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My experience with buying roses online

MNDutch RoseGuy
3 years ago

Three years ago our house burnt down to the ground, we all got out on time and where able to take our pets and some of our belongings out of our house. During the time we lived at our house I was able to collect some 80-100 different kinds of roses, some in my yard and most of them in containers. Since the fire happened in February all my potted roses got destroyed by the fire (I had them stored in my attached garage), the other roses, what ever was left of them, I was able to dig up that following spring. After a few months staying in a hotel, while our new house was being built (at a different location), we where finally able to move in. I left my "saved" roses in my in-laws yard and for a while I was done with roses and gardening in general, too busy building up our lives again. But this spring I got the rose fever again and decided to look around and see what I could find online. Mind you, I live in MN so the "easiest and safest" way of growing roses for me is in pots, although I had some great success overwintering roses outside. So I bought roses from the following vendors:

High Country Roses

Edmunds Roses

Hortico

Jung's

A Reference For Roses

Rose Pedal Nursery

Northland Rosarium

Heirloom Rose

David Austin

Burlington

Rogue Valley Roses

Yes, I bought from pretty much any vendor in the business :). This is my experience with each vendor:

High Country Roses:

I loved the roses I received from them, they are own root roses, so they are smaller, but they all came here healthy. The 20% off coupon was nice too. The packaging was great, although somewhat hard to get them out of the box, but hat has more to do with me trying to get them out of the box eagerly. I potted them in a 2 gallon pot for now. I would give them an A.

Edmunds Roses:

We didn't start of on the right foot, I placed an order and the next morning I wanted to add some more roses, but they told me that they could not do that anymore. I asked are they already shipped or in a box, they said no but I still wasn't able to add more roses to my order. This should have been a red flag for me. That same day I placed another, smaller, order with them. It took almost two weeks before I got my roses and some of them were pretty much DOA and one rose was missing. They are refunding the missing rose, I hope, but the quality was not great and the customer service was horrible. I would give this vendor a D.

Hortico:

Hortico was a mixed bag, I liked the variety they had, somewhat. The communication with them was pretty good, they kept me up to date. Two of the roses came potted and one was so small that they send two, I don't think either one is going to make it. I'm a little up in the air with them, since only the potted roses are doing pretty good, but the bareroot ones are not looking that great. I would give them a C, mainly because they had good communication.

Jung's:

This was the first order I placed and the first roses I received, I was a little worried but the bareroots are doing great, all looked healthy and strong. The thing I didn't like was the communication, they never send me a shipping e-mail, so all of a sudden my roses came and I was not prepared. I would give them a B for now.

A Reference for roses:

This was a completely unknown store for me, they have a really nice variety of roses, lots of teas and bermuda roses. They are based in FL. I ordered 5 roses from them, the price was not bad and shipping was reasonable. The roses are own roots and came healthy. I don't know if I will order from them again, but that has mainly to do with them being in FL and me being in MN, not sure if they will survive even in my above freezing garage. Regardless, the quality of the roses was good, shipping was fast and packaging was good. I would give them an A.

Rose Pedal Nursery:

Another FL based nursery with tons of teas and bermudas, the roses came in perfect shape, communication was ok, we had a little bit of a struggle communicating what I wanted and some of the roses listed as available turned out out of stock, which is fine, it's one of the perks of living north you get handled the leftovers :). I wasn't a huge fan of their packaging, it took me a while to get them out of the box and it didn't help a whole lot against getting soil/newspaper being dumped out of the pots during shipping. Plants are doing great so I give them a B+, leaning towards an A.

Northland Rosarium:

I was going to order from them earlier but I just could not figure out the 10% coupon, I wish I would have figured it out earlier. The roses came healthy and great looking. Communication was ok, probably more my issue than theirs. I wanted to add some more roses to my order, but for some reason they never received my e-mail until after the roses shipped, they did later honor the shipping price so they send the other roses to me at a reduced shipping cost, which was awesome.Packaging and shipping was great, together with the quality I would give them an A.

Heirloom Roses:

I was very pleased with the 5 roses I got from them, they where in great health and very well packaged, probably one of the best I have seen so far. The prices are high, but if you but over $60.00 then shipping is free, that makes the price per rose a little less, still the prices are higher than most other vendors. Looking at the quality, packaging and price I would give them a B+

David Austin:

This was the best bareroot vendor I bought roses from, they are like Heirloom Roses a little pricey, but the quality is very good. I potted these in May and they are already looking like rose bushes. I wish I would have gotten more from them, but the price was a little high. Packaging and communication was great, roses looked healthy and are doing awesome. I would give them an A.

Burlington:

Burlington is great if you know what you are looking for, there is no website, just an spreadsheet file with all the roses that they grow. I went thru her list and tried to find pictures online to see what they looked like and other information. I had sent them a list of what I would like and unfortunately most of them where out of stock, I blame that on being late in the game. After getting a list together, I bought two one gallon roses and 8 bands, communication was great and everything else was a breeze. The bands are pretty small, but they are doing good. Shipping was per rose the cheapest, which was nice. I would give them a B+, mainly due to the lack of a website and a not up to date inventory.

Rogue Valley Roses:

In the beginning I went back and forward, should I order from them or not. I'm glad I did, the quality of the roses is great, pricing was good and packaging shipping was very well done and fast. I would probably order from them again, I like that you get a free rose when you order a certain amount of roses. The roses are a little smaller then the other own roots I got, but they are doing good. I would give them a A-.


Of course this is just my own experience and everybody has different preferences. I'm from MN so I'm late in the game when it comes to ordering roses (of course I can order them in the winter and maybe I will next year). In total I bought about 75 roses, all of them are in a 2 or more gallon size container, they will overwinter in an attached garage on tables wrapped up.

Looking at all these vendors, I would definitely buy from High Country Roses, Rogue Valley Roses and David Austin again. None of the vendors, except maybe Edmunds, I would not recommend, but for me communication, pricing (I'm Dutch so I am pretty cheap), website, shipping and quality of plants are the criteria that are important to me.

Sorry for the long post.


Dennis





Comments (46)

  • Kristine LeGault 8a pnw
    3 years ago

    Thanks for the thorough review.

    In the fall check out Palatine roses. I have never gotten such huge bareroot roses.

    I am really sorry that you lost your home and roses. I hope that this new home will be blessed with many wonderful new memories.

  • mmmm12COzone5
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Dennis,

    Great, detailed review! Very nice that you ordered from so many so can really compare and contrast the products using equal criteria. I'm sure this will be valuable to many people.

    What roses did you get from each and can you include a picture? I know it is alot of roses and alot of pictures. But you may be glad in the future you took some now. I always enjoy going back and seeing how it came like this (small) and now looks like this.

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  • oursteelers 8B PNW
    3 years ago

    Thank you for taking the time to give such a detailed description-you are going to help a lot of people with all that information!

  • Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Sympathies on your house. I can not even imagine, but it seems you are now able to heal if you're planting a garden with roses again.

    Thanks for the excellent review. I agree about those from which I've also ordered and appreciate details about the others. I've waffled on RVR for ages so it's good to know they're a winner. FYI, David Austin has a 15% coupon every Spring if you didn't get that. Their shipping also caps out so you can order and then apply the discount when they post it. In addition to those mentioned try Antique Rose Emporium and FreedomGardens. ARE has a free shipping sale at Thanksgiving which makes getting their 2 gal roses reasonable. Great quality and packaging. FreedomGardens only lists what's available at any given moment, but he custom propagates from his 1000+ plant inventory for the same price so just ask if there's something you've been wanting. He specializes in z5 and lower roses. Last year he had a 20% Fall sale with Spring delivery. He has a flat rate $20 shipping for three roses if I recall correctly.

    We hope you'll tell us what roses you ordered and look forward to seeing pics soon.

    P.S. There is also Chamblees, but I haven't ordered from them since the change in ownership. P.P.S. HCR also has a Fall sale and a 25% off gift card around Thanksgiving til Xmas with Spring delivery.

  • MNDutch RoseGuy
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Thank you for the nice comments, I spend a lot this year on my roses, but it gives me a good start. The most important thing is that we, the pets and some of our precious things got out safely. Things can be replaced, yes I felt bad that my roses got destroyed, but now that I start over it's special, it gives me a good feeling again. @mmmm12COzone5 below is the list of roses I bought this year, it's a lot but with the different ship dates I had enough time in the weekend to get them all in their pots. I have foto's on my cell phone and I will try to get them on this forum. @Kristine LeGault 8a pnw I heard good things about them, I was going to order from them, but I was too late in the season, but this fall I will check them out. @oursteelers 8B PNW thank you, of course it's subjective and I wonder if with some places if I would have ordered earlier if I would have had more choices. @Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley thank you for the tips, I will check them out this fall, shipping is a lot of times a little bit of a deal breaker, but I understand the cost of shipping. Having free shipping or a max shipping surely does help. I will post some pictures soon.

    Jung

    Chicago Peace

    Fragrant Cloud

    Ink Spots

    Miranda Lambert

    Mister Lincoln

    New Zealand

    Rio Samba

    Tropicana

    Heirloom Rose

    Peace HT

    Pinkerbell HT

    Sweet Mademoiselle HT

    Beverly HT

    Double Delight HT

    Antique Rose Emporium

    Nacogdoches FL

    Belinda's Dream EK

    Emily OT

    David Austin

    Boscobel

    The Lady Gardener

    The Alnwick Rose

    The Poet's Wife

    Desdemona

    Lady Emma Hamilton

    Burlington:

    Marijke Koopman

    Esther Geldenhuys

    Coquette des Blanches

    Reine des Violettes*

    Varigata di Bologna*

    Souv de la Malmaison Rouge

    Cardinal de Richelieu

    Betty Uprichard*

    Fragrant Plum*

    Souvenir du president lincoln (band)

    High Country Roses:

    Queen Nefertiti ER

    La France HT

    Marilyn Monroe™ HT

    Perfume Delight HT

    Mrs. B.R. Cant T

    Firefighter ® HT

    Oh Happy Day™ HT

    Pink Enchantment® (Souvenir de Baden-Baden) HT

    Second order:

    Moonstone™

    Frau Karl Druschki

    Henri Fouquier

    Sidonie

    Edmunds

    Color Magic

    Commonwealth Glory

    Falling In Love

    Love At First Sight

    Maurice Utrillo**

    Painted Porcelain

    Tineke

    Camille Passarro **

    Delle Reese**

    Marc Chagall**

    Rogue Valley Roses:

    Velvet Fragrance

    Prominent

    Wimi

    Golden Buddha

    Yellow Queen Elizabeth

    Charles De Gaulle

    Champagne Cocktail

    Hortico:

    Liebeszauber

    Ben's Gold

    Berolina

    Princess De Monaco

    Jan Steen

    A Reference For Roses:

    Laujuzan-Tea

    General-Schablikine

    Madame-Joseph-Schwartz

    Brides-Dream

    Rose Pedal Nursery

    Tamalpais Homestead Tea

    Bermuda Spice

    Brightside Cream

    Aloha or Blanche Lafitte

    Northland Rosarium

    Veteran's Honor

    Mellow Yellow

    Heirloom

    Paris D'Yves St. Laurent

    Neptune


    The roses marked with ** are probably not going to make it, I have them on my problem table.


  • MNDutch RoseGuy
    Original Author
    3 years ago


    My Desdemona

  • MNDutch RoseGuy
    Original Author
    3 years ago


    Marilyn Monroe

  • MNDutch RoseGuy
    Original Author
    3 years ago


    Champagne Cocktail

  • MNDutch RoseGuy
    Original Author
    3 years ago


    Emily

  • MNDutch RoseGuy
    Original Author
    3 years ago


    Heirloom, I love this rose, this picture doesn’t show the real colors

  • MNDutch RoseGuy
    Original Author
    3 years ago


    Nacogdoches, my favorite yellow rose, I had it in a 15 gallon pot in my old house, I hope this small guy will get there too.

  • mmmm12COzone5
    3 years ago

    Love the pictures! Keep them coming.

    Thank you for the list. It looks like you bought 79 roses. Wow!

    I enjoyed looking up the ones from High Country Roses. It is close to me so I can pick them up. I particularily liked Frau Karl Druschki. I had never seen that one before and being zone 4 with "occassional repeat" I may be interested in it. I sometimes find the repeat rate is better than advertised. Is this one you have grown before? If so how was the repeat?

  • MNDutch RoseGuy
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    @mmmm12COzone5 yes I did have F.K.D at my old house, this was one of the few that I grew in my garden, it's pretty cold hardy. It grew about 4.5-5 feet tall, some repeat, but the color is of such a brilliant white, I think that this is the best white colored rose out there. I wish it would have some fragrance to it, but the color alone makes up for it.


  • sbrklyn_7bny
    3 years ago

    Thank you for sharing your experience. I tried on-line shopping of potted roses for the first time this year and have mixed feelings about it. I think going forward my preferred source is potted from local nursery since they are more established and will experience less transplant shock. The Zephirine I got from a local nursery is a giant compared with the one I bought from Heirloom. I must not be thinking straight when I bought a 1 gallon Zephirine on-line for $46!! But the selection at local nursery is usually very limited. Mostly I will buy bare roots going forward. The potted ones I bought on-line are small, even the gallon sized. Its not much an issue for small shrub roses but for climbers I don’t know how long it would take for the 1 gallon to grow up the wall. Small ones are also more vulnerable to pests etc. For the price plus shipping I paid for potted I think bareroots by comparison are a better choice for me. This fall I plan to order bareroots from David Austin since I had good experience with them last year. I also want to try Palatine that so many people said good things about it.


    - Stacy

  • MNDutch RoseGuy
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    @sbrklyn_7bny I totally agree with you, if you have the chance to do so, buy local, my choices here in MN are somewhat limited, so I rely on online nurseries. I haven't had any climbing roses, besides William Baffin, since it's hard to find a hardy one that would survive my climate. Regarding pests, it's starting to be Japanese beetle season here, so I'm out there two, three times a day to pick them off, they are very hard to get rid off. Question, does anyone ever tried putting like a shear type curtain over their roses at night (these beetles feed at night)?

  • rifis (zone 6b-7a NJ)
    3 years ago

    Dennis:

    Good review.

    Your My Desdemona photo is a good one. I don’t have it, but I pass one regularly while out walking. It does well with little apparent sun; no blackspot with what appears to be rudimentary care. Some citrus fragrance detectable.

    I suspect “My Sharona” explains the confusion about its name.

  • sbrklyn_7bny
    3 years ago

    @MNDutch RoseGuy have you tried milky spore for Japanese Beetles? We had a problem with JB in our previous garden and milky spore is highly effective. And it’s safe.

  • Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
    3 years ago

    Stacy, when you say potted and bareroot, are you referring to grafted roses? If so, those will always be larger than potted or BR Own-Root roses for at least a year and bands maybe more depending on their summer growth. You probably know that, but I was uncertain which you meant. Of course, the advantage of BR is they will come back from freezing especially if vigorous to start, and won't sucker if killed.

  • Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
    3 years ago

    Dennis, really agree with your evaluations. Antique Rose Emporium is also great, as is Corn Hill in Canada. Hardiness issues in Alaska had me seeking out the Canadians too.

  • Chris Martins Zone6a Chicago
    3 years ago

    Awesome review! Thank you for detailing your experiences and impressions.


    My personal favorites are Roses Unlimited and High Country Roses. I have also received stellar plants from Antique Rose Emporium and Heirloom Roses. The new owners at Heirloom really do send out HUGE gallon sized plants now.

  • sbrklyn_7bny
    3 years ago

    @vaporvac: this year I got own root BR and grafted BR. Most of them seem to be more mature than the 1 gallon potted I got, with more canes and thicker canes. But perhaps the potted 1 gallon will catch up by the fall?

  • seil zone 6b MI
    3 years ago

    Great reviews, Dennis! So sorry about the loss of your home. We have another member, Beth Hana, who lost everything and thousands of roses to the Paradise fire. She occasionally posts updates on how she is rebuilding her collection, and her life. Do a search for her posts and I'm sure you will find it parallels yours. I think you are very brave and applaud your perseverance.

    I will second Palatine as a great source. Since they are in Niagara, Ontario their roses are always hardy varieties. Unfortunately they are closed for mail order now but will reopen for that in September.

    Your list is impressive and your photos are beautiful! Welcome to the group and can't wait to see more!

  • MNDutch RoseGuy
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    @sbrklyn_7bny no but I will try this this fall, thank you for the tip! @rifis I can see the confusion lol, I was thinking the same thing when I saw the name Desdemona.

  • MNDutch RoseGuy
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    @seil zone 6b MI I will give them a shot, I put a reminder in my calendar in the fall to check out their roses. I went to their website, but by that time they didn't ship anymore. I will look for Beth, it took me a while before I was able to take time and have the urge to go back to having roses, but now I'm glad I did.

  • MNDutch RoseGuy
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    @Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR I bought three roses from Antique Rose Emporium, the first rose on my list was the Nacogdoches, I had to have it. I was very impressed by the size of their plants. At first I thought the shipping charges where a little steep, but when I saw the packaging and the plants it was worth the charges. I see that I forgot to mention them in my review, but I love their roses and will definitely buy again from them. I have not checked out Corn Hill but I will.

  • MNDutch RoseGuy
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    @Chris Martins Zone6a Chicago I looked at Rose Unlimited, but I wasn't a big fan of their website and the extra charges when you buy roses. I'm sure the quality of the plants is good, I just wish you could see if they have them in stock or not, the extra charges are ok if the roses are of a good quality. It's probably the same issue I had with Burlington, I'm like "I need to know now if they are in stock or not" :)

  • Chris Martins Zone6a Chicago
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    I understand. But it is so easy to send them an email or call them. The quality is really wonderful!


    By the way, what do you mean by “extra charges”? When I have purchased from them, they only charged for the roses and for shipping.

  • Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
    3 years ago

    If you email Burling she will send you the list and it says what is in stock. I think she keeps it updated actually from a list that is on HMF.

  • pricklycuttingnoca
    3 years ago

    I'd like to tell my story. Over the years, I bought from Roses Unlimited(for sale and variety); High country(sale and healthy small plants); Burling (nice little plants, she gave 2 even 3, price also good). Heirloom Roses, expensive but best plants( close to CA is part of the reason), but the last time, I spend $36 for Queen of Denmark, got Queen of Sweden instead. I wrote an email, and was told it will "grow out of it". I wondered how it will grow out of the pencil shape and the hard to be mistaken smell? I'm unhappy, $36 is not nothing for me, but still I can see myself buying from them again in the future. I look at Rogue Valley Roses all the time, but never bought anything.

  • Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Pricklycutting, that happened to me too. I emailed Heirloom a photo of the rose they sent which was also Q of Sweden. The credited my Visa since they had no Q of Denmark. They should do the same for you. I got Spirit of Freedom from them this Spring and it is fabulous. Freedom Gardens Peter Schneider is rooting me a Queen of Denmark.

  • MNDutch RoseGuy
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    @Chris Martins Zone6a Chicago that's true, I think the reason was for not checking them out more was that I already had bought a lot of roses at the time, I will definitely check them out next spring. By extra charges I meant the cost they charge for using your visa or other credit card, I believe it was them (I went to a lot of different websites, so I could be wrong). If the plants are of good quality I will buy from them next year.

  • MNDutch RoseGuy
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    @Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley you are correct, I did had some really nice e-mail correspondence with her and she is very flexible, I changed my order a few times and she was fine with that. I love her plants and shipping was the most reasonable I have seen, she has a lot of (to me) unknown roses. I bought, among others, Marijke Koopman and Esther Geldenhuys (I needed to have some Dutch sounding name roses). That's why i got Tinneke too, my daughters name is Anneke.

  • MNDutch RoseGuy
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    @pricklycuttingnoca @Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR for the price you pay at Heirloom this should not be happening, I should check out Freedom Gardens, do you order there in the fall (if you want a variety custom rooted)?

  • Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
    3 years ago

    Call or email him now as it takes a while to grow a rooted cutting to size. 3 plants ship for a flat rate of $20. FreedomGardens

  • Sheila z8a Rogue Valley OR
    3 years ago

    Yes, MNDutch, Vapor is right to email and /or call to get the process started at Freedom Gardens for custom propagation. He also has great lilacs.

  • pricklycuttingnoca
    3 years ago

    Thanks Sheila and Vaporvac! That's great info. I should try later.

  • alameda/zone 8/East Texas
    3 years ago

    Dennis, so very sorry about your house fire. Our house burned 26 years ago last February - our son/pets got out along with a few treasured possessions - I wanted to save more but was afraid I wouldnt make it out. I still miss some of my things but the worst was losing the photos. I also moved, dug up my roses and daylilies but most didnt make it. An old Dortmund and a Champneys Pink Cluster are still thriving.

    Happy to see you like Nacogdoches - its one of my favorite yellows. It was discovered in the town of Nacogdoches, Texas, about 30 minutes from me, at an old run down motel, blooming its head off. You have so many wonderful roses, you will have a fantastic time this spring! I had followed Beth's posts before her fire - she lost so many hard or impossible to find roses - what a loss! But she is starting again. I love my "new" home......my garden is thriving and though it was a terrible experience, I am still here, still gardening. Time and roses will help you heal. Good luck!

    Judith

  • strawchicago z5
    last year
    last modified: last year

    MNDutch RoseGuy How's your garden and new house coming along? How do you overwinter roses outside in Minnesota? Thanks for any info.

    This is the worst winter in my northern Chicago, zone 5a this year, so I buy cheap roses $5 (grafted-on Dr.Huey) from local Menards store. If they die through my zone 5a winter, no big deal. So far these cheap roses are doing well if planted after the danger of frost has passed (after mid-May) here.

    For own-roots, I'm very impressed with the 2 gallons-rose received from Antique Rose Emporium this May, so most likely I'll buy more from ARE to ensure winter-survival.

  • MNDutch RoseGuy
    Original Author
    last year

    @strawchicago z5 My house and roses are coming along well, I spend most of last year in The Netherlands to help my mom taking care of my dad. I could work from home, so that was good. My dad passed away on February 22nd, I'm back in the US and my roses are slowly but steady coming out of their hibernation. I use concrete curing blankets to cover my roses over the wintertime. I didn't come up with that myself, but the lady that works in the rose gardens in St Cloud MN wrote a wonderful article about it. Since I was out of the country my wife and daughter had to cover my roses up, which they did very well (I did had some mouse/voles damage, but that happens a lot. I did buy some more roses, from David Austin and Palentine, the Palentine roses are amazing and will definitly be my number one when it comes to buying roses online. I do the same thing, I buy cheap roses at Home Depot, Menards or wherever they sell them, It's sometimes pretty frustrating when you spend a lot of money just to see them not make it through their first winter. Next year I will give ARE a look again, this year there was just too much going on.

  • Vaporvac Z6-OhioRiverValley
    last year

    I'm sorry to hear about your dad but happy that you're able to find some solace and joy in your roses.

  • strawchicago z5
    last year
    last modified: last year

    MNDutch RoseGuy I'm so sorry to hear bout your Dad passing away.

    My Mom passed away in Oct. 2018 and I'm closer to her in spirit than ever. She was devoted to gardening and when I'm in the garden .. that's when I feel closest to her.

    Thank you for the tip on concrete curing blankets, will check that out. Antique Rose Emporium sometimes has free shipping during Labor Day. $22 for a HUGE 2-gallon root ball and big stems is a good deal. I bought Perfume Breeze this May from Home Depot, but ARE's root ball is twice heavier than Home Depot's 2-gallon pot.

  • newsview63
    last year
    last modified: last year

    Many years ago under different circumstances ("Great Recession") I had to get rid of about 50 potted roses prior to a move. Most of those were purchased in 5-gallon pots from various garden centers and nurseries, whereas my bare-root rose experience was limited to the big box stores (not one ever made it).

    Last week, I just received my first bare-root order from Edmunds with high hopes of receiving better stock. I bought the Peace rose collection and Golden Opportunity (climbing rose). The climbing rose has nice thick canes but the others are either one-sided (poor configuration) or have canes thinner than a pencil. Most of the canes are green, but many of them also have small black spots. (I can only hope none of them are diseased as I have zero signs of illness with my existing roses.)

    Edmunds was supposed to ship in April, instead they shipped in May. We have already had heat waves in the upper 80s here (Zone 9) which doesn't bode well. One of the roses, "Enchanted Peace", already looks mostly dead.

    I soaked the roots in water for about 15 hours (directions they sent said as long as 24) and planted them near sunset in hope of minimizing the shock. I hope to be proven wrong but feel like I paid too much for roses that were generally inferior to what I would have selected in a store. My rose collection from years ago was built on purchases that often cost me as little as $13. I'm not all that impressed spending 3x as much for roses that have tiny root balls and spindly canes. I hope they make it because my local big box stores and garden centers haven't had much to offer since the outset of the pandemic.

    This was my first time buying roses online. Others have probably had better success — but I am not sure if I would do it again.

  • Sheri Williams
    last year

    hi much sympathies on the passing of your papa.


    I ordered from Hummingbird rose nursery here in michigan ! she has a million that can be available, but you send her your desired roses and then she grows on the roses that have the most wanted inquiries. its only lists, so have helpmefind next to you as you look. she also types them as zone, fragrance. maybe more but i broke my arm last week and i am forgetting stuff. lol. so i ordered 14. she has a lot of DA at her price of 19 $ for any of her roses. i might ask her if she can overwinter my order.


    High country roses. fantastic, but my order was a bear to open with one hand, the roses beat each up there was no paper collars for protection, plus the new growth is almost white, i think that package sat somewhere for too long. i already notified Matt there were some problems in the shipping. i told him in march that i will never order from heirloom as their prices have tripled from the teens, to about 40’s. i called them to ask, and told them if they cannot get back to reality, i can no longer buy from them.


    thank you for your reviews, super great!. your replacements seemed at first replacing the good old boys, the common and loved forever ones, then you went into the not common but seen and swopped cuttings of exhibition roses. do you like to exhibit your roses? Do you swop cuttings from rose friends all over? I will look up alfalfa meal i never heard of that, and we get composted cow manure from farmer. I hope all your roses just grow crazy and healthy for you! good luck

    sheri

    dead dead dead

  • Artist-FKA-Novice Zone 7B GA
    last year

    Very useful, thank you so much for posting this info!

  • MNDutch RoseGuy
    Original Author
    last year

    @strawchicago z5 Thank you for the kind words and words of encouragement. My dad was not much of a gardener but he enjoyed my roses. This year I bought the wrong size containers, instead of the 15 gallon ones i bought the 25 gallon ones, my roses love it but my back is not so pleased. So far I only bought from Palentine and David Austin, good quality roses. The thing I was less please with was that buying at Palentine was like shopping on Black Friday. I’m pleased with what I got, but when I see ”the rose geek” being able to buy 50+ roses, including some very sought after roses, I get a little upset. I shouldn’t complain though, the roses I got are of excellent quality.

    @newsview63, Edmunds has always been hit or miss and I usually fall for their awesome pictures, this year I couldn’t. Being from MN makes me always want to go bareroots, because the results are in general faster. Of course own roots or band roses are great but they never make it here, our winters are brutal. I wish you had more luck with the roses you bought, it’s sometimes discouraging i know. I have bought from Heirloom, but this year they are charging $60 per rose, thats just too much for me.

    @Sheri Williams, Thank you for your kind words. I hope your arm heals quickly! i checked out Hummingbird and she does have an impressive list, i send her my list. I do exhibit on the local county fair and been to the state fair a few times, with mixed results, but it’s just fun to be there. I don’t exchange or try growing from cuttings, I tried it and had mixed results, the getting them through the winter is the hard part. I have had some nice roses from High Country, his prices are reasonable.

    @Artist-FKA-Novice Zone 7B GA, thank you! Hopefully next year I can add some more reviews.


    I just got done planting 40+ roses in 25 gallon containers, not something I was looking forward too. This weekend the overnight temps with dip below 40, but they will be fine, well they better be because I am not moving them inside :).

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