Diane, After getting their email I was thinking about buying the Poet's Wife as a yellow scented rose- what do you think of it?

Bob -- I have 2 Poet's Wife roses (my avatar/photo is of Poet's Wife, too). I LOVE THIS ROSE. Very fragrant, care-free, pretty. My only (very minor) complaint is that because it sightly nods -- it usually looks better on the bush than in a vase. Sometimes I get lucky. But this really is a glorious rose for me.

STILL NO WORD FROM DA on my roses. If I was buying these new, I would have cancelled by now, but these are replacements from 2 years ago when they also sent bare roots super late (and the bare roots were literally smaller than or same size as my 1-gallon own-root roses from Heirloom). And none of them thrived. Then Heritage died. So I took photos, asked for the replacements in late September or early October...and I'm still waiting. And both times I've called, they have assured me that they know best when to ship for my bare root season. Which is OVER for my area! I'm just so frustrated. I DA come up with marketing emails to sell whatever they happen to have a lot of.

I think the response Robert got was pretty weird. Too bad they have some kooky answers to legitimate questions.

Also, good news they’re sending you a new one Sultry!

After seeing you got Red Eden, I’m so tempted to purchase it. I’ve been wanting to, but holding off! Ahh! Also, i keep hearing about Sharifa’s amazing scent! Would love to sniff one! I tried to get one from Hummingbird Roses but that was a little chaotic!

UPDATE! Finally got an email from DA that my roses are shipping!!!

It’s about DARN time! Will you be planting in the rain?

Yay Deborah!!!! Now if only the weather would cooprate!

@sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida) - Im waiting on Strawberry Hill... lets see who gets theirs first lol... Still no word on the 2 outstanding orders.

@haku84_zone9 Deal! lol

Wow Deborah, I cant believe you are in a zone 10 and still waiting! You should have been one of the first to get yours! I wonder if they send out all the regular orders first and then the replacements? My last order was replacements from last year, that had issues or didnt make it. They sent that last one After my regular orders for this year.

Krystal, I've been dying to try Red Eden. I hear its fragrant and that deep dark mysterious red. You should try it! I will post pics of mine once it blooms. I also ordered a Florentina and I already have 2 Don Juans (which I love). I am planning a Red and Cream climbing area. I hope to get a Bloomfield Courage to go with them. The white/cream roses I have are: Sombreuil, Devonensis CL, Sally Holmes, and Madame Anisette..I know some of those will be a little pink or peach but I figure in my heat they will bleach out white soon enough lol. I need to look for a few more white or cream climbers and some clematis to go with them.

I grow Red Eden here and it is just lovely. The blooms last for ages and ages. Mine is wonderfully fragrant, but some people don’t get much fragrance it seems. Mine is disease free and vigorous on its own roots.

That is Red Eden. Hard to capture the true red color with my iPhone.

Red Eden in a vase inside. More accurate color.

Outside again. It is not this pink in person at all.

Robert, what an uplifting scene that first photo is--luscious color is just what I needed. And your bouquet is so beautiful. I didn't know climbers could make such great bouquets. See if taking your outdoor red photos later in the day helps with color accuracy. Diane

Robert - your Red Edens are gorgeous!!!

Robert, Your Eden is so beautiful against the black metal Obelisk!

Well it is gone from there now. I put Bathsheba in its place haha

Thanks for the enabling! i seriously am so tired of planting so many roses but those photos really remind me why i want it so much! I have it in my cart but maybe I should wait til next season since I’m exhausted and still have a few coming my way.

Sultry, your cream and red climbing area sounds like it will be gorgeous! Especially if Red Eden is involved!

@KrystalW 9a I hear ya on planting roses. I am almost finished...planted nearly 30 this spring. But I am physically out of space now (and I really mean it--they are all planted about 2'-3' apart--I know, it's wrong) so I can't do more. BUT we can still add clematis to all the roses which makes me quite happy. Ha!

Roses are out for delivery right in time for the next storm :)

Oh, dear.

Well im terrible with next to no self control i guess…

I received an email back from a nursery about 30 minutes away who i had emailed a few months ago. They wanted to let me know they had Abe Darby in stock. So i went and picked up one and while I was there I asked about Red Eden. They had one left…and now they don’t have any haha. Cathedral Bells jumped onto my cart too..those darn jumping roses, she asked me to take her home so I did.

Look at Abe!

Buds are ready to open, i am so giddy!

Krystal -- I hear you. Roses are always jumping into my carts/car -- but, like Robert, I am literally out of room now.

Good news -- got all three of my DA roses on Friday, put them in a bucket with water and some B-vitamin to soak overnight, then planted on Saturday. They look so bare compared with all the other roses planted or pruned. And I even did my pruning way later than usual. All three looked good, but all three are grafted, and one was supposed to be own root (I forget which one). They were replacements for the roses sent in 2021 which were also way late, but not as late as this time, and so didn't get good roots going before the heat came along. We've had an unusally cold and wet winter here, so maybe that will last a bit longer and these brand new roses will have time to get their roots going. All three look more "normal" to me -- whereas the ones from 2021 looked as small or smaller than the 1-gallon roses I buy from Heirloom -- there is no way on God's green earth that those roses were the proper grade. But these three just planted look good to me. So we shall see! I was replacing Eustacia Vye, Gabriel Oak, and Heritage. I had just bought a new GO from Otto & Sons, so in the replacement order, I got the EV, Heritage, and a Mill on the Floss. Hoping mine looks as good as the one at Otto & Sons. I know Ben is not a fan!

Gosh @KrystalW 9a that nursery of yours sounds positively dangerous! Roses coming at you from all angles. Terrifying.

Just received my last two orders and not impressed. Cane damage on one rose and crown damage on another and maybe mold on another. . In fact the crown feels mushy to the touch.

That's disappointing, Haku.

Haku, that's terrible! Send them some photos and tell them what happened. They will likely replace them for you. I have had the white fungus looking stuff come on my DAs in the past and it did wash right off. Mushy is not good though!

I’d send a picture of that crown to DA asap

@haku84_zone9 - Roses #1 and #3 don't look bad, but #2 - yikes!

Today, I got the second of two DA orders I placed this year. There was a huge fiasco with my first order that led me to cancel it, complete with multiple follow-up calls. I was told DA would not have the stock to fulfill the second order and after said fiasco, DA customer service was tired of hearing from me and miraculously found the plant for the second order. Aside from a long shank, the plant looks great. I think after all the calls regarding the first order, I doubt DA customer service wanted to hear from me again and ensured that a healthy plant was sent. I'm happy with the plant but I'm not happy with how DA handled rose shipments this year.

General tone of customer service changed a lot from two months ago to now where it was very clear they're in damage control mode.

Haku

Those roses look like they were freshly dug out…of a dumpster! Actually the top pic just looks scrawny, but still healthy. I’d be dissapointed, too.

Krystal

That Abe sure looks like a cart jumper. I’m sure he would have jumped into my cart too, and I already have Abe! Just irresistable healthy plant. Does the tag say who grew him and does it look grafted?

Deborah

Hope you got The Mill, not The Shill!

Deborah, yeah i get it! I’m making new room for all these. i can’t keep doing this especially since i plan to grow a good amount of dahlias too and this is certainly not a farm i live on haha.

I’m glad to hear the roses you received this year are better than last year’s. Is this your first Mill on the Floss? I hope the heat doesn’t come full force and you get some time for the roots to develop..i keep checking the forecast and it looks pretty cloudy/rainy here for some time still.

Robert, very dangerous and thorny wild heathens all over the place haha! The nursery said that David Austin was very selective with the varieties they sent. To be honest, a lot of the DA stock there looked like ones from last year so I’m not sure what the deal is.

Haku, so sorry to see that, I’m really hoping DA rectifies this for you ASAP.

Darren, what an unpleasant experience! Customer Service is so important.

Ben, there were a few tags on it. One from DA, one is from Otto & Sons and there was another tag with the photo of the rose that said 100% Canadian grown so i dunno! the graft is mostly covered so I can’t tell. Here’s a picture but I’m not sure if it’s helpful.

Some of the leaves are having issues. I picked most of them that I could see with the spots off.

What is this? I haven’t seen it before. The stems almost look burnt in certain places where these leaves came from.

@BenT (9B Sunset 14) Not Krystal here but I do recognize the tag. The tags claim 100% Canadian-grown. I'm not completely positive of who the grower is, but I have yet to confirm. I've seen these plants sold alongside plants that originated from US nurseries and the difference in quality is massive. Sharing some photos for awareness:

Photo 1 (Canadian tag):

Photo 2 (Canadian plant):

Photo 3 (American plants):

@BenT (9B Sunset 14) LOL straight out the dumpster lol.. Last year and this year the roses havent been big for me. I have 4 that were tiny and still struggling in my yard from last year, they are barely starting to put on any growth.

Darren, Krystal

Thanks for the info on these Austins. I know Regan also gets their Austins from Canada, wonder if it’s the same place. Yours look like they were very nicely raised.

Haku

Someone wrote that DA is having trouble finding people who can graft, I guess this thread has really proved that out. Perhaps their storage facilities are in trouble too and they have to resort to the dumpster…in all my years I’ve never seen a mushy rotted bud union straight from a seller.

@BenT (9B Sunset 14) You are correct, got this from Regan. IIRC, Menagerie also has some from Canada.

@KrystalW 9a Nightmare, drawn out experience but the frontline customer service representatives were fine to a point. The major sticking point was the manager on duty not returning my call. Oh well, in the end, everything worked out but it took too many calls to resolve.

Not surprising DA is having trouble finding people who can graft…the shanks are darn near two feet long, it’s almost a unique skill that DA growers possess to create shanks that long lol.

I’m guessing DA is experiencing a problem with growers in general—lots of water shortages out west last year. But

Here are my bare roots planted on Saturday. In the first pic you can see a little growth coming out -- but I thought that might be a sucker starting, so I picked it off. You can see potato starts in the background. I thought these were long shanks, too, but didn't get all of them in photos. I think the canes looked pretty good -- though not ideal...

Deborah, in your first pic, the two white buds you see coming from the darker cane in front are to be treasured. It also looks like there is a white squiggly thing (may be a touch of dirt that makes it look squiggly) coming out around 3 o'clock that is also good. Suckers on grafted roses generally come from ground level, certainly below the graft.

Update - DA are shipping replacements tomorrow or so they say.

Off Topic: Do you trim the very long roots or just leave em and dig a deeper hole?

Susan -- thanks -- re-looking at my photo -- I think I'd already picked off the one I'm talking about before I took the photo. Or it's not in the photo. I left all the shoots that were coming off canes!

Haku -- if any of the roots look slightly damaged (like split ends or like they were pulled wrong), I trim the end off. If it's just a long root, I try to put it deep in the hole. If it's way too long for a pretty deep hole, I usually trim it. At the nursery I go to for bare roots, they trim all the canes and many of the roots way down. I'm not as aggressive as Hilton Sumida was, but I feel "safe" doing the little trims I do!

Haku, I trim the roots to fit in a 5 gallon pot, since I plant all of my bare roots in a 5 gallon pot for awhile before they go into their permanent homes.

Deborah, I never have La Sumida trim any of my bare roots, because I want to do it myself. I just tell them: wrap it up in the paper. Then I go home and trim the roots a bit and plunk them in a big bucket of water for a couple of days. Then when I pot them up to 5 gallons, I trim roots to just fit :-D

I do often miss Hilton.

Deborah and Susan: Thank you! Most times i just try to dig as deep and still find that the roots are still too long.

Well, after writing customer service that their pat response of "we'll ship when it's right for your zone" does not hold water when they've already sent bare roots to my local nursery a month ago, I actually got a call from the operations manager (Michael something or other) of David Austin Roses in Tyler, Texas!

He told me that the only reason they send out roses to retailers so early is because they demand to have the product early. The retail nurseries get a certain discount (no surprise) and that the roses they receive are a lower grade than what is sent to the private consumer. They also have limited liability with the retailers so it sounds like retail nurseries gamble a bit on when they ask to have them shipped.

He also told me that unlike other rose growers they are actively looking at weather patterns for every zone. But he said this has only started in the last year or two. Before that, DA management followed the ineffectual British model where they basically have very few weather zones and seasons compared to the continental U.S. He is new to DA and started tailoring each zone to weather forecasts (this year). He said it's been challenging for California, in particular, because normally they want the roses early, but now they are upset because of the prolonged winter and wet weather.

Anyway, it is very complicated, but it sounds like they are trying to do better this year. He did tell me my roses are going out next week. We will see. :)

But I still marvel at the retail situation. My nursery sells lesser grade plants for more money than DA does (with shipping) and they don't have the 5-year guarantee. It's a horrible deal.

Thanks for the info, Robert, which seems a bit laced with Austin BeeEss. I'm always citing Edwards nursery here in Boise, which has traditionally sold many top quality five gallon Austin roses. In the last three years, according to the head of perennials and roses, DA roses has been shipping partially filled orders, orders containing a lot of roses not ordered, and they have been very late. Later than Weeks, Star, and others. What a way to treat a top customer. They need to straighten up their act--if possible. Diane

I received the last of my new orders last Saturday and my replacement Princess Anne Standard is arriving tomorrow.

Haku, I had to pot all mine in 5 gal pulp pots. I do the same as Susan does.

That reminds me! I ran over to Rogers weekend before last, whenever Tamatomania started and they had one DA rose. I can’t remember now which one but it was so tiny. What made it even worse was it was sitting there between all these huge bushes. I should’ve taken a picture. Personally, it was a confidence booster, but was sad too. I might go there tomorrow so I’ll snoop around. I don’t usually ask questions at the info booth but if I see a rosarian I will.

PDXRobertZ8, that's very interesting that it's apparently on weather patterns, because we had an extremely mild winter here (especially compared to last year) and it's already several weeks later than they shipped to my zone last year. It was 85 degrees here the other day! All my roses have substantial green growth and Abraham Darby is already working on his first bud. I placed my order in November.

I've talked to people in zone 5 who were just notified that their orders shipped, and they currently have blizzards.

I agree with Diane’s assessment…. a lot of Austin BeeEss

I received mine DA order a couple of days ago at my usual time. The bare roots are not huge but look in good shape. I am actually very pleased I can get the David Austin’s directly from them for such a reasonable price even after COVID. Have you all looked at online retailers like Jackson and Perkins lately? They have Peggy Martin going for 60 dollars and many others in the 40s and no 5 year guarantee. So personally unless it is something horrendous I normally cut them some slack.

Austins at my local nursery will run you close to $80! No one touches them, i usually wait until the end of the year sale when they are 75% off. Last year I was able to get a standard Ronald Dahl for $20. I noticed this year they still have the same DA inventory from last year... back at $80.

Five gallon Austin's here locally are $46--straight from DA in Austin pots with tags. New inventory. Other roses, same size, are from $40-44. I think roses run higher to some extent in California. Diane

Received my 8 brs last week. Good size and huge roots.