Comments regarding David Austin Roses (US)

I have grown DA roses a number of years. Until last year, I ordered from another company. Last year I ordered 14 from DA's Tyler, Texas. This year I ordered 9. I was thrilled with the roses I got last year, much bigger and healthier than the ones I ordered in prior years. They leafed out only a few days after planting. I recieved excellent CS both this year and last. My problem is, living in the desert, I need my roses as early as possible and I always order late! My roses have come very quickly and in great shape both years. This year's 9 (actually 10. They sent me a free one), are soaking. They look great and I am looking forward to seeing them in bloom. By the way, I think DA roses are beautiful, though very different from each other. There is something for every taste. I have about 30 in my yard and love every one. I am looking forward to some of the new "style" such as Windflower, Buttercup and Scarborough Fair. I love David Austin's new book, The English Roses, which just came out. Beautiful!!

I ordered four roses from their specials' collection and I have to report that they are doing fine. They arrived with a minimum of 4 canes each. Very healthy and broke dormancy within a day of being soaked.

Beautiful selection of DA's on the website, easy to order, and good customer service. The only thing they don't provide is a bib with all the drooling you will do looking at all those pics.

I am hoping they email coupons and specials for their repeat customers. I am really looking forward to next year's selections. Oh wait, I am not going to be able to wait a year for my next order.

Marta Acaba
Tampa, Florida

Excellent, excellent customer service! My previous opinion was pretty lukewarm, but they've been so fantastic since then that they've more than made up for it. I ordered 6 bareroots last year. They arrived very late (2-3 months after they were supposed to arrive to me in zone 9b). They were disappointingly small, with a few that are still much smaller than most bareroots I've gotten this year, so I suspected my order had been forgotten and I got the runty leftovers. I got one rose from DA this year at the proper time for my zone and it was much larger. I sent them an e-mail with photos stating that this year's rose made me convinced I had indeed been forgotten last year. They offered to replace the whole order. They were very accommodating about the shipping date, since I was traveling, and I've got my much bigger replacements soaking now waiting to be planted. If you have any problems, contact them -- they will make it right.

Just received 5 roses, my first order from this company so jury is still out.

I wouldn't comment at all at this point except for one thing, I am amazed at the terrible packaging. There was not one speck of straw, paper, or any other type of mulch. The roses were simply slung in a plastic bag sans any packaging so I have them soaking in water now....hopefully they'll survive.

To be honest this is the first time I've ever bought roses that were NOT own root so we'll see how it goes but unless it's a rose I simply can't find elsewhere I doubt I'll order from them again.

"

Dear Dana,
Our shipping supervisor has asked me to comment that our roses are carefully packaged in a premium quality outer box. Before shipping, we dip each rose in a water-based solution which contains a special ingredient to assist water retention. Roses are packed in a large poly bag, which is wrapped around the roots. We stock a variety of box sizes to ensure a good fit and the size of our roots (which are in general much larger than the average own-root rose) and also helps to conserve moisture.

We designed our packaging with help from customers and monitor customer satisfaction rates closely. We've reviewed our packaging following your post and also have reviewed our customers' overall satisfaction rate, which remains very high. We are confident that our roses should go on to perform well, assuming our planting and care instructions are followed. We back these claims with our standard quality guarantee.

You do not mention whether any of our roses appeared dehydrated or whether the packaging was damaged in any way. If you have any immediate concerns, please contact me to arrange replacements or a refund toll free on 800 328 8893. If your roses appear physically OK, we are confident they will thrive in your garden. You remain protected by our twelve month guarantee of quality. Please let us know how you get on.

With very best wishes,
Jo VonBargen
"

zepherine drouchin a lovely rose and wonderful climber and no thorns a rose which was told to me by a Mastr aGardener in new hamshire and i bought me some 2 did not return after winter and i called tyler and they were replaced with a smile
i am considering on getting at least 4 for my 4-H bed i chair out at the extension grounds. this is one tough but beautiful orse

My roses arrived in excellent condition. Most are doing well and blooming in their first year. Two haven't even produced even a leaf but the stalks are still green. I spoke to cust svc regarding one of the plants and they stated that they'd save a replacement for me if it continues to fail.

I purchased 5 roses this year. All arrived in great condition and are now thriving in the garden despite the cold spring we are having here in New York. I also have 6 from last year that are doing well after a severely cold winter. 3 of the Mayflower and 2 William Shakespeare were infected pretty bad last summer with blackspot and took a severe end of season pruning,were frozen all winter and then I had to hack them back severely this spring - really thought these plants were not going to make it - they are (SURPRISE) doing great and I hope they are healthier this year. Heritage is doing fabulous! Also have Evelyn which I bought as a mystery rose at my nursery(they had lost the tag) which froze almost to the ground - rebounded great. All of the new plants look great so far. Trying 2 of the 2005 - Love DA roses- cant beat them for fragrance and that old rose look.Only negative - did not find customer service( or whomever takes the orders) very friendly at all!!! But the way I see it the product is what matters most!!! Thanks for a great product.

Every rose I've gotten from David Austin has been healthy, correctly labeled and has done great in my garden. I recommend this company if you are looking for DA roses. They have a good website and some great sales, too.

2/05 I ordered several roses from David Austin. After I placed the order I lost my credit card and when I was called by customer service to verify the card number I explained what happened. The woman I spoke with was so helpful and understanding she went above and beyond to help me. I appreciate good customer service and a good product. I am very happy with my roses 2 of the bushes have taken off and the other 2 are struggling but whether they live or die I will always be a loyal customer and supporter of David Austin Roses.

I ordered several roses from David Austin in Texas. One that I ordered was Hansa and I was sent a Handel instead. I called the company and they were exceptional in the way they handle my complaint. They apologized and sent me the correct replacement rose and told me to plant or give the rose to a friend. I would highly recommend this company.

My husband ordered a Mary Rose for my Valentine's present 2 years ago. Unfortunately, it arrived in late March, far too early to plant in West Michigan. I called the Texas HQ, had a lovely conversation with CS, and was told to go ahead & save the rose in a cool storage place if I had one (I did, a second fridge), keep it slightly moist, and if it survived, I would have an extra as they sent a new one out in May. As good fortune would have it, both roses are thriving in my garden, and this year for Valentine's Day, my husband ordered two new roses for my cottage garden.
While I have other Austin roses from different sources, the ones from the main nursery are especially fine & hardy specimens. I will continue to order from them, since the experience with their CS was SO positive. I understand many companies can make errors, it is how they deal with the customer that sets DA apart from the less desirables & that make me a loyal customer. I may not make them wealthy, but I actively promote their business to other gardeners.

I have placed several orders with this company over the past few years. All orders have arrived in EXCELLENT condition. All roses had large, well developed, and healthy root systems; all have thrived in my garden (photos in database, more to come). Each year I look forward to receiving my new catalog. I will definitely order from David Austin Roses again and will recommend them with confidence!

I have ordered David Austin roses from several other companies as well as purchased them from a local garden center. I currently have over 60 roses in my beds the majority are David Austins planted as bare roots. This spring I ordered 10 from David Austin in Tyler, Tx. These bareroot roses were in top shape, all produced blooms and are healthy. When I have emailed this company with questions their responses have been prompt and helpful, their order takers also were well-informed & polite. I will order from them again.

My daughter wanted to know what I wanted for my birthday, which was April 9th. I told her a David Austin rose. Wayside told her it was too late to ship, so she contacted the Texas site. They sent me 4 roses, bareroot, very clean and very fast, only a couple of days later they came. By June lst all 4 were blooming, and they started leafing up within l0 days. We are very happy with them.

Ordered 3 roses - lilian austin - blythe spirit - sophy's rose - received large bareroots right on schedule.

All plants were potted in pots, and have leafed out and flowered beautifully. Would order from again...

p.s. Lilian Austin is 'gorgeous!'

DECOBUG

My wife and I ordered 15 bare root roses from Austin US this spring. Our order was late so we were unable to get all of the own root roses we wanted. However, DA was very good about telling us what was available and suggesting substitutions. The only problem with the order was timing. We were told several times that the order was being gathered and sent, only to have the actually shipping occur about three weeks after we were originally told. That said, when the plants arrived they were absolutely gorgeous. The own root plants had multiple thin but mature canes and the grafted plants were monstrously large. All plants were well packed and there was no significant damage. They have now been in the ground for two months and are flourishing. First bud set for two of the varieties was yesterday. Granted that we spent an enormous amount of time preparing holes and amending soil, I am extremely happy with the results so far. DA costs money and shipping plants that large costs but the results have justified the expense, and we plan to order from them again. Overall, an excellent experience. DA should be commended for their quality.

Made a first time purchase via their website. Site excellent, photos great. Only neutral comment is that order did not include an email confirmation so I had to hope that my order was received and shipped. Emails to the company were replied to quickly in a courteous and informative, frank manner. Roses arrived very quickly in VERY excellent condition with strong canes and healthy buds and strong roots.
I have respected the work of David Austin for many years and am glad that his hybrids are now being grown under his guidance personally instead of by a secondary grower who may rush the process.

Last year I ordered 16 of the bareroot English roses to plant as a hedge at my vacation home in Western North Carolina. I was very specific that the plants had to arrive during the five days I would be there in late April. Very few mail order houses will honor such a condition. The roses arrived exactly on time, all with good roots and healthy canes.

When I came back for the fourth of July, I was stunned by how well the plants had thrived in two months. I had a gorgeous thick three and a half foot hedge in full bloom, the roses shading from pure white to deep pink as planned. The scent was to die for.

By Labor Day, one of the white Winchester Cathedral, a sport of the pink Mary Rose, had developed a cane that was producing pink blossoms. Their customer service answered my e-mail within a day and replaced it free of charge.

All the David Austin roses have survived the mountain winter and have begun to set out new growth. Some of the roses I purchased from local nurseries have not made it.

I placed my first order with David Austin this year. The roses arrived in outstanding condition! They are large, healthy and have the beginnings of new growth on them. They were far better than Jackson & Perkins - the only other company I've ordered roses from.

I just received my first order of roses from David Austin in Texas. I ordreed 6 and they were all very healthy with nice root systems. I was very pleased with what I received and will order again. I will check back in when growth begins.

Ordered around 10 rose plants. All arrived healthy & have grown & bloomed very well. Some of the colors different than in the catalog/photos, but that's mainly the "red" varieties, and soil conditions do affect colors (as well as photo processing!). Would buy from again.

In early Spring 2003 I ordered several hybrid musk roses from this supplier because they do well in our foggy and damp climate. I also ordered a couple of their "David Austin Roses" to try based on a recommendation from their rosarian that they would probably be ok. I have been VERY pleased with with everything from this group: All of the roses have survived and, in fact, thrived and look quite beautiful. They were healthy and strong from the very start. Highly recommended.

Best and biggest rose plants, will order from again, they are thriving while all my locally purchased roses have died. The higher prices are well worth buying.

I order 3 Mayflowers. The plants arrived in good shape. My only complaint is they're more expensive than most mail order companies.

I have only ordered one bareroot rose and it was from this company. The roots were very large and the canes nice and plump and green. The rose has been in for about two weeks and is sprouting and growing well.

I was very leary of ordering from David Austin after seeing the other responses here, however I had a great experience. I ordered 5 roses, and the plants that came were HUGE, in booth root and cane size. They were clean and nice and no problems what-so-ever. I have never bought roses bare root so big, and I've bought many, so they get my positive rating. The roses have been in for a few weeks and seem to be coming out of dormancy fine. They size of the plants definitely warrant the price, along with the gorgeous flowers I am expecting.

Ordered lots of roses from this company, nice sized and healthy plants, some didn't quite fit the description when bloomed but it was OK. They also exchanged one of the roses they sent me in error and I received it just recenly, great size! Good company and very good Customer Service!

We've been fairly pleased with both the quality and garden performance of their roses. They did inform us late in the season that a variety was backordered (to the following year!) and they also did substitute a variety without consulting us first but it was a comparable variety.

I just love ordering from this catalog. When one plant was smashed via the USPS last year, I received another within 2 days via UPS that was great. The plants are high quality and grow fabulously. I have purchased David Austin roses in pots and think they do better bare root. I highly recommend this company.

I just received my order yesterday of three bushes. I was impressed- They appear very robust and generally of a higher quality than other mail-order roses I have purchased in the past. From the moment I placed my order, I could tell that theirs is a ""slick outfit""; an email query was answered promptly, the person who took my order on the phone was very friendly and courteous, I received a snail-mail confirmation of my order in 4 days and the roses arrived well-packed shortly thereafter. I would definitely choose to reorder from them.

I ordered a ""Golden Celebration"" David Austin English rose from the David Austin rose company in Texas. The bare roots rose bush arrived by UPS in a sturdy cardboard box, and the bush was moist within thick plastic wrapping inside. The bush has 6 green canes, one of which has a branch, and a good root system. The invoice had instructions for planting on the back, which I am following. After placing the bush in water for a few hours, I notice numerous leaf buds are producing leaves. The bush is expensive, but the previous Golden Celebration bushes which I bought from grew 5 to 6 feet in one summer and produced an astonishing number of large golden pleasant smelling roses all summer. Also, the bush seems to be highly disease resistant, so I think the bush is worth the price.

What a great experience! So far, we've ordered 15 roses from David Austin, all arrived in great shape & have rewarded us with wonderful, abundant blooms. While Austin roses may be a bit more pricey, they have more than lived up to the price. We will be buying quite a few more roses & David Austin will be on our shopping list. First class plants, first class operation.

I ordered roses from 3 different companies last spring, and David Austin Roses sent me the best ones. I ordered five roses, and they were all strong, two year-old plants and arrived at the time I specified. All have done well, and when they leafed out, looked superior to the potted roses that the local nurseries were selling. Their English roses were a bit pricey, but I think I got my money's worth. This year when I decided to order several old garden roses, David Austin Roses was my first choice. I ordered a couple of hybrid musks and a rambler, all $12.95 each, which I consider a bargain because you can pay more for one-year-old plants in 1 gallon containers. All their roses are two year-old plants. I only wish their selection wasn't so limited! Both this year and last year, I have found their customer service to be excellent.

I order two bareroot roses, a Graham Thomas and a Sunsprite mid-March. I was told they would be shipped right away for planting in my zone. G.T.was a little pricey, but I also considered this rose being shipped direct from the hybridizer, so the additional cost did not bother me.The Sunsprite was priced accordingly with other rose vendors. Two weeks passed, and still no roses. I called DA and they said they were shipped on March 24 via USPS. But since I still hadn't received them, they would dispatch replacements right away via UPS. Seventeen days from the original shipment date, my roses arrived via the wonderful United States Postal Service. You have never seen such heartbreaking roses! The Graham Thomas suffered powdery mildew, and 4 of the 5 canes were totally black. Sunsprite fared a little better, with 3/5 canes dead. The roots were brittle and dry. Since it was two days from my phone call with DA, I called to let them know I received the initial shipment, and how sad these roses were. They were incredibly apologetic, even though it wasn't their fault the post office decided to hang onto a box clearly marked LIVE PLANTS all over it. I received my promised replacments via UPS and they look gorgeous. DA advised me to go ahead and soak the first roses in some water and pot them up ... they may just survive. For all you catalogue collectors, you have GOT to get a DA catalog. The pictures are simply gorgeous, and info on the roses is topnotch. DA also adds information about the background of the naming of each of his roses, which is humorous, interesting and sometimes heart breaking. He is also honest about which roses are prone to certain diseases and anticipated growth for different areas (these roses are "born and bred" in the UK, and growing habits are different in the US). But the pixs are truly stunning!