let you know, so you would know what to expect, and how to help them. Don't forget to leave it in the pot it comes in until you get better roots. Fish emulsion will be good to grow more roots.

Alameda, that is exactly what my clothes do: rot off. I've had some pretty embarrassing situations as a result. My work shoes are another story! The soles have been glued on numerous times as the tops just keep on going! I really should get some little gardening booties this year.

Alana, that is great advice. Someone was kind enough to give me that warning as I had no idea about bands.

I just put in an order with Burling - one is National Velvet, a rose I grew years ago and loved. That one is in a 1 gallon pot so maybe it is farther along. A tip I found out by accident years ago, when I got some Heirloom bands [much smaller than they send now]. I couldnt plant them right away, and it was chilly out, so I pulled the little clear baggie they came in up all the way to cover them. A few days later, I noticed there was humidity inside and the roses were really thriving. I let them grow this way awhile as I figured they didnt have a large root system. One of these babies was Peach Silk and it now a huge plant. So when I get these small bands, I either pull up their plastic baggies or put them in a plastic tote where they get moderate light and they are in a humidified atmosphere - it really helps. Another thing I learned from ordering small tropical hibiscus in little pots - the grower's instructions are to not transplant the hibiscus for 6 months and in something no bigger than a gallon pot. Once my plants are settled, I do plant them in a gallon pot - but I cut out the bottom of the little 4" pot they came in - plant this in the gallon pot and be very careful not to overwater. Once it appears the roots have made contact with the soil in the gallon pot and the little plant is growing well, I carefully dig around the 4" pot, cut it and lift it off and put the soil back around the plant. This has worked very well.

Vap, I put on a new Walmart thermal shirt this morning - it feels so weird - no stains, no holes! I use the Walmart shoes too - easy to slip off and on when I need to go in the house. For about $12, I can make these last a long time! More money for roses!

Alameda, this is a great tips, thank you : )

I was just going to chime in that Burling has gallons in a bunch of varieties too, I had her mail me a Coquette des Blanches this summer in a gallon. I also got a Lady Mitchell from heirloom that was about the same size that is doing equally well. The thing I don’t like about heirloom is their obnoxious $65 free shipping limit when their plants are 50ish.

I also received gallon sizes from Burlington and boy have they thrived. Crimson Glory took off and bloomed like crazy and The Fawn is going to be a favorite. It is the sweetest color of pink

Oh gosh, Kristine. You just reminded me that The Fawn is the other one I want from her. The list keeps growing? How much are the gallons? Does she bare-root them for shipping?

Vap, mine came in a pot that definitely needed more soil so I just put it in a slightly and after 2 months it went in the ground and really took off. I have it planted at the base of my birdbath. It is such a gorgeous rose

Are they much more expensive. I can see either at the base of a birdbath. I'm thinking of moving my two Darceys elsewhere and need something that can take late day shade in the swing seasons. I already have the Tooth Fairy, Pretty Jessica, Marie Pavie and Gruss an Aachen in that bed so a pink would be fine or another red.

I am not sure but I think around $20

Has anyone else ever made a mad dash to the back door of the house when seeing a vehicle pull up in the driveway? I tell ya, I can sure move when need be! Then, zip into the washroom for a speedy clean up and shave while family greets them at the door. One time, when I was looking particularly scruffy and feeling miserably tired as heck, I went and hunkered down under the deck rather than show myself to the visitors! LOL.

I'm wreckless with my clothing, I never purchase new, only do Value Village shopping and a lot of their stuff is like new anyways. Those nice shirts and T shirts of mine are often quickly stained and mucked up and dress shoes caked with mud when I can't locate or am too lazy to hunt down my garden shoes! Why am I'm always needing to wipe and pry the mud off my shoes with a table knife before I can go to town for shopping! I'm a scruffy grubby from spring until the time the snow again flies in the autumn!

Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to have green thumbs !!

Vaporvac, I don't know how relevant my experience is to your location, but for me, The Faun was also planted near my birdbath in only morning sun. It did so well that I needed to move it. The Faun seems less like a polyantha for me and more like a shrub. Most polyanthas do well for me here in morning sun only. Burling has some lovely and unusual ones if you're thinking about going that way.