OK. So we buy some new roses. We obviously have some attractration toward them. I, as a professional gardener etc, have grown these beauties for over sixty years. Yes I have had my share of ups and downs. Since this worldwide pandemic hit us, so much of our daily lives has been affected. However, prior to the pandemic. I have noticed the following. The marketing of roses has taken a downward turn, IMO. Take a look at a typical rose advert. Three or more canes, good roots. Opening up your delivery. This one looks dead. This one has only a single cane etc etc. Here in the UK. Most nurseries and garden centers offer a 3-5 year warranty. Be honest. How many of us complain to the supplier? For instance. I have received single canes, others chopped back to fit the packaging, the remaining plant having no prospective buds. I even had a dead badly pruned specimen that as a plant pathologist, I would say, had been dead for more than a season. Do we complain? If we don't, then it's high time we did.
I got tired of sub standard roses being sold in garden centres years ago. Did I complain about dead or dying specimens - oh yes!! Did it get me anywhere - no. If I want more now I buy David Austin ones online.
I didn't complain, I just stopped buying them. Roses are a little high maintenance for my lifesyle right now anyway.
I'm a disappointment to the rose growing industry! I grow mine from cuttings. Actually I might buy one if I found one that really got me wanting it. The problem for me is, space protected from deer is very limited and precious. Our chicken yard already has about twenty rose bushes. I do love them. Such beautiful flowers, and so much history. The scent, when present, makes them worthwhile too. My great-aunt Alice, in about 1962. She grew hers by sticking rose stems into the soil and placing down-turned large glass jars over the cuttings. Her garden wasn't Martha Stewart - material but she grew and loved beautiful roses.
Great photo & great description @Daniel W. Supposedly my Great Aunt Hannah grew "her dahlias". I don't have a photo of her, alas, but I do have her old wooden plank chair that she allegedly sat upon while tending her dahlias. I have a mental picture of her doing that.
Used to buy my roses from Cant's roses of Colchester or Fryers roses. They were great had 2 or 3 long stems and long roots, but they're too expensive now so trying to grow some from cuttings.
Totally agree with Logan. Roses are far too expensive now. IMO. David Austin's have always been over priced. Still, you pays your money and you take a chance. Back in the early sixties, I purchased a collection of HT's including six full standards from J. Parkers. I still have two in the garden. At one point I learned from Parkers that they are not the growers of the roses, but they helped a local grower out. My relationship with Parkers continued until recently. Buying other plants from them, I remained satisfied and always gave them favourable post. Then 2021. Orders were delayed. Plants arrived sodden, badly packed and dead. I complained and was advised to list the failures for a full refund. This I did. My refund amounted to half of my outlay. Parkers & I part company. Back to roses. I eventually did complain to Peter Beales. No probs. Instant replacement. Local GC. Hey Peter. Those roses are rubbish. Loaded with blackspot etc. How have you got the nerve to sell them. Shhh. Not everyone knows that. Covid. Ah! The bane of our lives. In the horticultural world, that includes you and me. I wonder!!!!!. So as to try and keep the wolves from the door. Have even the most reputable trades people, been forced to take on staff, that have no interest in the job. Example. Packaging and sending out DEAD, damaged, non standard plants, chopped off rather than pruned specimens. I wonder. Stay Safe and enjoy your garden.
I order mine from Davis Austin as they never quibble about refunds or replacements and the roses tend not to be damaged or diseased. I still have most of them that I ordered over ten years ago!!
Thank you @MIKE ALLEN and you too. I didn't know that about Parker's but hubby would never complain or send them back but he wouldn't order again.
Hey there! It's frustrating to hear about your experience with purchasing roses and the decline in the quality of marketing. It's definitely important to voice our concerns and hold suppliers accountable for their products. On a different note, have you tried taking a break from all the gardening stress and enjoying some downtime with the blackout bingo app? It's a great way to relax and have some fun while waiting for your plants to bloom. Give it a shot and see if it brings a little excitement to your day!
