Comments regarding David Austin Roses (US)

David Austin Roses are simply gorgeous and, sadly, quite addictive (and I definitely mean this as a compliment); Their prices are very competitive, website is good and the quality and age of shipped roses is more than adequate; one can expect a very nice display of flowers the very first flush. Looking forward to buy many more of their amazing roses, thank you!

I've had problems getting roses shipped in spring from deep South/Texas rose nurseries, so it was a pleasure to get plants from David Austin roses in good condition at an appropriate time for planting in my climate.

The three roses I ordered arrived bare root, with numerous buds just starting to develop. It seems that roses at this stage of growth (just emerging from dormancy) don't experience the shock of more developed plants when they are shipped from climates already beginning to experience summer-type warmth.

Only one minor gripe: the lack of true red roses in their catalog at the time I ordered.

Based on this experience I would do business with them again.

I have a DA 'Huntington Rose' that has rose mosaic virus. Very disappointing. So much for grafted roses.

Posted on May 3, 2018, updated March 31, 2019
Posted on April 25, 2018, updated May 3, 2018
Posted on January 28, 2012, updated April 25, 2018
Posted on January 26, 2012, updated January 28, 2012
Posted on January 25, 2012, updated January 26, 2012
Well, I dont think things have gotten back on track at DA quite yet. I live in North Texas and just received my order for 4 rose bushes today. I received all 4, they were nice sized, but they were wrapped in a single plastic bag and were dry as a bone, just the same as others have complained about for months. It's pouring rain outside and has been for a few days. I immediately put the roses in a large bucket of water for the usual overnight soak. But, I can't plant them yet because the ground is soaked (I'm sure it's raining at DA in Tyler, too (it's a little over 1 hr drive east from me)! It really would have been thoughtful to receive an email from them informing me that my order was on the way, especially during this rain, or for them to maybe hold up the order until I could actually plant these. No consideration was given in either case. So, I will try layering or potting them up until I can put them in the ground and to see how and if they respond. I am hoping that, with as much rain as we are having across the lower half of the country, that the humidty has helped them to remain hydrated enough to keep from being totally dried out. Some look fine, but it's hard to tell at this point if any are damaged. Sheesh, for what I paid for these, and when you are dealing with someone who actually created some of these roses, you kind of expect that they would have enough professionalism (or even common business sense) to care for and handle these a little better. Minimal effort was put forth in packaging these or handling my order (emailing me or keeping the customer informed, including ANY paperwork in the box, etc.). I specifically wrote "Please let me know when these ship" on the order. But I shouldn't have to. It's aggravating to spend a little extra and justifying it by convincing yourself that you are getting something more than the cheaper providers (in the way of customer care, plant care, knowledge, expertise, plant health, handling, etc.) and then to actually get less. Come on DA. Is it going to take losing all your customers to finally change this? People have complained, you responded that you acknowledged this, but nothing appears to have changed at all. I'm afraid to order anything else.

"On Apr 27, 2018 8:12 AM, David Austin Roses (US) responded with:

I can assure you that we take our customer service very seriously and are very proud of consistently high customer rating. We always strive to maintain that level of service and it is disappointing when we fail to achieve it, regardless of how difficult the circumstances may be, and are sorry for any upset caused.

David Austin ships bare root roses at the correct time for planting based on the weather in each area, when the daytime temperatures are between 40-60F. We start shipping to the warm southern states in January and finish shipping to the New England states at the end of May. Payment has to be taken at the time every order is placed on our website as we use a third party secure site to take credit card payments. We do not guarantee specific shipping dates to each state, but guidelines of shipping dates by zone are listed on the delivery link on our website:

[HYPERLINK@www.davidaustinroses.com]

We check the weather forecast for all orders placed once the usual shipping time to that area has passed and if the temperatures are too warm, we call every customer to see if they wish to cancel, have the rose shipped at the correct time for planting the following season, or have it shipped the next day without our 5 year warranty. We do this to ensure that our roses are given the best possible start and ensure our customers’ satisfaction.
"

Somehow I managed to live without David Austin roses in my garden for the first 40 years of my life, but ever since I discovered The Ancient Mariner at a local nursery, I can't get enough!

I ordered a total of 8 bareroot roses from David Austin (between three separate orders) this month and have been very pleased with the results so far. Each time, I received my roses within a week of placing my order, and the roses all appear to be in good condition, with nice damp roots and green bark. They arrived dormant, so I'll have to report back on how the roses do later this season, but they appear to be healthy and high quality.

The Lady of Shallot, Brother Cadfael and Desdemona roses I received had the thickiest, beefiest canes. Scepter d'Isle and Huntington have the thinnest canes among the plants from the order, but were heavier than I expected. So, so far so good! I can't wait to see these stunning roses in bloom in the garden!

Just received 3 bare root roses, very strong root system and already budding on the canes.
When opening the package, the roots were still moist, so they did not suffer during the transportation.

This is the first year I've ordered David Austin roses directly from David Austin. I see that on this side of the pond they're distributed out of Texas. I had gotten Austin roses before through other distributors such a J&P, Wayside, etc. I have gotten bare root roses for many years. These I got from Austin directly look just as healthy as other bare roots before have appeared when putting them into the ground. Being in zone 4, I went to own root roses for the last 20 or so years (out of *way* more years than that). I have been pleased to see more Austin roses appearing for zone 4. Before that, the Austins I bought were usually z5, but as long as I mulched well or buried them for winter, they almost always did fine. Mary Rose is one of my favorites.

Whenever I plant bare root anything, I water with a hose as I plant, making sure there's a good 'soup' in the bottom under and around the roots, and fill the rest of the hole only when I'm sure the roots are well 'souped'. Cuts down on the chance of air pockets below the roots after planting. Then I water deep the same way every 2 or 3 days the first month unless there's a good rain here. After than they're on their own unless there's a period of extreme heat or dry weather. Even then I'm afraid I should admit to depending on divine protection a bit.

These that I ordered directly from David Austin arrived well packed and still quite moist. I did put them in water for a few days because it was a rainy period when they got here.

Posted on May 13, 2011, updated June 3, 2016
I ordered 3 bare-root Harlow Carr roses, with a first-time customer coupon that helped quite a bit! They arrived on schedule, in early to mid April. I planted the bare roots promptly; they have all broken dormancy beautifully and seem to be off to a great start. If I can find more room in my garden ) : I would love to order more roses from David Austin!

Having been a loyal customer of David Austin roses and have always been satisfied with my purchases my last purchase was very disappointing.I ordered three bare rooted roses from them in 2014, to be honest I didn't think they looked that good but you have to give them a try.Two failed one of which I know is a good rose Brother Cadfael as I've already got one also bought from DA.Both roses look like a couple of twigs with the odd bit of weedy growth coming off them.

So today I thought I'd ring them although out of guarantee period to hopefully get replacements or a refund.The customer care advisor asked if I'd watered them, I said yes I'd watered them in well when planting them.Oh no she said they need watering every other day, well I'd not heard that and none of my other roses have needed that kind of watering. I live in England for god's sake it's watered most days that time of year.

So I'll replace my twigs with roses from somewhere else next time and beware all you rose buyers out there, don't listen to the hype, buy container roses where you can see the foliage and what condition your roses are in before you spend your money.

Posted on February 28, 2015, updated April 29, 2016
Leave positive feedback now for got what I am looking for. Some gardeners not recommended but I wants to try for first time.But there is few other downside about this company. I now no longer order grafted bare roots anywhere online, always disappointed me. Good thing is DA offers own root roses, so I choose to ordered. Not a robust healthy roots, I would say ok standard but own roots are much reliable than grafted. Packaging was minimum, just plastic bag in the box not provided moisture for a week shipment. Price and shipping also fine for me neither good deal nor too expansive. Order took about a month to ship. My first order was placed beginning of January and arrived in February, it's exactly shipping time for west and south on their website. I immediately ordered second one with note to SHIP ASAP, over 2 weeks no shipment was make and I pushed to ship my roses. I can't wait until March which is too late to growing roses in California. I will follow up and how their roses doing in my garden.

This spring, I ordered David Austin roses from three sources: David Austin US, Heirloom Roses and Cattail Creek Gardens.

Long story short, if you are ordering for your own garden and would like to receive the correct rose(s) packaged perfectly with great customer service but are on a budget, order bands or established plants in pots from Heirloom Roses. Their bands are good-sized and will grow quickly. Prices are reasonable, they often have specials.

If you need a larger potted Austin for yourself or a gift with incredible presentation (Austin logo pot, tags and all) and amazingly packed with great customer service, order from Cattail Creek Gardens through Amazon. Pricier, but well worth it.

If you are an experienced gardener who isn't freaked out by bare-roots thrown in a bag (roses are actually quite tough), or small starts that arrive looking like they've been dumped upside down with all the soil strewn about and broken canes, by all means order from David Austin's US facility in Tyler, Texas. I must say that outside of the cavalier approach to customer service, the roses are all doing nicely.

I must warn that as an added bonus you also get a chance to play "rose roulette" when you order from David Austin US. Guess which rose they sent you? It sure doesn't look like the one you ordered! But hey, they'll cheerfully tell you how the first blooms often don't look like their supposed to. Gee, I wonder when my apricot rose will magically transform into the clear yellow one that I ordered? Didn't even bother contacting them about this second mis-mark, because I just wasn't in the mood for more nonsense after the line they gave me about the Munstead Wood they sent which actually looks exactly like Sophy's Rose. Perhaps next year it will resemble what I ordered!

All I have to say is that I'm from AZ and this ain't my first rodeo...I'll be ordering my Austin roses from Heirloom or Cattail in the future.

Posted on February 25, 2016, updated April 15, 2016
I ordered 4 own-root roses from David Austin a few weeks ago - Munstead Wood, Claire Austin, Charles Darwin, and Princess Alexandra of Kent. I specifically stated "absolutely substitutions" on the order form, because it took me about 3 weeks to make my final decisions. Two days after placing the order, I sent a follow-up email that the only substitutions I will allow them, is for the grafted version of the rose being substituted. I immediately got a response from customer service stating that my order will be shipped as is within a couple of days. I received my order 10 days from the order date(Texas to Hawaii). SPECTACULAR!!! The roses were carefully packed in a plastic bag, and the roots were soaking wet and healthy. Everyone has been complaining about it just being in a plastic bag, but if you think about it, the bag is containing all the moisture and it's saving you shipping cost!

The plants were soaked for a few hours, and immediately placed in the ground with an adequate amount of good compost and steer manure, plus a cup of bone meal. Today, Princess Alexandra already has shoots. I will update my review once the plants bloom, to make sure they are what they say they are.

The roses I have received from David Austin have always been wonderful. On my most recent order, one of the roses I received was incorrect. I contacted them about the mix-up, and Angela responded quickly to send the correct rose out. Great roses and excellent, professional customer service - cannot ask for more.

I placed an order for approx 50 roses last season. The order was complex due to the number of varieties represented. I received the order at the appropriate time for planting bare root roses in my area. Most of the roses did extremely well despite our hot humid summer, and a slow start initially budding out. A few didn't survive, and Angie arranged replacement of the those quickly, without hesitation and accurately. I will do business with David Austin USA again! Very professional (and beautiful roses).

Posted on May 15, 2015, updated May 30, 2015
Received 6 bare-root roses which were fine. The tree-rose however had 3 canker sores. I submitted pictures and emailed them to Angie and to US customer service. Never heard back.

Subsequently I emailed the service center in the UK, received an answer within 24 hours, confirming the canker spots and offering help to resolve this matter.

Until we have received a replacement Tamora tree rose- a healthy one this time- we will block our credit card for this transaction.

Posted on May 3, 2015, updated May 7, 2015
On March 15, 2015 I ordered among other roses, the pink "Tess d'Urbervilles Climbing Bare Root Rose".

Instead I received "Teasing Georgia" a yellow climber.

I was very clear about contacting me before making substitutions

While the stock has always been in excellent condition this is not the first time they have sent the wrong rose.

I emailed them today to find out if they will reimburse me or send the correct rose.

I had a very pleasant experience. I ordered Queen of Sweden last year for Mother's day. They were delivered on time in container with some buds which was great! This year they are FABULOUS! They make my mom very happy! ordering more for my mom's bday! Thank you!

I received the eight roses in February from David Austin roses. They were a mix of own root when available and grafted when own root was not available. They arrived bare root, moist and healthy.
I planted several in pots and several around the yard. The potted roses are already full of bloom. The ground planted roses are half the size of the potted ones. I am impressed with the quality I received.
I ordered several DA roses this time last year from Heirloom Roses before they raised their prices. The skinny sticks I received from them do not compare to the DA roses from David Austin. Now the prices are the same I'll continue to order from David Austin.

Just came in after walking around my yard and I am so pleased with my purchase of roses from David Austin that I needed to write in. I absolutely love the catalog and I keep it all year as a staple on my coffee table as I dream of what I should purchase next... I now own 4 different David Austin roses, and decided to give the climbing variety a try this year. As they grow taller, I am getting more and more excited! I have the bush variety of The Dark Lady and it produces the most spectacular blooms I have ever seen! Cant wait for next year, I have a feeling I will be purchasing new roses each year. I never thought of myself as a "rose person" but I am so completely bowled over by the "cabbage" look that I guess I am now..though I think Im more of a "David Austin person"!

We bought 3 roses from David Austin Roses this spring. We agonized over the catalog because it was so difficult to narrow our choice down to just three. We settled on Munstead Wood, Our Lady Of Shalott and Queen of Sweden. We live in the high desert of New Mexico and we can get pretty hot. It was starting to get hot right after they got planted. The sun is very tough here. These plants never missed a beat and 2 have already bloomed and the third is loaded with buds. We couldn't be happier with this company. The plants were shipped when they said they'd be and they arrived perfect.
Highly recommended!

Posted on June 6, 2013, updated June 11, 2014
Posted on May 29, 2013, updated June 6, 2013
Posted on May 28, 2013, updated May 29, 2013
Posted on May 25, 2013, updated May 28, 2013
Not great service so far. Ordered a container gift rose which was to be delivered on 5/23. No rose and it is now the weekend and I am afraid this rose is sitting in a mailroom somewhere suffering and will be stuck there til Tuesday.. Sent an e-mail yesterday asking about the status and no response so far - most likely they are off for the Memorial day weekend.which is not encouraging. Will update this status when/if the rose arrives.

"On Jun 27, 2013 2:04 PM, David Austin Roses (US) responded with:

We are very sorry for the upset and inconvenience caused. Our container roses are shipped by UPS on Mondays and Tuesdays (and Wednesdays within Texas) so that they are delivered by Friday the same week and do not sit in the UPS warehouse over the weekend or a holiday.

We are in the process of having a new website built, which we hope will be much more informative and user friendly when placing orders.

The container roses that we ship are 2 year old plants that are freshly potted each Spring. Each rose that we ship is selected for having healthy, even foliage and buds. The rose will soon develop and grow once planted. We have also found that the shorter plants generally arrive in better condition as they can be secured into the box to help keep them intact when thrown around in transit. We are very sorry to hear that your rose was not adequately secured and been damaged in transit. We are always happy to replace plants that are damaged in transit."

Posted on July 1, 2013, updated March 2, 2014
Posted on May 29, 2012, updated July 1, 2013
Posted on June 16, 2004, updated May 29, 2012
Ordered and paid for FOUR, received TWELVE, when I called to let them know they told me to keep them all with their blessings. That was 2 months ago. 7 of the 12 are blooming and 3-4' tall, the others have many buds and about to bloom. The 2 Mary roses are blooming white with only a tinge of pink, which is weird, but for free I cannot complain. No black spot at all. No complaints here.

"On May 30, 2012 3:27 PM, David Austin Roses (US) responded with:

If you would like to provide a contact phone number, Michael Marriott our Head Rosarian would be happy to call you to explore your individual circumstances. Michael may be able to discover a reason for so many of your roses reverting to the rootstock and can also offer suggestions on planting depth or on winter protection for unusually harsh winters which may be useful in the future with your zone 5a garden.
Thank you.

Poor customer service. I placed 2 orders for roses. They charged my credit card yet were unable to ship due to the time of year. I understand and respect their policy to not ship roses during the time of year they will not have the odds of surviving as new plants. Yet, 9 months later I recieve a delivery with 2/10 roses missing. Several phone calls to Customer service (since the supervisor never returned contact after representatives telling me they can't help me- wow, what an easy way to avoid issues. I cant help you and my supervisor will never call you back) I will never again order from a company who feels it is ok to take your money and not provide what you bought. I'm screwed since it was so long ago when my credit card was charged, I can't dispute it this far out. How convient for them to charge us and state to deliver when the weather is better and provide what they feel like, even with my 2 confirmation emails of what I ordered (and paid for) in disrepancy from invoice of what they deleivered. I thought ordering expensive roses was a good idea- well the ones I got are now even more expensive. I hope they live- can only image how they would honor this "1 year gaurentee". BEWARE

When you speak to customer services- expect snippy, catty females who blame you- yes the customer for the error

"On Mar 26, 2014 10:14 AM, David Austin Roses (US) responded with:

I am very sorry that you were not happy with the way your purchase from our company was handled and I can assure you that we aim to return all calls in a timely and courteous manner. I do take this matter seriously.

As part of the credit card compliance, we have to take payment at the time the order is placed as we do not keep credit card details on file, either physically or electronically, for your security. This guarantees your order in our system and the roses are shipped at the correct time for planting in your area. This may be the following season if the temperatures are past recommended planting time in your area, but in this case, we will contact you to discuss how you want to proceed.

I have looked at your orders and see that the roses on one of your orders were not included in the offer code you used, so unfortunately did not qualify for a free rose. The other order did qualify for a free rose and I can see that this was missed when your order was shipped. This was our error and I apologize sincerely for the inconvenience and upset caused. I hope that the additional rose we shipped with your offer rose in some way made up for this.

All our roses shipped during planting time are covered by a 1 year warranty and we replace all roses that do not make it the following season free of charge. We do appreciate all our customers’ business and if you experience any further problems with your roses, please do not hesitate to contact us and I can assure you that we will take care of it for you.
"

Last year February, I ordered a Darcey Bussell tree rose. I had no problem with the planting. Very detailed instructed were provided. This beautiful tree rose bloomed time and time again. I couldn't be more pleased. This rose tree grow about 1 1/2 feet. The blooms are a beautiful crimson.
I have purchased and grown David Austin roses for several years. One rose bush failed to grow and was immediately replaced. I couldn't ask for better customer service.
I have found that I really like the tree roses. I just ordered a Charlotte tree rose. I already have a Winchester Cathedral bush nearly by. I had a Shakespeare 2000 in Wisconsin that I loved, but have not been able to find another.

I grew up in Texas and was always proud of Tyler as the rose center of the US. Now Tyler represents David Austin roses in the US but has a rating of 3 positive, 1 neutral and 4 negative for the year - the ratio matches the prior 2 year's records also. A company survives on reputation only - the light is going out on yours (note the few rating comments you even receive anymore).

You apparently have an overworked or indifferent staff for handling your product and customer communication - that is ashame.

I ordered 3 Austin container roses this month, Eglantyne, Sharifa Asma, and Young Lycidas. The packing was great - super big, super sturdy cardboard boxes which were secured strongly, yet easy to unpack. So far, Eglantyne and Sharifa Asthma look pretty good. Young Lycidas, however, is light pink (almost white in the sunlight) as opposed to dark pink with tiny blooms 1 1/2 inch in diameter. I sent a photo to the Austin representative who explained that sometimes roses fade in the heat and I should let it acclimate to my climate and write back. I doubt it is the right rose but we'll see.

Posted on June 18, 2013, updated June 24, 2013
Posted on June 17, 2013, updated June 18, 2013
I work at a large, local, family-owned nursery and usually purchase all of my plants there at a very nice discount. I could have purchased any number of lovely roses where I work. However, because so many of my friends who grow roses swear by David Austen, and because I so admire the founder of the company, I poured over their lovely, well-written catalog and website and ordered three roses. When the order arrived, two of the three roses were exactly what I had requested. I was beyond thrilled. However, one, which was supposed to have been a deep red rose, bloomed apricot.

Not one to waste plants, I found a spot for the rose and, on the advice of a former DA employee with whom I work, sent a gently worded email to DA. I received a kind, timely, and businesslike response that included an invitation to order a cost-free replacement rose.

When I ordered a replacement rose, thinking that DA's stock of the variety I wanted might be depleted by mid June, I authorized DA to send me any rose from a list of several options that, having done my research, I knew would grow well in a container in my area. I even authorized DA to send me a rose that was NOT on my list IF they had one that was NOT PINK and would grow well in a container in my area.

I was so happy when a lovely container rose, clearly marked as the deep red variety I had originally ordered, arrived last Friday. However, when it bloomed yesterday, the rose was obviously pink. Because I no longer have space for a rose, I had planned to give this rose to a friend who had lost her home in one of the recent tornadoes. I know my friend's likes and dislikes very well and had chosen accordingly. I do not want to purchase another pot and grow this rose. I will find a home for it, but it is not a rose I want.

I have sent another email to DA, along with a photo of the rose I received, and am waiting to hear back. I understand that mistakes can happen. I truly want to continue to do business with DA and would like to be able to recommend this company to other gardeners. However, in order to do so, I need tangible proof that DA can do what they say they will do. I want them to make good on their offer to properly correct their error.

The quality of the roses was fine. Customer service is almost non-existent.....they either don't respond to e-mail inquiries or don't follow through with requests. Very unaccommodating...poor, poor way of doing business. I will find my roses elsewhere from now on. You'd think with a brand name like David Austin that they would be top notch in order to protect that brand name.....no way, no how. It doesn't seem to matter to the people in the Texas office one way or the other after they've received your money.

"On Jun 27, 2013 2:57 PM, David Austin Roses (US) responded with:

Please accept our apologies for the upset caused regarding your order and for the poor customer service you received.

Someone outside David Austin Roses posted a David Austin coupon code on the internet this year, without explaining that it required certain varieties to be bought to take effect. This was totally outside our control and has been a big problem for us this year.

Our current ordering system works in such a way that a special offer only becomes active if the conditions of the code are met - i.e. the specified varieties or quantities have been ordered. Our current website assumes that the customer knows the requirements of a coupon code when they select it and order accordingly. Orders placed through our website then feed automatically into our order processing system and we don't see the offer code on the order confirmation to know that the requirements have not been met and alert the customer.

We are in the process of having a new website built which should flag to the customer that the requirements of an offer code have not been met before they proceed to the payment page.

We would like to apologize to all our customers who experienced this problem this season for any upset and inconvenience caused.
"

The roses are gorgeous. I am giving a negative rating based on service. My comments echo many of the previous ones here. I simply cannot understand how this company can continue to have such poor communication and send bare rooted roses so late in the year. I ordered my roses in March hoping to receive them fairly soon. Here in my zone 6 garden existing roses have leafed out and have buds on the day (May 6) when I finally receive finally my David Austin Roses. I am doing my best to keep them alive as the warm weather arrives.

"On Jun 27, 2013 3:20 PM, David Austin Roses (US) responded with:

We are very sorry for the upset caused by the late shipping of your order.

We ship by zipcode (and 10 day weather forecast for each area) and your area in MA is flagged for shipping in April. I can see that your order was shipped at the very end of the month and I apologize for this.

Our roses come with a 1 year replacement warranty, so if they did not make it, please contact us and we will be happy to arrange replacements for you next season.

In future, if you would like your roses to be delivered by a certain date, please let us know this when you place your order and we will be happy to arrange this for you."

Posted on May 22, 2012, updated May 6, 2013
Posted on May 17, 2011, updated May 22, 2012
Except for the fact that I eventually got my roes and it was in good shape despite the crappy lack of packaging, I'd give a negative. Poor communication barely covers it. When you place an order, you get an acknowledgement, and that's all, no estimated ship date, nothing. I had to inquire a couple of times, one time I was told it would ship on a Friday - I said I really didn't want it sitting in a post office over a weekend, "Ok, we'll schedule it for Monday". The end of that week came and went, and no rose. I emailed again, and was told "it's going out THIS Monday". Why the heck did you say it was going last Monday then? it arrived bareroot, in a box, inside a plastic bag with nothing. No excelsior, peat moss, newspaper, NOTHING, barely damp. WTH? These people either don't have a clue or are being deliberately deceptive about when things will actually ship. I don't understand the mystery, give a ship date and stick to it, and if there is a problem SAY SO without me having to bug you. Would David Austin approve of such crap customer service and mismanagement of his brand? I shouldn't think so.... I wont' be buying from them again, I'll buy locally or do without.

Posted on March 18, 2013, updated March 18, 2013
David Austin roses shipped these antique roses to me on February 4: Roseraie d L'Hay; Mme Isaac Pereire; Comte de Champagne; Rose De Rescht; Ferdinand Pichard.
They arrived intact, moist and robust. I planted all of them after soaking them overnight in water, as per instructions. Within three days, every one had sprouted. Of course, the mild weather in South Louisiana accounts for this eagerness to burst forth and break dormancy. The stocky root systems and the massive, growthy roots impressed me powerfully.
Any time a bare root rose arrives in the mail and I find branches and stems the size of a cigar or a pencil, and roots that look like an octopus, my jaw drags the ground. These roses from David Austin made my jaw drag the ground. They have found a regular customer in Scott Louisiana. Scott is only 300 miles southeast of Tyler Texas. I strongly recommend buying antique roses from this grower.

My experience with DA Roses has been very very positive. I ordered 3 roses in February, Princess Alexandra of Kent, Crocus Rose, and Bishop's Castle. I received confirmation by email a week later, but due to my own email problems it went to spam. When I requested a confirmation via email, I promptly got a confirmation with a copy of my order.

I recieved my roses about 3 weeks later and was very pleased with the condition of the roses, except Princess Alexandra. But I soaked them and planted all. Crocus Rose and Bishop's Castle went crazy, grew beautifully, vigorous uniform growth and many many blooms, even now. Princess Alexandra declined, until I contacted DA regarding it in about May. They were fabulous at DA, Angela Folse (now Benson) was amazing at customer service, very helpful and quick replies to the problem, asking the right questions without any insinuation of fault. DA promised a replacement in 2013 (too hot in CA to ship after May!).

So while many have had problems, I only have very positive feedback for them. My Crocus Rose is now 3ft high and 4 ft wide, and is covered in blooms and buds. Bishop's Castle is also growing it's little heart out, at 3ft high and 3 ft wide, and also is still in bloom. The Austin bareroot Crocus Rose and Bishop's Castle out-performed 7 other floribunda roses I purchased locally at two very reputable nurseries that were in gallon and 5 gallon pots. I couldn't be happier with my purchase, and will order again. I am extremely satisfied with customer service and I'm content to get my Princess Alexandra replacement in 2013 rather than insist on shipping and planting during weather that is too hot and stresses the plant.

I would like to stress that the customer service I received from Angela Folse-Benson was top notch--she has it down to a fine art. She in genuine as well. It was a great experience. I'll order again and do myself a favor and skip the nursery roses. Any I can't get from Austin I'll get from Burlington roses as a band--another great company.

Fortunately I live near a nursery where I can purchase David Austin premium potted roses. The problem is the nursery is not stocking quite the number and selection of roses they have stocked in the past so I've ordered online occasionally. I like to plant these roses in multiples rather than single rose to really experience the heavenly fragrance. So I wanted to add one more Winchester Cathedral to a pair I had purchased locally and resorted to online. The online purchase arrived relatively as scheduled, well-packaged and in good shape. I planted the rose along with locally purchased WCs. Everyone took off and it was difficult to see a difference in the bushes - the first flush was delightful, however the online WC bloomed pink - but not pink like the Mary Rose (which I also have). This bush then flushed even pinkier and on the flush this week, the pink a weird pink and nearly no fragrance! Mind you not one blossom or a few but the entire bush. was this weird pink I contacted David Austin and had a positive experience. They are replacing the rose. Over the years I've had excellent experience with both the DA local potted roses and the online purchases. Seems they may have addressed their shipping challenges.

I have been buying David Austin roses for 16 years. The original ones seem to have been of better quality than those purchased over the past three years. Colors not true to the catalog, incorrect plants received have plagued recent orders,but Angela Folse has been very good about correcting these issues. Failures have been few,but my main problem is with weak canes that cannot hold up the flowers. I am having to support Silver Jubliee and others.

I cannot fault their willingness to put things right, but I have not been happy at losing a year in my new and very successful rose garden. Part of the problem is that DA has stopped selling through all our local nurseries in Princeton and bare root is my only option. I used to buy the roses in pots from baumley's nursery and can no longer get them. So I have switched to other growers with great success.

"On Aug 16, 2012 1:33 PM, David Austin Roses (US) responded with:

Most of our roses gradually change color as they open and mature. Colors can be lighter in full, strong sunlight and may also vary at different times of the year. We try to make this clear in discussions with customers, in our terms of business online and in our catalog (see p118) but will review this to see if we can make it clearer. Varieties with larger flowers such as Jubilee Celebration often nod gracefully on arching stems, especially when young, but we can recommend varieties with a more upright habit for customers who prefer this look in their garden. We offer free advice on all aspects of growing and selecting roses and are happy to advise customers personally if required.

We continue to offer roses to local nurseries across the US, although we have not had enough stock of many varieties to meet demand in recent seasons. We maintain a list of nurseries who stock our roses on our website and can also advise garden centres where to obtain stock if required."

I recently ordered 4 bare-root roses from David Austin. No problem ordering. I got what I ordered and it arrived when they said it would.

However, the roses had a lot of mechanical damage, split canes, canes torn off, chunks taken out of canes, etc. The roots were ok. Packing was not good. 4 roses put in a bag inside a box. Nothing tied together and nothing to keep the roots hydrated. These were the lowest quality bare-roots I've received out of the 70+ roses I have growing in my garden.

After two weeks of growing indoors in pots (due to 90+ degree weather), one is leafing out. One might leaf out. The two others aren't doing much.

"On Aug 16, 2012 1:31 PM, David Austin Roses (US) responded with:

We are sorry that the roses were supplied with mechanical damage and are currently checking our records and quality procedures to try to make sure this does not happen again. We cannot trace this customer’s order from the details supplied and would be grateful if he/she could contact us directly to resolve the issue."

Posted on May 18, 2011, updated June 13, 2012
Last year we ordered 5 DA roses. 2 that we ordered had damages to them when they arrived. 'Teasing Georgia' had a split above the graft line and 'Ebb Tide' had blackened stem tips, that despite sanitized secateurs and repeated treatment, keeps dying back.

3 varieties have suckered freely and keep growing non-sucker canes that are abnormally large and fast growing with huge red thorns.

'Pat Austin' is a "nodding" rose - the description makes no mention of this and the stems do not seem sturdy enough to hold the huge blooms, so often break, especially in the rain.

And now it is looking like 2 of these roses may have Rose Rosette Disease. Odd curling of the new foliage, bright red coloring and abnormal thorn growth. Stunted, malformed blooms with colorless streaks.

We contacted DA and talked to Angie last fall about these roses, and she didn't really have any explanation for any of it, but said that come spring, if we were not happy or they had not improved, they would work with us to replace them.

So I emailed last week, and did not get a reply. I emailed at the beginning of this week, and got no reply. I finally had to call on my day off and they started to give me the run around and told me there wasn't much they could do. I explained that that was not what I had been told by "Angie" nor does that jive with what their website says as far as replacement roses go.

So they are sending a Replacement Form, but say that they won't be able to replace our roses until NEXT YEAR - even though I could go right now and order the roses from their site and have delivery this month. So I feel like I am getting the run around.

Wouldn't answer my emails, won't make good on their roses for a whole year. What sort of customer service is this? Not good service, IMO...

If I ever get healthy replacement roses, I will update this review.

"On Aug 16, 2012 1:30 PM, David Austin Roses (US) responded with:

This customer ordered 5 roses in 2010. He has since received two sets of replacements. We are sorry for this unhappy experience and can report that, following telephone discussions with Angie from our customer services team, we have made a refund to resolve the issue."

I ordered two roses from this company on 17 February 2012. I received a phone call in late May they were out of the roses I had ordered in February. They wished to sub some other roses. I replied as long as they were fragrant. Needless to say, they were not labeled as such. They were also sent UPS ground which to Alaska is rather a joke. Two weeks in transit. I am still waiting for new sprouts. Am I happy with my $40 each roses? What do you think?

"On Aug 16, 2012 1:28 PM, David Austin Roses (US) responded with:

We have left a phone message for this customer and are also e-mailing to try to resolve the issue. Due to the climate, roses are shipped to Alaska at the end of the bare root season and unfortunately, with live plant material, plants can be rejected during the final quality checks during packing when there is no remaining stock of the same variety. Our roses are shipped by UPS to Alaska and our tracking information shows these roses were eight days in transit. If the roses fail to sprout after an appropriate amount of time, our company policy is to offer replacements. "

I ordered a 'Claire Austin' rose in February and it arrived April 4 2012 in excellent condition. (Arrival was timed to our planting season in PA.) Bareroot and only wrapped in plastic, but the stems were green and the entire plant was moist, plump, and fresh. Planted it the next day; by April 9 it is in full leaf. Very pleased.

Posted on March 23, 2009, updated April 6, 2012
I placed my order over the phone and the staff was helpful and educated. My order arrived when they said it would and the roots are huge. These are obviously well cared for stock. Packing was great and everything arrived undamaged and healthy. I'm already planning my next year's order.