Comments regarding Heirloom Roses

Posted on January 25, 2014, updated February 2, 2014
I just figured out how to use your review site, so I apologize that my experience with this company is not current but I thought I should let the company and others know why I no longer buy from Heirloom Roses. I ordered several hundred dollars of roses over a 2 year period. Several shipped were such new cuttings that they had only 1-2 rootlets under 2 inches long. I feel the root system should be well established before shipping, or should be sold as unrooted cuttings, because these barely started plants are hard to nurse into growth after shipping stress. My biggest issue was that after a year I figured out that some were not what I ordered. For example the Climbing Cecile Brunner was just the standard bush version. Twice I ordered Darlow's Enigma, listed as being so highly perfumed you can smell it 10 feet away, but what grew was completely scentless. Then I ordered Prairie Sunset and received a rose labeled Prairie Star. When it bloomed it was in fact Prairie Star. The replacement sent in response to my complaint was another carefully labelled Prairie Star. After the second Prairie Star I gave up and stopped buying from Heirloom Roses. Roses are expensive and take a lot of work, so it is a very big disappointment to order something special and get ??? I feel this could be a very good company but they need to do better with "quality control".

"On Jan 27, 2014 4:39 PM, Heirloom Roses responded with:

Dear Sheepwrecked,

Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Ben Hanna, the new owner of Heirloom Roses. I am very sorry to hear of your experience and I personally apologize for the mistakes. We take pride in our roses and strive to grow and send healthy, correctly-labeled plants.

Currently, every rose that we ship has a fully developed root system and comes with a 6 month guarantee. If a customer is not happy with their rose we will replace it or refund your purchase.

I will reach out to you directly to discuss how we might be able to win back your trust.

Respectfully,

Ben Hanna
Owner, Heirloom Roses"

Posted on July 25, 2013, updated July 30, 2013
I received 3 bands from Heirloom Roses today, July 25. Superb packing, all leaves intact, prompt delivery . Their roots were long extending past the bottom, around 6" deep. The bands were 3" wide, substantial base.

The top growth were between 8" and 9" tall, dark-green and healthy. I grew 56 roses as own-roots, what matters is the length of the primary root, and the health of the plant. I bought gallon-size from local stores which were infested with slugs, virused, or dried-out ... versus Heirloom Roses being very healthy as own-roots, and no insects either to pass shipping laws. I'm a happy customer. See below for pic. of the rose received:

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Posted on March 25, 2009, updated June 13, 2013
After noticing people having problems with Jackson and Perkins, I decided to try another rose company. I've always admired the beautiful varieties this company carries, so this year I ordered 6 roses from Heirloom. I forgot to check the feedback here before ordering, so I was a bit disappointed that the plants were so small. Granted, 3 were minature roses. But the 2 climbers and Hybrid tea just seemed so tiny as compared to Jackson and Perkins.

However, they do look very healthy. I guess we will see in a couple years how they do.

I have ordered dozens of times from Heirloom over the past 5 years. I am delighted with their wide variety of roses. I can only remember 1 time when I received a rose that was struggling after the trip from Oregon to Texas. I called to notify them and they offered to ship a replacement immediately. I suggested we wait a few days to see if it regained its health, but they shipped a replacement anyway. Regarding roses that weren't available for shipment at the time I ordered them, I have always received them either by the due date or before. Yes, the roses are small, but I have found that they are healthy and grow very fast. If I can't plant them immediately, I step them up to a larger pot until I can get them in the ground. I do always wait 3-5 days to plant them so they can adjust to the trip and climate change before they go into the ground. As soon as they arrive I dunk the
pots in seaweed and water just up to the rim of the pot so a little of that mixture seeps in, and then redunk if they need more water before i plant them. Then, when I plant the rose or step it up to a larger pot, I add the seaweed and water mixture again to keep it from going into shock. I've had great success with this method and with this company. As for people who want roses to arrive on a certain day before they go out of town, my advice is to order them after they return from their trip. Once any company turns an item over to a shipper, they don't have total control on when it will arrive unless you request overnight or 2 day delivery. I have recommended this company to friends and relatives in the past and will continue to do so. As another reviewer said, I am a fan.

I have purchased more than 20 roses from Heirloom Roses as either gifts or to plant myself over the last 8-10 years. The roses do come in the mail as very small plants. There are only a few twigs with leaves. However, I planted an April Moon, purchased on sale, 3 weeks ago that has already tripled in size. My Zephirin Drouhin (aka the Monster) is about 5 years old and easily reaches 15 ft in either direction on my fence. It blooms profusely and hardly has any thorns.

I have had excellent luck with their roses but I have followed the directions they send - dig a really big hole, fill it with a mix of new soil and manure - water profusely. This has given me big bushes within a year or two. My only complaint is that they do not identify the invasive roses. I had two, a rugosa and a Tuscany Superb, that spread underground and started popping up all over. I just dug up the Tuscany Superb (hope I got it all) to plant the April Moon. I did not want the bush to take over - especially since it was a once bloomer.

Two years ago I planted 55 roses from this company. I ordered more (lost count) last year. No special care. All but one are thriving. Ordered another 33 this year. I was skeptical at first, but I've been growing roses for 40 years and I am convinced this is the best product on the market. Get them small and bareroot and they'll adjust to your garden conditions, unlike others that do well for a couple of years and then peter out. Haven't had to test their customer service as everything I've ordered has been delivered when expected and in perfect condition.

I couple of years ago I ordered 4 roses, one was suppose to be Lamarque. It had a blush tint, not the yellow it is suppose to have. I spent 2 years looking at pictures on the internet of white climbers, trying to figure out what it was. A Rosarian friend of mine finally ID'd it as Mme Alfred Carreire.
I contacted Heirloom to tell them of their mistake and couldn't believe, after all this time ,that they were not only apologetic but offered to send me a rose of my choice. This kind of customer service just doesn't exist today and I will become a customer once again.

Ordered 2 roses from Heirloom the other week. Both arrived in excellent condition (across the country to VA). They were quite large for band pot roses and had strong very full root system that filled the pot. This is not the first time I have ordered from Heirloom and with how these roses looked, it will not be my last (I just need a bigger yard).

I had a fabulous experience. I ordered six David Austin roses. They arrived impeccably packaged, healthy and beautiful and even quite leafed out.

Considering how inexpensive they are through this retailer, I expected to receive little dormant stubs in baggies. I'm super thrilled to find this was not the case. The great thing is I can plant more roses at this price point, and I don't worry about the size-they'll thrive, I can tell.

The website has a lot of info on each rose as well as some general information about rose care. The information allowed me to choose more shade tolerant roses, and even had more to offer than David Austin's own website does.

I called once to alter my order, and the lady was extremely kind on the phone. She even refunded me two separate charges though I hadn't asked her to do so, when combining two orders. I thought it was wonderful service. I'll definitely be ordering my other roses through this service.

Posted on September 4, 2012, updated November 4, 2012
I ordered 5 roses from Heirloom and 3 came today. I read the reviews here first and while I was aware they would be small, I think they looked great. I was amazed at how well packed they were. The 3 pots were in individual bags with twist ties so all the perlite and soil doesn't fall out. They also used split bamboo stakes to sort of keep the pots together in a row which I thought was a nice touch. Can't wait for the other two and hope these babies do well, too bad we're supposed to have more 100 degree days this week.

I have bought two orders from Heirloom Roses, 1) 4 roses, and 2) 3 roses.
I have no experience with "own root" roses. But I read their description, and at the minor cost of them, everything made sense to try them out. They arrived, tiny wee things (6" long and so narrow!), but the description told of this, and spoke of patience. The first year, one did not like where I planted it, and it died. Two just rested. The 4th became steroidal. I was actually shocked with the incredible thrift and growth rate. I got a few roses, but didn't expect this from the meager beginnings the first year.
I ordered 3 more (from their sale stock) and again, the spot where I put another type of rose was not great. It died. The other two rested, but it was getting to be mid-summer... That was last year.
This Spring, I got gutsy, and transplanted, without any notice or special care, the two roses that were not thriving. I have to say - they are GORGEOUS now. Much happier!
Which leads me to observe, with those negative ratings that I saw, most spoke of what I encountered, yet one wonders if THE PLANTING SITE or PATIENCE was not correct. Or if the descriptions were not read thoroughly. Mine are thriving, and greatly surpassing any in the neighborhood. No need to look elsewhere for roses, when Heirloom Roses produces such spectacular results, with such little cost!

Posted on July 7, 2012, updated July 7, 2012
I have been gardening for over ten years, but am by no means an expert. I learn by extensive research and trial and error. The distributors in my area are having difficulty this year acquiring english roses so I thought I'd try out an on-line store for the first time. Makes me very nervous to not see/touch/smell what I am purchasing. I chose heirloom roses hoping for the best. I read every single page of text regarding the roses I chose and planting/care instructions to ensure I had correct expectations. A couple of months ago I received half of my shipment of six total roses. They were shockingly tiny...even with the expectation that they would be tiny ;)... I thought, oh my, what on earth have I gotten myself into. I re-read their site instructions and trusted in the information. I planted my beds EXACTLY how they told me to and placed them strategically for the correct amount of sunlight recommended. I will tell you that all but two have tripled, at least, in size and have bloomed multiple times and they have only been in the ground for less than 3 months. I am soooo delighted and proud. The roses I ordered were Lady of the mist, Othello (BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL BLOOM), Glamis Castle (Beautiful dainty blooms), Pretty Jessica x2 (smaller, slower growers, but only 2 months in ground already starting to grow and branch out and I see 5 blooms in process already), and Lexy. Lexy is really small and not growing as rapidly as the others. The plant is healthy, just seems to be a slower grower for some reason. It may be the spot within the garden not getting the same hours of sun as the others. I am watching this one to see if she needs to be moved. The Lady of the mist bloomed once and the bloom did not look at all like the shape or color in the photo on-line. I wasn't sure I had the right plant. I emailed photos to heirloom roses. I did have to follow-up a few times to pursue, but received wonderful customer service and feel the situation was handled more than fairly. You cannot expect that the owner will respond immediately to your call/email. Think of how many customers they have and they cannot possibly respond to questions regarding extraneous care and instruction as I've seen some people complain on this website. That is your job to google and/or research. They can't be responsible past what they've already told you. They are in the business to sell a specific type of own root rose and they give you every thing you need to get started. Come on folks. :) I am just astounded at how healthy these plants are. They have zero spots, zero dead leaves, zero signs of anything but thriving, and most are triple the size in 2-3 months based on which shipment they arrived within. The leaves are such vibrant green and the blooms and fragrance are amazing already. I cannot wait to see what happens next year when the plants are mature. I will follow the pruning instructions and hope they take over my whole garden. :) I STRONGLY EMPHATICALLY RECOMMEND THIS COMPANY, at least based on my experiences so far this year. Also worth mentioning, I live in Memphis, TN and we are experiencing 104 plus unbearable heat. Every plant, rose, and even my grass is thriving due to the fact that I water twice per day right now and originally dug up the old nasty clay "dirt" and replaced with a mixture of sandy loam, top soil, and a bit of miracle grow potting soil mixed. They LOVE it and are thriving. Just a thought... you can't just plop them in a hole in whatever dirt you have and barely water. They are like children, it takes lots of time and lots and lots of preparation and effort to grow them into vibrant beauties vs. average (no growth/no death...just sit there). I know I sound like a commercial for them, but truly I am so very pleased and will highly recommend.

I bought 10 roses from heirloom roses for the first time. I was nervous about the order but was elated on opening the box when it arrived. They were packed beautifully, were of very vigorous growth signs,very nice size all were more than 10 inches from soil level atleast or more and are now in my garden already flowering this very year and showing very nice growth.I will always buy from this company in the future as i have ordered roses from another online website but they lacked the vigor that this company roses had.Thanks a bunch for what you do!

My initial review is a 5 out of 5! I ordered a David Austin 'Charlotte' rose for my grandmother as a Mother's Day gift. The order was placed after business hours via the website on 05/08/12. I didn't think the rose would make it to her on time, but to my surprise it arrived today, the day before Mother's Day. The order was processed, shipped & arrived all in 4 days! My Grammy called me to thank me, she said the plant itself is potted in a small black pot consistent with the pics on Heirloom Rose's site. The plant looks vigorous & was not wilted even though it has been in the high 80's the last couple of days.

I will update my post as we see how it fares here just north of Sacramento, CA.

I will not hesitate to do business again with Heirloom Roses!

Posted on April 25, 2012, updated May 3, 2012
Posted on September 6, 2011, updated April 25, 2012
In May, I ordered three roses from them (Jayne Austin, Wife of Bath, and Lady of the Mist) for my new house.

The roses arrived in good shape. The leaves were deep dark green, the roots moist, and the instructions very informative. They were wee little sticks, which worried me a bit, I admit. (About 6 ")

Because of construction, I had to delay a bit, and followed their directions for that. When I was ready to plant, I carefully selected a site for each and planted them.

Three months later, the roses are doing great. One is nearly three feet tall. All have bloomed. I'm sorry to say that I did lose one to a construction accident, but until then it was going well (arrgh). Our summer was excessively hot (many days above 103) and my new home's soil is mostly clay, but so far, the roses are fine.

Have ordered twice from them and plants arrived in excellent condition with good root structure and no diseased foliage.

prompt shipping and healthy plants- smaller than what you expect when they initially arrive but they catch up quickly

Placed a very small order of three miniature roses. They came rather promptly and in excellent condition. The prices were decent, and on the third day of the roses being planted, they're already exhibiting signs of new growth.

I've been very pleased with my order and hope to be doing business again with them in the future.

I ordered 10 minis from Heirloom and all arrived in good condition. One died a couple of weeks later. I emailed the company and within the hour they had sent a response that they were sorry for my loss and will be mailing a replacement to me on Monday. Based on past reviews of this company I had mixed feelings but overall I must say that with this one order I am happy with the company and will remain happy so long as they keep their word and all the roses are true to name.

I ordered from them for the first time last year. Had previously always planted grafted roses. As others mention, was very surprised at the small size of the plants received; ordered maybe 20? roses and a couple had black spot and a couple were pretty wilted. I called them and they were very helpful on the phone. Planted all of them and most grew fairly well last year. Roughly in a zone 6 area. This year one did not make it-climber Don Juan-might be because of where it is since it wasn't doing well last year, but the rest are doing very well. The ground cover roses-Carpet of Color and Peachy Creeper are growing like crazy-easily 3-4 feet wide each plant with many many flowers. All the roses are mulched but I admit to not doing anything else "special" to them over the winter. I'd recommend them and plan on ordering more.

This is the second time I've ordered from Heirloom roses. Last time I placed a small order. This year I ordered about a dozen roses from them. So far, with one exception, everything is as expected. Plants are small but roots seem healthy. I know from past experience that next year will either reinforce or negate my rating as the second year is a more accurate measure of how smaller own-root rose plants do. So far I've only lost one rose ordered from Heirloom last year (The impressionist). It was planted next to Night Owl which is thriving but Impressionist, for some unknown reason, was quite dead this spring. Both were protected for the winter as is my usual practice (z5), but we never did get to see Impressionist bloom.

I have been a long-time customer for over 15 years. I have 70 roses in my garden, all of which I bought from Heirloom. They are gorgeous, healthy plants.

This past winter was one of the harshest on record. My friends and neighbors lost most of their grafted roses. But I didn't lose a single rose. Some of them died back to the ground, but they all came back from the roots. And since they are on their own roots, not grafted, I don't have to worry about root-stock suckers.

The staff at Heirloom is helpful and friendly. I have always been 100% pleased with the service and the quality of the plants. Thank you!

I will be doing business with this company again in the future. I have ordered from them twice and both times have been extremely pleased with the plants I received. To those who are put off by receiving small plants: the small roses I received from Heirloom this spring are now (midsummer) four feet tall. Surprisingly, they've all even bloomed. It's safe to say that I'm satisfied with my experience with this company! :)

I love to visit Heirloom Roses after running the dogs at nearby Champoeg State Park. In early May the display gardens weren't yet blooming, but I browsed the greenhouse and came away with 5 miniature roses and two hybrid teas. I don't expect the greenhouse staff to know every detail about the hundreds of roses available and appreciate the ample supply of reference books and catalogs on a nearby shelf. These make it easy to read up on the varieties that interest me the most. One of the great things about gardening is the opportunity for educating oneself and I always come away from my trips to Heirloom Roses feeling more knowledgeable about rose care and varieties. Can't wait to go back in late June when the display gardens should be in full bloom!
All five of my miniatures are now in full bloom and look super sweet in boxes on my deck railing. Excellent little plants! They have varieties that none of the local nurseries carry and I have never been disappointed with what I've brought home.

So far so good! We received 4 different varieties as a gift, arrived in timely manner. Very small but very fresh and healthy looking plants. They have been in the yard for about 6 weeks now, growing slowly but still nice and healthy. I will probably order some more from this company for another part of the yard.

Roses are small, as I expected because they are not the commercial stuff sold at drug stores, but healthy and packaged well. Arrived when they were supposed to. The rest is up to my love.

Ordered 3 Own Root Roses from them and got them very fast, within a week or so. The plants were a little too small than what I expected, but they looked healthy. I potted them first and then transferred them to our rose bed. They appear to be doing fine till now and hope they prosper in our garden for years to come.

My order arrived at the date I had specified and the plants were the size I expected from many years of past dealings with them. They have always been small plants and if people haven't ordered from them before or are used to grafted roses they may be surprised. I have never had one fail, so I can't comment on customer service after the sale.

I just bought several antique roses by mail order from Heirloom Roses and am very pleased!

I ordered online only 6 days ago and I already received the roses via USPS this morning; they went from Oregon to Florida in record time, I think. Wow!

Anyway, I would definitely use this company again for antique roses by mail order based on my experience so far. The roses I just received were very well packed and completely undamaged in transit. They are VERY healthy looking! I will plant them tomorrow.

Thank you Heirloom Roses, for the great service and product.

My Heirloom roses are beginning their third year in my garden, and all of them are doing great. I ordered a climber, and Alba, and a Rugosa. They arrived VERY small, as others have mentioned, but I think this was a good thing-they didn't suffer much shock, and by the second summer, they were pretty and had a few blooms. Then I received six miniatures as a gift-they bloomed the first year and are beautiful, dense bushes that bloomed all summer, even through the drought. I am very happy with my roses, and expect even better things from them this year.

Posted on April 19, 2009, updated September 7, 2010
I have ordered a few times from Heirloom Roses. Yes, some types of there roses are small plants when you receive them. But, being own -root roses they grow very fast! My plants were about 12 inches and I planted them late in June here in zone 6. The following year they quickly grew to over 3 1/2 ft high and almost 3 ft wide by july.
I like this company!

Ordered two roses. A Double Delight and Let Freedom Ring. Rcvd two very small but healthy bands the week after ordering. Planted immediately. Currently doing very well! A pleasant experience.

But, I do agree with other reviewers that these first year roses are very small to be shipped.

Posted on May 13, 2010, updated July 23, 2010
Posted on July 17, 2009, updated May 13, 2010
This was my first purchase from Heirloom roses, and I am quite happy with the rose. I bought Westerland, and had to plant in mid July! It already has a nice new sprout of leaves growing! It also has had absolutely NO transplant shock and the leaves are a nice green! I am impressed! Especially considering this was a replacement for a bareroot John Cabot rose that died almost as soon as I planted him!

This year has been very disheartening for me in the rose purchases I've gotten, and to see this little Westerland moving right along gives me hope that all is not lost.

Wow - my two climbing roses were healthier than any I have bought locally. The plants are at least 12- 14 inches tall and extremely a gorgeous deep green color. There is new growth on the tips - I am very pleased with them.

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.

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.