Comments regarding Heirloom Roses

Have ordered many times from this company. Great service. Their roses arrive young and somewhat small, but very healthy. Most grew into lush, wonderful plants in a couple of years. I love having "own root" roses. They seem hardier, and you don't have the heartbreak of discovering that the rose that came up this year is Dr. Huey! Have not ordered lately because with 82 roses it's time to stop the madness! Thanks Heirloom Roses for my beautiful garden.

My beautiful roses arrived today with not one broken branch even though they were packed in a box that made me wonder how it could possibly contain 11 roses. Well they are tiny but look robust and I am very pleased. Shipping charges were excessive but where else can you get the variety and the professional service. I did have to make 3 changes to the order including a cancellation of several roses and then an addition of 4 more roses and a shipping date change and their staff handled all the changes politely and correctly. I can't wait to order some miniatures, as soon as I get these holes dug.

I've ordered from heirloomroses.com several times and have never been disappointed; have always received healthy, correctly identified plants that have always done well in my gardens.

This was the first and last time I ever ordered from HR. After 5 weeks I finally received my roses today.
Initially there was a problem with my order, which I corrected by phone. A week and a half later I called and asked when the shipment would arrive, to make sure everything was ok with my order. I was told it should arrive the next day or two. However, another week and a half later I found out, that my order never was shipped out and nobody had bothered to look into it when I called to ask the first time. They basically took my money but just conveniently "forgot" about the order. I never even got an apology. Finally after empty promises and denial about the delivering date, I called to cancel my order and asked my money back. They said, once they receive the roses back, they would refund my money! They already had cheated me once and I had never even seen the roses yet! After I saw that I could not even then get my money back, I decided to wait for a couple more days to decide what to do and today I finally got the roses in the mail. The plants looked ok and I am going to keep them. Still, I will certainly not be a returning customer, because I have never encountered worse customer service.

Here it is spring, and all the roses I purchased from them and planted last fall made it through the winter; they all show new growth with blooms starting on a few. This is good news, but I'm still smarting from their shipping cost.

I don't like how they advertise a sale, you use their web site, and the high cost of shipping isn't revealed until the last order page. It takes away the pleasure of a sale. Other companies ship in a similar fashion without such a high charge.

These are the best roses I have ever worked with. Between my father (who had hundreds) and myself, we purchased from nearly every mail order rose company in the US. Heirloom is the BEST. Those who have had bad results, I suspect are not FOLLOWING THE DIRECTIONS.

WATER them when you get them.

Dig a TWO FOOT HOLE, (not 18 inches, not a foot, not what you think you should dig, TWO FEET. A BIG HOLE means 24x24 inches, not 12, or 20, or 15). The ONLY time I've ever had a "bad" (and I mean less than spectacular) result from an Heirloom rose was when I got lazy, the digging got hard and I gave up after about 18 inches. Two years later, I finally gave up, dug it up, re-dug the hole, followed the directions for proper drainage and lo and behold, it's as vigorous as all the others.

There is a simple and informative brochure that comes with the roses. TREAT IT LIKE A BIBLE and you will have success!!!

Posted on March 10, 2009, updated March 19, 2010
I LOVE Heirloom Roses! They are my first choice when considering own-root roses. I've purchased 10 roses from them so far and I am always eager to buy from them again. Heirloom produces the highest quality own-root rose plants I've ever seen. It is a complete joy to watch these lovelies grow! They are healthy, graceful and hardy plants. Unlike other rose growers, I am new to rose growing in general and own-root roses in particular. I personally find it a real joy to nurture such adorable young seedlings. If you're new to gardening and are excited about playing a larger role in raising your plants from their sweet beginnings in the garden as I am, I think you will find Heirloom Roses to be a perfect match for you. They are for me. I realize other gardeners might be more inclined to purchase more mature plants for the instant gratification, but I personally think that takes the purpose and fun out of "gardening." Laurel Anderson is a gem. She is always helpful, thoughtful and personable in answering all of my questions. Heirloom also packs all of their plants exceptionally well for shipping. I highly recommend. God's grace is definitely on this wonderful vendor.

Heirloom Roses has a vast selection and I was glad to find Peachy Creeper aka Euphoria. It has a full rootball, came through shipping fine and is ready to settle in my garden. This single peach-colored rose with a yellow center is the most amazing rose I've ever seen and it's fragrant, too. I don't know why other nurseries don't carry it.

Many years ago I bought 'Arctic Sunrise' from these folks. I planted it per instructions then wandered away and pretty much forgot about it. I came across it again a couple of years ago and started giving it the TLC it deserved and sorely needed. Even though it remains small, it blooms like crazy. Thank you so much for the lovely and tenacious plant, even though I probably don't deserve it.

I ordered a dozen or so roses from this company in the early summer. My order was processed correctly and the plants were received very quickly. All were well packed and very healthy. The plants were quite small, so I potted them and let them grow over the summer. All have prospered and had very little typical rose problems. I have now planted them in the garden and am confident that they all will survive. Hopefully, I will be a returning customer next spring!

Just received my eight roses from Heirloom. I was thrilled with the size of the bands I purchased. All are healthy and beautiful plants.
Arlene

I have ordered from Heirloom several times for roses that are very hard to impossible to find anywhere else.
As a rule I have found the health of the roses I receive from them to be acceptable. But, they are way too small to be shipped in my opinion. They need a whole other season of growing at their place before being mature enough to ship and survive the shock of the trip.
I have grown roses for many years now and am not a novice rosarian by any means. I currently have 250+ roses. I have had success ordering bands, bareroots, cuttings, and potted roses alike from many different companies, but I just cannot seem to get my Heirloom roses to grow. They never take off and start growing and within a year they are always dead as a doornail.
The price and shipping fees that they charge are way too high for what you get from them. I think that I am better off purchasing roses from other vendors even though that means I won't have some of the harder to find roses I so desperately want. After all, if I can't get their roses the thrive what have I gained anyway??? Rare or not, if they die I still don't have the roses I want.
Customer service is not one of their strong suits either. If I get a reply from them it is usually a long time in coming and is generally of little or no help at all.
This year they have contacted me and replaced five roses for me free of charge to make up for what I have lost in the past. This is the only reason I am giving them a Neutral rating instead of a Negative one.
Even still, one of the five was very poor quality and when I contacted them about it after it promptly died in two weeks they sent me another that was worse than the original that died and I am doing my level best to keep it alive but I don't think it is going to make it either. The other four roses are actually better quality and size than the others I have ever recieved from them and I think they will survive, though it will still take them several years to mature because they are very small and immature.
All in all, I think that Heirloom is a vendor to shy away from unless you are very desperate for a particular rose and want to take the chance and pay the high price of aquiring some of their bands.

I am very annoyed and disappointed with this company. I've bought from them before without incident, however after today I will not be buying from them again.

I placed an order for a rose 2 weeks ago, 3 days ago I got notice that my mailing address didn't match my credit card address, so I called up and clarified my proper address and thought that was all. The very next day (Saturday) they started a 1/2 price sale on the rose I ordered. Their offices are closed on the weekend so today (Monday) I called up and spoke to a very unpleasant woman, named Antonia, who said she could do nothing about this. I asked to speak to a manager and this launched an argument from her that a manager would be of no use to me. She also said there was no manager on the premises - this turned out to be a lie! She was rude, interupted me, and sounded angry. Very unprofessional!

Finally I said, "Antonia, I am not going to argue with you. Please either leave a message for a manager to call me or tell me when I should call back to reach a manager." She then put me on hold, returned after a minute or two stating the manager said she should cancel the order and I can order the rose on the site at the sale price.

After the sale began, I ordered 2 other roses over the weekend. I will not be able to get the orders combined to save on shipping and I feel very angry at the attitude of indifference and hostility I received from their customer service people.

Last spring (2008) I ordered 4 types of rugosa roses: a white, a pink, a red ('Robusta'), and a pale pink/yellow one called 'The Alexandra Rose'. They arrived in a timely fashion and were exceptionally well packed and shipped, so that they arrived looking beautifully healthy and fresh. Although they were definitely quite small, as others have noted, the root systems were well-developed and sturdy for the size of the top growth, so I felt quite confident that they would grow well for me.

I planted them in 3 rather different places in my gardens, and as you would expect the one in the sunniest spot is doing the best. 2 have been browsed nearly to the ground during the winter, and are making good growth but haven't yet bloomed (these are also probably in the least-favorable spot), while the other 2 are blooming very generously for me right now, even though the shrubs are still rather small. I expect that they will continue to grow - given the "sleep, creep, leap" adage, they are only in their "creep" year, so I'm not at all discouraged.

The company's prices don't seem out of line to me - yes, they are more than the mass-produced junk at the local big-box discount stores, but I am willing to pay for strong, well-grown own-root roses in varieties I am never able to find locally. I like to grow mostly the heirloom varieties, and they must be tough and as near to care-free as possible, since I live in a bitter, windy zone 4/5 and really expect them to perform without much special fussing. Even with the cross-country shipping, I consider these plants to be worth the cost.

I will definitely order from Heirloom Roses again, just as soon as I can find a good spot for more antique roses and make up my mind about which beauties I want most!

I have waited nearly a year before posting a comment because I wanted to see how the The Fawn (POUoma) did.
I ordered 4 of these and they did arrive in a timely manner. I was concerned about the size of the plants though. The leaves were healthy and they appeared to have well-developed root systems but they were only about 8 inches tall. One of the plants had a single bud.
They were planted in excellant soil in full sun and developed quickly. All began flowering by midsummer and had qudrupled in size by late Fall. The plants are now about 16 inches tall and 30 inches wide and covered with blooms!
I feel this company delivered good, healthy roses and a moderate price and will order again.

I will not be ordering from Heirloom Roses in the future. From the 2 bands I received, I believe that they are removing and selling many baby bands way too early from the nursery. My minimum requirements are that bands should be at least 6"-8" in height and have the very minimum of 8 healthy, green leaves... Out of the 2 bands I received, one was healthy but! was 5" with only 6 leaves total on the entire plant... Thank goodness those leaves were very healthy and viable. On the other hand the other band I received was exactly 3-1/2" high with no viable leaves... Each tiny leaf on that band was only 1/4" max . and all! were shriveled or yellow-green... All the original leaves ended up dead... I am not sure what has been happening with 2009, but there were quite a few customers from a popular rose forum that also faced this issue with their orders from 2008-2009... Their roses were similar to mine when first received and did not survive their first year. But suffice it to say that I have been permanently scared off from Heirloom Roses....

Please note! if you ever receive either very sick bands or too small bands from HR, do not! plant them straight into the ground according to their original instructions... Those need to be planted into pots... they require a different growing method in order to reach enough maturity to endure the cold winters if you are in a cold zone...Their instructions to plant straight into the ground is a huge mistake if the bands are in ill health or are too small to achieve enough growth by fall.

I received a very healthy Wild Ginger hardy rose specimen in record time. When I discovered it on Heirloom's Web site just recently, I specified an immediate ship date. Because this is crazy time for all online nurseries, I really didn't expect to get it so soon. But they did it! The rose was very well protected and packaged (love those deep pots for root development), and planting instructions are very thorough.

I ordered a couple of grouncover roses from Heirloom a couple of years ago, and they are doing so well. Considering the quality of the groundcover roses, I would have gladly waited a couple of weeks for the new order. Heirloom went above and beyond to accommodate my requested ship date, and I greatly appreciate their stellar customer service and beautiful quality roses.

I recieved my plants from Hairloom roses just as the previous reviews state. Packaged well, and in great shape. Yes the plants were small, but they tell you they will be on the website. They are first year own root roses, so are going to be small. Love how healthy these babies are. The brochure gives wonderful directions on the proper ways to plant and fertilize new own root roses.
People I would not recommend this company to are those who insist upon instant gratification with their plants. I would say Heirloom Roses are for gardeners who like to nurture their plants over time and have beautiful, healthy performers for years to come. Great company, great customer service! I have found my new rose company!

I just received my first order from Heirloom and am very pleased. The plant material arrived in great condition altho the transcontinental trip took almost a full week. I would classify Heirloom's bands as midsize -- not the largest I've ever received, but certainly not the smallest either. Based on this initial order, I will not hesitate to order from them again.

Last year I ordered a sizable number of roses. Granted they are small, but they all bloomed last year. The real test came this year to see how well they fared after the harsh winter. All are healthy and growing. No die offs. Again this year I ordered another sizable order. All arrived in healthy condition and are going great. To think I wasted money on another well known rose company and suffered many loses, which were not replaceable.

Last year, 2008, I ordered eight roses from these folks. They arrived looking quite healthy, but I was surprised at their size, best described as "slips." That was last year. This year they are large, vigorous plants producing the most beautiful Dortmund other blossoms you've ever seen. If you can stand the wait, my experience indicates that the company's impressive selection and good service would make for a strong recommendation. I'll buy from them again. Rossville, TN

I ordered two Rugosa roses that I couldn't find anywhere else. The plants arrived very well packed and healthy. They've been in the ground two weeks now and I hope they continue to look great.

The only drawback was the price tag. After the cost of shipping the roses ended up costing me close to $25 each for a seedling in a deep 4in. pot. Ouch.

Online ordering was flawless. Communications were excellent. Plants arrived in good time and in perfect condition. A great source for roses.

I've ordered from these folks several times. I've never lost a plant from heirloom roses. I've ordered plants that were advertised to thrive in various kinds of bad light and bad soil, and they've all made it!

Plants arrived promptly and were well packed.

Heirloom offers a tremendous selection of cultivars, and that is what keeps customers coming back. Unfortunately, they do not offer the best plants... in fact, they are a far cry from those that you receive from other vendors. I have purchased many roses from Heirloom, but donated most to our community garden and only planted two in my own. They have had a very hard time getting established and pale in comparison to all the roses from other vendors that I planted at the same time. Both still look like sticks with one bloom each all season. I know they will survive and will eventually thrive, and if I wanted a cultivar that NO ONE else had, then I would order from Heirloom again. It's worth it to throw one order their way each season just to keep their most rare cultivars available commercially. But, if I want a cultivar that has alternative sources, I will not order from Heirloom. It's just not worth it to wait many seasons before seeing the rose fluorish in the garden. Ev

The quality of the roses is wonderful. They are all grown on their own roots which helps winter hardiness.

Customer service is fantastic. I had trouble with Alec's Red not once but twice and they replaced it both times no trouble. Third time was the charm, too.

They have some different roses as well as some old garden varieties you won't see often.

I buy from them every year. Very nice company.

Though these roses were smaller than I anticipated, they are very, very healthy. They adapt well, are shipped promptly, and thrive once planted. I have ordered from Heirloom Roses three times in the past year and a half, and won't buy roses anywhere else! BTW, I have over 60 rose plants in my yard/garden!

I always buy own root roses from Roses Unlimited as they have a reputation for supplying larger, more mature plants. I bought two from Heirloom Roses that were not available from Roses Unlimited. The service was excellent. But the plants are extraordinarily small...which seems to be the norm with own root suppliers. For the same or less money one can buy much more developed roses from Roses Unlimited.

When the rose arrived, though slightly smaller than I expected, it was in very clean and excellent condition. I planted it, and it is growing well. I should probably give a end of summer report, but so far, in these high temperatures, it is thriving. When the thermometer is over 90, I water at least once a day, especially on newly planted items.

Thank you, Heirloom Roses for adding 'Peach Drift' to my "Peach of a Garden"!

Evelyn

I ordered two roses last year from Heirloom Roses. They were small when they arrived, but they have flourished in the past year and are probably 6-8 times larger. They bloom beautifully. I was so pleased with them that I purchased four more, which also look to be doing very well. Meanwhile, the far larger rose that I purchased from a local nursery promptly died. I would highly recommend Heirloom Roses.

Have planted more than 200 Heirloom Roses in my garden over the past 20 yrs, zone 5, never lost one. They arrive as seedlings, take off the 2nd yr and are spectacular the 3rd yr. Because they are grown on their own roots, not grafted, they are remarkably hardy in my cold location and virus free. Heirloom Roses get an A+ from me.

This was my first order from Heirloom Roses - one dozen, majority Bucks, several Austins. The roses were shipped May 1 (as requested); the combination of cold weather and my not having the new garden ready contributed to planting the last rose Memorial Day weekend.

From the reviews, I knew to expect small roses. Ha..I didn't know roses could be this small. But, they are very healthy and strong (survived 3 weeks in a clear tupperware bin with .5" water). Upon planting, both the garden planted and the several planted in pots are thriving. Several have small buds...I didn't know roses this small could bloom...ha !

I expect the roses to perform wonderfully and overwinter. I'm already formulating my 2009 order of Heirloom Roses.

Ordered two roses, a Rosa Mundi and some kind of super-fragrant rose (forget the name, sorry). As others have said, I was surprised by how small the plants were-- 6-8". Foolishly I put them straight in the ground, not following their very detailed instructions (which I read later) about digging a large hole and enriching the soil and all that. I also added rose fertilizer, later reading in the instructions that they don't recommend that until the second year.

Nevertheless, the roses have been in over six weeks now and I am impressed with all the new foliage, and the rosa mundi is even budding already. These roses have been very forgiving of this "green" gardener and must have been quite healthy to start with. You might be able to get larger plants from a local nursery or big-box store for the same price, but I really like that I was able to get these unusual varieties of own-root roses that came with such thorough instructions (even though I ignored them-- they helped when I planted a climbing rose from a different supplier later on!). I will definitely be buying more from Heirloom Roses in the future.

Ordered 6 Magic Carpet roses about 3 weeks ago. They arrived about 1 week after ordering. I was expecting to receive smaller plants after reading others comments but still was a little shocked ...especially considering the price. (The roses were about 5 inches tall). However, they were packaged well and arrived healthy...two of the roses had buds. They have been in the ground for a little over a week and seem to be doing fine. The two with buds are now blooming... very pretty flower. So far deer and rabbits have left them alone. I'm not sure what to expect as far as growth this year...hopefully they will take off, if not I will have to fill in with some annuals. Once they are established, I'm sure I will be pleased with my choice. Customer Service: Very Good.

I recently ordered from this company. The roses were shipped on the date I requested. They are growing well.

The roses I received are small, but with only a few exceptions every company I order own root roses from are around the same size.

I would definitely order from them again. I would also recommend them to friends.

I bought 3 roses and they all arrived quickly and in great shape. After reading reviews I thoguht they would be really tiny but they were larger than I expected (still smaller than roses I see at retial stores). They arrived within a week of being ordered and the soil was still nice and moist. I will definitely purchase from Heirloom again.

I received my roses today and they were packed very well. They seem healthy and ready to grow. I like growing their roses because they aren't grafted. They are small but worth it. This is a great company to do business with.

I placed 2 orders for a total of 10 roses last spring. Knowing they were root grown and mail order, I expected them to be smaller than the large grafted varieties that I find at retail centers or from other mail order sources. They were small but vigorous, extemely healthy. I followed their instructions precisely. All have bloomed the very first summer. I have been extremely pleased with the quality and variety of their stock. Their catalog is worth having; the descriptions are detailed - even to the quality and intensity of fragrance, and I've spent many a cold rainy winter evening enjoying the incredible assortment they have. Their prices are high for common roses, but because they are pretty much the same for ALL their stock, you can make up the difference with the newer or rare varieties, and by knowing you get the same rose you started with if there is a die-back to the root level. This is my favorite rose company, by far!