Comments regarding Heirloom Roses

I ordered from heirloom on a recommendation, and i wasn't dissapointed! i didn't mind the small size, because it's really taken off! it was budded when i received it and bloomed beautifully.

thank you, heirloom. :) i just placed another order for a garden that i'm designing! you have my trust and my business.

My experience with Heirloom Roses has been great. The roses are in excellent condition, packaged well and I love the fact of them being on their own root. So far every rose, I have ordered is doing great. I just placed another for a few David Austin roses. The selection for own root is awesome. I found alot of the older Austin roses through them. I would definately say try Heirloom out. The plants are not huge, but you are getting healthy, own root,disease free plants. And a great selection.

Positive,,,BUT. Thus far, I am pleased with my order of 11 own-root roses from H.R. with an exception: 11 ordered but 9 arrived. NO explanation was given. I emailed the company, had a prompt reply saying the plants needed to grow a little more before sending. I will be contrasting my experience ala H.R. with Vintage Gardens of Sevastapol (sp?) CA, from whom I have 2 own-root orders this year...much less expensive than H.R. Both sent good plants.

I am mad about roses!!!!!I have 140 bushes in my Garden and I show them for fun.I bought 2 roses from this company and I have never seen anything sooo tiny. By the end of the season they had grown, as others have said, and they did bloom but only one decided to come back this spring , the other was the only one of 140 that I lost over the winter. As someone else said their web site isn't very user friendly for problems like this...so I cut my loss, but use caution when you order and realize when you get these plants they are little sticks...don't expect instant roses.They do have some choices you won't find anywhere else which is nice when you have as many bushes as I do, but I am not impressed enough to re order from this company

I've been dealing with Heirloom Roses for 10 years now. I find it to be a great place with great people, and most importantly, great stock. I have varieties of roses in my garden that nobody (I mean of the Home Depot crowd) has seen - varieties that are not mass-marketed, but are very appealing. Own-root is great, but more important is the ability to choose disease resistant varieties so that one's garage doesn't end up turning into an arsenal of chemicals rivaling Sadam's. Paul's Himalayan Musk is a once blooming rose that grows up into trees, and hangs down in the late Spring with fragrant trusses that look like a picture in a magazine.
Their office is run by intelligent people who are knowledgeable - Cheryl has been so very helpful.

I've bought roses from Heirloom for the past five seasons. (One three-year old Altissimo is now over 11 feet tall.) We have been entireley satisfied will all aspects of their sales and service groups.

The service is excellent. The folks on the telephone are generally knowledgable and if they don't have an immediate answer, they'll call you back!

MAKE SURE TO FOLLOW THE PLANTING INSTRUCTIONS.

I have purchased roses from Heirloom Roses for years. When I lived in NYS, my own-root roses did better and lived longer than grafted equivalents through our tough winters. Now I live in Southern Nevada where plants have to make it through hot summers. Again, the own root plants seem healthier. Still it takes 2 - 3 seasons for them to look mature, but they look good all along the way. I appreciate that Heirloom offers such an extensive stock, ships in such good condition. I love the catalog, and find myself reading it over and over. It does cost $5 the first time, but they tend to mail to continung customers.

In the spring of 2002 I ordered 9 roses from Heirloom Roses. When the box arrived I thought they must be sending each one separately. Boy was I shocked when I opened the box and saw all 9 roses. I couldn't believe almost $200 could be huddled together like that. I thought I'd really gotten ripped off, but I took a deep breath and read the page of testimonals that was in the box (they must put it there so you don't immediately march in and call to give them a piece of your mind). I decided I'd come this far, might as well give it a try. I did feel kind of silly preparing a 2'x2' hole to place each twig in but I did just like they instructed. I could hardly believe it - the results were fantastic. The roses all did great (all but one bloomed like mad last year and I just recently moved that one to a location it will probably like better). It's hard to imagine that such a tiny little rose twig can turn into a 3 foot bushy plant in just one season (except the rugosas, they look VERY healthy but I've learned that they start off slower than the others). Some of them are supposed to get 8 feet tall and I can hardly wait until they reach their full growth. They all made it through the winter fine and I'm very happy with my purchase. Their catalogue is fantastic and there is no way I could go to a local nursery and get the variety that Heirloom offers. I ordered 11 more last week. The only thing I dread about my newest additions arriving is that there will probably be a different catalogue in the box. Maybe I'd better not open it............

Last year I ordered three roses from Heirloom and they were
very healthy even though small. The grew much better than I had imagined in one year. A climber called "Eden" and a rambler called "Soaring Flight" both grew seven feet from being a very small plant that I received last February. I await for the blooms to appear this year. The third plant a miniature moss rose called "Dresden Doll" did have many blooms on its first year. I did order three more roses this year and just received them this last week and look very healthy.
There were three more roses I wanted and I just ordered them because I believe it worth having roses with their own virus free roots. I am replacing every one of my grafted roses with these types, because the grafted ones I have bought have not done very well.
Also I did order this years roses on the internet using their new speedy website and was very convenient. I plan to continue to order from this company in the future.

Well I expected small roses after reading the rest of the comments here but MAN are these small. They are about the size of a pencil in length and diameter. They are doing quite well though and seem plenty healthy, even though UPS managed to re-route them for a week! Customer service was very helpful in tracking my roses and following up on the condition of the roses. I am hoping they do establish quickly as I am a touch worried about how long they will take to establish themselves, and contribute to the garden but all in all was a good chance to get some unusual roses.

Bought several plants from Heirloom, and only 2 survived. The plants they ship are incredibly small, and their prices are high. I can get very well established,healthy, own-root roses from Chamblee's for half the price. Over the past 2 years I have ordered over 30 roses from Chamblee's and they are all performing beautifully in my garden. I decided a while back that I will no longer order from Heirloom Roses.

To me, this is THE place to order roses from. Price is middle of the road. ($14.95 for all roses except miniatures.) I ordered 6 roses 2 years ago. All of the roses were smaller than I expected at that time. But this was because these are "own-root" roses. Two of the roses died, but I am pretty sure it was my fault. I was planting them on either side of an arch and did not do a good job. Nonetheless, Heirloom replaced both roses free of charge. I planted them elsewhere and they have done spectacularly. I purchased one of their "green snake" roses which is a landscape rose that gets 1-2 feet tall but 10 feet wide according to the catalog. This past year, mine was 14 feet wide and still spreading before I cut it back! I actually have it dug up in a pot right now and am going to replant it elsewhere this spring. It makes quite a sight with it's bare thorny branches laying all over my back patio though!

I am somewhat of a lazy gardener and have a bad habit of not giving roses enough care. But Heirloom's roses have proven to be vigorous and hardy. If you are lazy like me but still want roses, definitely give heirloom a try. I just feed them a couple of times a year and cut any dead stuff off every few months.

I did not order last year, but will probably order a few this year as I try to get a new rose garden going.

Great place to do your rose shopping. Customer help is above all and I have been to a lot of garden centers. Own root is the only way to go for roses, I have planted a lot of grafted roses and they will turn back to orginal color and are not as near as healthy plants as own root. I am now replacing all grafted roses with own root.

AAAAAAA+++++++ All the way for Heirloom Roses.

Heirloom has incredible roses. Their display gardens are a must see as well. They are the ONLY source of roses that I know of guaranteed to be rose-mosaic-virus-free. Another wonderful thing about their roses is that they are grown on their own roots. They ARE NOT GRAFTED onto a rootstock rose like Dr. Huey. In Northern climates, if these rose dies to the ground in the winter then plant will potentially bounce right back--the same old rose. Most gardeners are very familiar with the rootstock rose Dr. Huey, which is a semi-climbing, once blooming unscented red rose, when their favorite rose variety suddenly reverts to the rootstock it was grafted onto. This will never happen with the Heirloom roses since they are not grafted. They are instead propagated by rooting a cutting of the desired rose. This of course means that the plant you get in the mail will be quite small but boy what potential these little rose babies have!! The first year they don’t do much they just focus their energies on growing roots, “their own roots”. Then the second year they really start to take off and by the third year you can’t hold them back!! Once established they are as immortal as a rose can be since they are virus free and on their own roots.

Quick note on rose mosaic virus:
As any serious gardener knows this is the single biggest problem with roses in the US since most roses here are grafted onto infected rootstock and this in turn infects the grafted variety as well. Roses that have the virus basically have parasites that continually suck energy from the plant. These virus loaded plants will never be very vigorous or reach their full blooming potential and will only live 5-10 years before they are totally spent and must be replaced. There are some rose varieties out there that you can’t find virus free since the only way to get rid of the virus from a rose variety that has no virus free members is to cell-culture (in a petri dish) the growing plant tips. If a few cells from the actively growing plant tip can be collected before the virus in the older cells nearby has a chance to infect them then the variety can be purged of its virus. The only way to slow the virus down enough to allow the researcher to “capture” some virus-free-cells before the virus gets to them is to slow down the ability of the virus to reproduce by growing the roses at a very hot temperature (100 degrees F) for 20-30 days before attempting to collect the now potentially virus free cells at the actively growing tip. Some roses varieties die when kept at 100 degrees for 20 days so these varieties may never be recovered in a virus free state. The likely origin of this virus is from fruit trees. It was probably introduced to roses early in the 20th century when horticulturists tried to graft fruit trees onto roses, most likely the Dr. Huey rose now widely used as rootstock by commercial growers. They unknowing transferred the fruit tree virus to this rose and then continued to use the rose to graft other rose varieties. Once they figured out the problem many years later the virus was completely widespread in the rootstock of US roses. The virus is not known to be passed by any means except for grafting onto infected rootstock.

Some more info on this virus can be found at Malcolm Manners website. He is a researcher in the Dept. of Citrus and Environmental Horticulture at Florida Southern College:

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Stephanie Connon, PhD Microbiology and an avid gardener

We no longer order from Heirloom. Of the dozen or more plants ordered from them, (over a period of 2-3 years) more than half of them were mis-labelled -- and they were not cooperative about making good on their errors. Jeri Jennings, Ventura Co, SoCalif.

This company is serious about producing virus-free, healthy roses. They arrive in pots, and are small but grow very quickly. All roses are growing on their own roots, which enables them to be hardier, more cold-tolerant, and live longer. Pay the $5 to order their catalogue--it is 98 pages and includes many more varieties than the website.

Heirloom is a wonderful company to deal with! It's true that their roses are a bit smaller than others and their roses and shipping are a bit more expensive... but it is WELL worth the added expense, plus the fact that they only sell own-root, virus free roses!

I placed an order this Spring and was quite surprised at how small the roses were when they arrived. Now, three months later, these same little roses are growing incredibly well! Each of them is over a foot high and has bloomed numerous times. They are quite healthy and I haven't had a problem with any of them.

The customer service at Heirloom is outstanding.. better than ANY rose vendor I have dealt with. The response is quick, friendly and very helpful. I have already started my order with them for 2003 and the list is up to 15 roses!

I have ordered from this company numerous times since 1995. Their catalog is not free, but the price is refunded with the first order (and subsequent ones are sent free). The roses are tiny when first shipped. I did some research before ordering from them; different varieties have varying success in growing on their own roots, and that varies in different parts of the country.

Here, in zone 6, I do not have to worry about mulching any of my own-root roses; I have never had any die to the ground (not even the "tender" tea or China roses); they are much less prone to black-spot (grafted varieties here use "Dr. Huey" which makes even black-spot resistant varieties completely defoliate 2-3 times a year).

I have purchased some of their own roses, including "Soaring Flight" and "Red Cascade". When purchased, they were tiny little twigs. After 2 years, both have multiple canes, with a few 15' in length (both are enormous). They are (or were) also one of the few sources for species roses, which are crucial for amateur hybridizers, of which I am one.

I have not placed an order from them for a couple of years, but when I get a little more room, I will do so again. Maybe if I prune my "Red Cascade" :>)

The roses I have purchased locally are all grafted, and none have thrived the way the own-root roses from this company have consistently done.

I have 9 plants from this nursery - I ordered 3 early last year (2001) and I was visiting OR this year, so I stopped by and got 6 more. From my last year roses, one is not doing good at all (have in mind that I have big rose bed with at least 15 plants in it, so the conditions are the same for all the plants), I don't think it will make it. From this year plants, 5 like good, but the 6th one (Sexy Rexy) had NO ROOTS! whatsoever, so I am in serious doubt that one will survice. The website is not user friendly, so far I haven't found a way to talk to them with my complaint. I also feel that their prices are kind of high, especially the shipping and handling.

I now have ten rose bushes from Heirloom Roses, and I am awaiting several more. Although the plants are small upon arrival, they grow vigorously. I have had no problems with this company, and their selection is outstanding. The roses arrive on time, in good shape, and are carefully packed. Can't wait for my next shipment!

Thanks for you site, which I find very informative. I am another of those not pleased with the above. They actually sold me a bare root PEACH TREE instead of a rose I ordered! Has grown great, but...

I want to give Heirloom Roses my own personal "thumbs up". I know they had some kind of tech problems with computers and e-mail this year. There was an erroneous charge on my credit card (these things happen...especially when you change your order 3 times...try doing THAT with most companies!). It took them a long while to get back to me about it but, frankly, my gut instincts were working on this and I wasn't worried a bit. They were very courteous and apologetic when they called me and all was taken care of to my satisfaction. I think they are very sincere, sweet, and reputable people.

Heirloom Roses is a wonderful rose nursery!
They sell "own root roses", a major "plus" for me because they are more winter hardy.
Their roses are small (when shipped) but they establish themselves very quickly (in my garden).
The folks at Heirloom Roses have been incredibly helpful and friendly to me,
and their catalog is a terrific informational resource.
I have ordered from them several times and I'm already planning my next order of roses!
Oscarsdotter :-)

They are the best. Last Summer I ordered some roses from them, they called me and told me I had ordered one that was not hardy in my Zone. They offered to take it off my order, but I chose a different one. How many business's would take the time and expense of doing that? I was impressed! I love looking at their website and catalog. It brings a bit of Spring to cold Winter days. As far as them sending the wrong rose sometimes, everyone makes a mistake. If you make no mistakes, you're not doing anything. And the small plants, let me say they put the true meaning in the saying "Big surprises come in little packages". Other nurseries have started sending the small plants like Heirloom does. Could it be they have learned something from the experts?

I'm sticking to Heirloom Garden Roses, who provides excellent service.

I have ordered from them several times over the past 5 years, and have never had a problem with plants either mislabeled or missing. I have ordered several types of roses: English, groundcover, China, species, rambler, and Alba. I have gotten twigs from them, but that is the nature of "own root roses". After planting carefully in appropriate places, they have never failed to make good growth the first year, often blooming that year. By the end of the second year they have overtaken in size and health the grafted roses that I have purchased either bare-root or potted from local sources. My growing conditions are generally not favorable to roses, and recognizing that I take extra steps to make sure I give the plants what they need.The staff at HOGR have been unfailingly polite and courteous in their dealings. In fact, when I attempted to order a rose that was not hardy in my location, they almost refused to sell it to me; it was only when I specified that it was a gift to be shipped to someone in a warmer climate that they left off their warnings. Obviously they know what they are doing, or at least the staff members answering the phones during my contacts have known. My only complaint with them is more of a compliment: they quickly sell out of the particular rose that I want; my catalogue arrives in mid-November, and by the time I finish my selection in early December, my first choices are all gone, leaving me to my second list. I have strongly recommended this company to several of my gardening (and non-gardening) friends as a good, reliable company. Just make sure you know how to grow roses before ordering, or order a book to tell you how to do it.

Heirloom is 20 minutes from me so I go down to the nursery a few times a year to give plants the look and sniff tests--I buy roses for scent first and color second, and I have bought nine roses from them so far with another planned for this year. I have found their catalog to always be honest about what plants are and aren't disease resistant and the folks at the nursery are unfailingly helpful. Even their cats are friendly. If you ever have a chance to get to the nursery you can pick up 'orphan roses' for reduced prices--these are ones that got separated from their tags, so you have no real idea what they will be when they grow up. I got one of these once, and whatever it is, it's not a shade lover (it's under the pine tree too) so I may move it this year.But even in conditions it clearly doesn't favor, with dry soil, bad planting practice (I didn't follow instructions), inadvertent lawnmower attacks that left it leafless its first year, and no fertilizer, it refuses to die. Try THAT with your Jackson and Perkins.

I ordered from Heirloom in Spring 1999. I was completing a bed for a friend. I also ordered from Antique Rose Emporium, who I've bought numerous plants from since 1990. I was appalled by Heirloom's stock. While the plants were clean and well-grown, they were completely small! Compared to the two-year plants from ARE, they were an embarrassment. My friend wanted to know why I had gotten taken. I called an complained to Heirloom and was directed back to their statement in their catalogue that states that they ship smaller plants. While I admit that they forewarned me, I will also say that I never thought about reading their statement as I've been ordering roses from ARE and Vintage and some other vendors for over 12years and I have never been presented with stock that costs the same, but is so completely out of whack with the marketplace. I certainly would urge anyone to order from another vendor because FOR THE SAME AMOUNT OF MONEY you'll get plants TWICE AS BIG. Again, I am appalled at Heirloom and am surprised that they've been able to survive so long while offering so clearly an inferior product. Buyer Beware!

Last year, I ordered 10 own root English roses from Heirloom. Yes, they did come as amazingly small "twigs", but my fax was answered immediately concerning my husband's unwillingness to plant such tiny plants in 2ft. holes dug in our clay "soil". All 10 grew and survived our mild winter unprotected (due to chronic migraine problem neglect). Eight bloomed their first year. Unfortunately, when they all bloomed this year, one was mislabeled. I got a prompt replacement, no questions asked and was given extensive information as to go about taking photos and descriptions to send to Heirloom to help me identity the "Unknown", which is an outstanding rose in itself. It may have to be moved to another location this fall because the site chosen will not accommodate its size.Each time I have called Heirloom, Angela or Robin spent as much time as I needed in answering my questions. This is my fourth year growing roses; the third season with some own-root roses. Yes, the own root roses may take longer to establish themselves, but they seem to be great plants. The Heirloom catalog is well worth the five bucks to anyone who wants a great information source on species, hardy and own-root roses. It is a great supplement to the books and notes I already have on these subjects, although there is not the space for color pictures of every rose in their catalog. I heartily recommend dealing with Heirloom as a company extremely interested in quality and customer service. The folks at Heirloom are extremely good at dealing with novices, dim bulbs (such as myself) in rose gardening or those working with species or own-root roses for the first time. If you are having trouble with roses and need hardier species that don't need as much spraying or coddling, then definitely contact Heirloom. Their descriptions of all their roses seem to be quite accurate, and the photos are great. [update 7/2000] The L.D. Braithwaite replacement sent in 2000 turned out to be another mistake, an apricot rose that really took off and bloomed within a month. Big holes do count. Unfortunately, this was not the color I wanted in my red rose garden and I moved this specimen to the back garden in the fall. The company apologized for this second mistake and said they would send another replacement in 2001, but haven't done so. All of my own root and Old Heirloom Old Garden roses survived this very cold and dry winter here much, much better than any of the other roses (HT's) I have. The 3 English roses from HOGR that I bought in potted form from Tagawa's Nursery last year did outstandingly well the first season and the "Mary Rose" will be blooming soon. [Update 7/15/2000] I did receive my SECOND replacement for the mislabeled L.D. Braithwaite ordered in 1999 within the last week or so. The rose was tiny, as uasual, but most healthy and has grown a few more leaves in its container as it becomes weathered. In my opinion, this is great service from Heirloom. I would recommend them anytime. My current 2 and 3 year old, own-root roses are doing very well this year.

I have been ordering from this company for 5+ years and always get prompt courteous service. Own-root roses are going to be smaller but they are healthier. I live in Houston, Texas where it gets to 100+ in the summer and for the last 3 years has been very dry. The roses from Heirloom make it somehow and I have never had a mislabeled rose. One rose I ordered never bloomed and I called them the next year about it. They were very gracious and sent me a replacement. Their catalog is wonderful and many color pictures of the blooms. I always call in my orders and the people I talk to are very courteous and patient.

I have purchased over 60 David Austin English roses from Heirloom over the last six years. I will buy nothing else from anybody. A rambler, Francois Juranville, 6" six years ago, now has some canes 60' (sixty feet) long and covers a vast expanse. The Clement's catalog if anything understates size--for instance I have a Charles Austin they claim as 4-5 feet--here in Portland, Oregon, mine is 9 feet and growing taller. All their roses have AROMA. Neighbors with disease-ridden, bargain roses are replacing them with Heirloom's. Small original plant? Who cares? A non-factor!

Just wanted to add my two cents worth concerning Heirloom Old Garden Roses. Two years ago I ordered from HOGR several Seven Sisters climbing roses for my mother, who remembered them fondly from her childhood. Yes, they seemed quite small on receipt, but looked very healthy for flowers that had traveled cross-country (I'm in Michigan). They have grown fabulously in their second season. My mom is thrilled. And, bear in mind, this is in a large, rambling, naturalistic garden where roses aren't pampered! I would order from them again without hesitation, and would hope that the earlier negative comments do not dissuade potential customers.

During Spring 1993 I ordered maybe 9 different roses from them. Today I have 3 varieties,2 of which are David Austin roses. The third is an unknown--because I had ordered "Lady Hillington" and got a rose of a different color. The other six roses were uprooted and discarded by 1995 because I was thoroughly disgusted with the roses I was seeing. They were not what I wanted. I had ordered them because of their catalog descriptions, and the descriptions were either wrong or I received (without being told) substitutes. I keep the Austin roses because my wife likes them. I like the other rose: it is a small rose plant that had been uprooted 3 times and each time just recovered and grew like nothing ever happened. That is another good reason to put roses in 100% compost, and use generous amounts of kelp when planting .

I live on the west plains of Nebraska; winters get to -10 on a regular basis. Heirloom garden roses arrived small and I was a bit shocked but planted them each in their own large pot for the first year to "baby" them until they grew a bit. All five roses (2 of which were orphans) grew like crazy all summer. All but one bloomed the first summer. I have ordered more again this year. Their customer service has been wonderful except being on Pacific time makes in hard to connect sometimes. I have been very pleased with all aspects of their company. Their roses have actually out-grown the container J&P roses I have. I would highly recommend this company if you like unusual roses.

I've bought nine roses from Heirloom, always in person from the nursery (they're local to me). All the roses they sell are small (much smaller than the typical grafted roses I've seen). But after following the nursery's recommended planting procedure (which is a royal pain with the wet clay soil I have), every plant has flourished. Six of the nine bore flowers the first year, three of them in great abundance. I've always found their staff to be very helpful when I've visited in the off-season. The nursery has a wonderful rose garden, and gets absolutely mobbed on the weekends when the everything's in bloom; I imagine the staff wouldn't have the time to be as helpful then.

I ordered from HOGR in August 1998 and would recommend this company to any rose lovers. My six roses looked great and were very healthy upon receipt. I have planted four of them and all have took off great. The other 2 are still in their containers and are getting new leaves. This is the end of September and they still look great. This is my first year with HOGR and the customer service was great. I received them a lot earlier then I expected. I knew what to expect from own root roses, because I ordered from Hardy Roses for the North out of Grand Forks, B.C. All roses grown from their own roots are expected to be smaller upon arrival but once planted the next year the take off and make for lost time. I am very satisfied and plan on buying own root roses again.

I have been reading the comments about Heirloom Old Garden Roses. I would just like to say that I ordered from them the last two years and have been very happy with my roses. My David Austins and Bourbons that I ordered this year arrived in great shape on time as promised and even had blooms! They are growing with great vigor and the bloom frequency has been far more than I expected for first year own-roots. I hope that everyone else who does business with them will have the same positive experiences I have. I have found them to always be very courteous and polite.

I live fairly near St. Paul, so I've bought roses from HOGR both in person and via mail, and have never had anything but satisfaction. They freely replaced a rose that was eaten by a dog; I had to wait a year and a half for 3 Dublin Bay because they became very popular just when I ordered them, and I had forgotten about the order when they arrived. If you want slick customer service, go to a big nursery owned by a holding company in Japan (like J & P), if you want a family-owned, honest nursery, go to Heirloom. Also, yes, the roses are very small when you first receive them, but the important thing is not how the leaves look, but if the roots are developed. These are own-root roses, and they're a year old, and not grafted on a two year old root stock...I've planted over 100 roses from Heirloom, and have only lost the one to the dog.