jerijen - thank you so much for your polite and informative response

windeaux - I did go to Heirloom's website. They describe their product as 'own root' but I couldn't find any reference to 'band' or 'banded roses'. Thus I posted my question here.

If I had a nursery, I'd bend over backwards to ship out fantastic, healthy, correctly marked plants. My customer service would be incredible, too. Anyone in this day and age that doesn't please their customers is just plain nuts! With the internet sites, news travels FAST! This thread is proof of the pudding! I agree about the smaller bands from Heirloom, but I haven't had a problem with their plants. They take off very well for me here. Have had great results ordering from Chambless, Rogue Valley, and Roses Unlimited, as well. Have heard nothing but glowing reports from everyone who has dealt with Burling at Burlington Rose Nursery, too. She has an incredible number of hard to find roses, and her communication couldn't be better. I have a Spring order with her for 2010, and a special rose coming from Ashdown this week. Know that we take our chances when we plant this late in the season, but it's a nice challenge to pamper these Summer sale roses and see if we'll be smiling when they break dormancy in the Spring.

This first Pic is Courageous a Heirloom Roses (baby band) purchased this year and planted May 15, 2009.
This pic was taken 19 days AFTER it was planted.

{{gwi:263347}}

HERES THE SAME BABY BAND NOT QUITE 3 MONTHS LATER

{{gwi:263348}}

SWEET AFTON BABY BAND FROM HEIRLOOM 19 DAYS AFTER PLANTING.

{{gwi:263350}}

HERES SWEET AFTON NOT QUITE 3 MONTHS LATER

{{gwi:263351}}

Jim - I've had similar success with the bands I purchased from Heirloom. I've only purchased at their season end clearance sale when the roses are $7.95 plus shipping. The bands I ordered were shipped very promptly, they were not mislabled, do not appear to be virused, and have performed very well for me.

I bought a Westerland rose in July, and it was small, but now it's 3x the size! Doing great! Maybe I got lucky?

Someone commented that all bands must be from the far west coast. Nope.. not. Ashdown ships bands and it is on the far east coast. Since that's where my last order came from, those bands had a long, long journey to Oregon, and they are all doing fine. I planted them up into gallons. A couple are growing, the other two are stable and fine but growing more slowly. I was completely pleased with them, especially after the first breath-holding week when I wanted to see if the smaller ones would crash and burn. They did not.

And they did MUCH better than the bands I got from a west coast nursery that ships bands as well. (I did handle these differently so it may be my problem, not the respective vendors, that explains the difference.)

I don't think this is a shipping issue per se.

Just a side comment.

I prefer RU, their plants are so much bigger. I have lost many of the bands I have gotten from Heirloom.

I don't think we ever had any Heirloom roses die on us.
Though sometimes frighteningly teeny, they did generally speaking grow well.

BUT so many of them were either mis-labelled or permanently backordered that we wrote them off as a source.

Jeri

The only problem at all I have with Heirloom is their prices. Which can be worked around, if you watch for sales. All the roses have been true to type, and none have died.

The worst luck with bands has been with Sequoia, which is a moot point since they're out of business.

One grower that used to be my sole supplier has slipped so far in quality and customer service that I probably won't be using them again. Charging for roses that are "too small to ship", and 8 months later I can't get a response from them if the plants can be shipped yet. Plus a problem with the wrong roses (again, can't get a response out of them.)

Never had problems like this with Heirloom.

I ordered two Fantin Latour roses this spring from Heirloom Roses and one miniature rose. I picked them because they were zone 4 and I hoped they would do well in my garden.

So far, all three roses are doing very well...and I had to move the two Fantin Latour to my front garden when my proposed rose garden was found by my neighborhood deer.

Heirloom roses warned me that they would be small when they arrived, but on their own root and would catch up quickly with other roses. Even with the move, the Fantin Latour are growing quite well and are catching up with the tea roses I bought at the nursery in bloom this spring.

I did ask them to delay my shipment until the end of May because of the crazy winters with late snow we've had here recently. They were happy to do so. It's my first year with them, but I found them to be very helpful. My only concern is that they are eliminating so many of their old fashioned roses I had hoped to buy since finding their website a few years ago.

Let's revisit this..the folks who got bands last year from Heirloom..how did they do?

I peaked at my William Baffin and he has lots of new buds all over his canes, and my Westerland looks almost as good as when I covered it, but I won't know more about Westerland until I uncover it. So far so good!
WB I didn't cover at all, no need to :)

I have bought bands and small own roots roses from RVR, ARE, Vintage, and Heirloom. The best looking plants in general have come from Vintage. The bands from RVR and Heirloom are very small but they have all grown into strapping plants with the exception of the one I lost due to decapitation of the entire plant by a squirrel. I am good, but I was not good enough to save that one although I did pot one rose back up three times after being totally uprooted by squirrels and it survived. Roses are TOUGH.

I personally love bands. I like nursing them and pampering them and watching them grow up big and strong. The reason I order from a particular vendor is frequently related to their having a "special" rose that I want at the moment I want it. I am glad that we still have as many sources as we do. If I had to buy roses where I live I would be covered over in Knock Out's most likely.

I think it is easy to forget the sort of chaos that these vendors most of them relatively small enterprises with limited human resources must be working out of during the high season - sort of like we were at Christmas when I was in retail. We wished to do the best - we valued our customers but we always had some helpers who were new and green and even us old hands were not perfect. Sometimes in the heat of battle we messed up and sometimes I am afraid we never made it right. But we were not criminals intent on defrauding our customers not by a long shot.

If your experience is positive more times than not then I would go with that experience. And no, realistically I don't expect when dealing with a profit driven, people run business that sells a living product that life will always be perfect. I do hope for a reasonable response when it is not - so far - so good here.

Oh, and all four of my Heirloom plants are alive and well although I did retrive the first two out of the ground last spring and pot them up for a time because they were not thriving - they never caught up to the other two that I potted up first and then planted in the ground - but they are alive and healthy. That is another thing that I have found. I read all the advice for planting that comes with every rose I purchase but over time I have learned what works here for me and while I may modify my approach from time to time I depend on my own observations.

Lottirose, You've received band-size plants from ARE? Hmmm . . . Never once in all the years I've been dealing with them have I ever been shipped a band from ARE. I've also ordered from RVR, Heirloom and Vintage. There again, my experience has been very different from yours. You rank Vintage tops in providing 'the best looking plants in general'. Based on my experience, I have to place them at the opposite end of the spectrum. Nevertheless, I keep ordering from them . . .

There have been times when I've lost bands from various vendors and in retrospect it very likely was partially or completely my fault. The bands do seem to vary in size and vigor even from the same vendor. However, there have been only two times that I've received mislabeled plants (from two different vendors) and in both instances there was the immediate offer of a replacement. Continuously or even several times receiving incorrect roses from one vendor, however, would seriously annoy me. There is so much anticipation and excitement about receiving one's coveted roses that being let down over and over would be a deal breaker for me. I simply wouldn't deal with that company again.

Ingrid

Jaxondel, I placed an order from Vintage last year for about 20 bands and they were absolutely outstanding. They were some of the biggest I've received from any vendor other than Eurodesert. I planted them directly into the ground and they took off and grew like gangbusters...and I'm happy to report that they all survived their first Zone 5 winter!! I'm a big fan of Vintage...

Jaxondel, you are correct that the roses from ARE are not technically bands as they come in larger pots and have a more established root system - so I misspoke. But truthfully after a short period the little rooted seedings do seem to catch up and even at times out grow the larger specimens so I tend to think of them as being more or less equal which they are not. On occasion I have planted ARE roses directly in the ground and they have survived, but again not done as well as those I pot on first.

But I will stand by my assessment of the roses I have received from Vintage as consistently being the best looking bands I have received. And more importantly, they have all taken off and grown vigorously.

I lost one so far out of five plants purchased in August from Heirloom. No luck in a refund. If you buy in the spring and they have a longer time in the ground you may have better luck.

The link below shows a picture of the best looking one I have that survived...let the picture speak for itself.

Here is a link that might be useful:

Over the years I've ordered many roses from Heirloom and none have failed. I just measured one from last year that is now a sturdy 3 feet tall and seems to have pulled through the winter just fine - even though it spent all winter in a container outside. That may speak more to the cultivar then the Heirlooms expertise, but I certainly wouldn't have any qualms ordering roses from Heirloom based on initial size. I have to agree with Lottirose about bands. I like bands in some instances because of room constraints. I can tell myself that a small band won't take up any space as it develops, and if I decide I don't like the blooms, color, disease resistance etc., I have a much smaller plant to dispose of. This is what I tell myself anyway.

I just received my banded roses but I think they literally look like 2 sticks in a pot. I knew it would be small, but 2 sticks? I guess I was expecting something like a "starter" size rose plant, not literally 2 skinnier than a pencil sticks with maybe a few leaves on them. I was shocked and haven't wanted to complain to them, as I am not one to complain. I probley just won't ever buy there again. I saw a photo from someone else, and they looked way better than the microscopic thing I got for almost 30 bucks. The return emails they send also are totally not helpful, very quick, I felt almost rude. Not happy. Trying "longago roses" I've been reading about next, and she has the best feedback I've seen ever!

Notice this thread is very old, and the company has new management, so the complaints about service and mislabeled roses may not apply.

"Band" roses may be little more than rooted cuttings, or they may be a foot tall with some branches. That would be true of any nursery that sells bands. "One-gallon" roses are about a year old and might average 18".

Bands will usually make nice plants in time.

What roses did you get? Might have more to do with the one you ordered we and being own root. Remember if you are used to buying grafted roses they are usually a couple of years old and on a fast growing root stock what is thicker to start with

This is a very old thread started before the new owners

My band is from a vigorous rose and the plant is already 4 feet tall. But I have several older bands that are still tiny, they also looked like a twig with a leaf but that is how that rose grows

I have gotten two separate orders in the last three weeks from Heirloom roses. Each order had three roses and every plant was of superior quality. The new management is very accomadating and I feel they would like to hear about any complaints before the hammer falls.

MMartin, I ordered my first roses from Heirloom years ago. When they arrived I too didn't realize what a band would look like. I was almost afraid to plant them they were too small. I followed the directions that came with them exactly and was amazed at the size of my roses by the end of just the first season. When you purchase bands you do get a very young plant, but I will tell you I truely believe you purchased from a nursery that sends out healthy plants. Plant them! Watch them grow! If you are unhappy with them by the end of the season that is the time to give them a call. Reputable rose growers like Heirloom normally handle complants responsibly, but I'm betting by the end of the season you won't have a complaint if you take care of your rose throughout the season!

I've only ordered once from Heirloom, but all 4 are still doing fine. In fact, I had to dig up one of the Barrone Prevots I bought, and there is a new baby coming up from the roots. That's what I love about own roots.

I plan on ordering from Heirloom. I just got 7 bands from Burlington, and they are about the same size as Heirlooms bands.

Last year, I received the following bands from Heirloom:

'Abraham Darby'
'Evelyn'
'Golden Celebration'
'Jude the Obscure'
'Paul Neyron'
'The Prince'
'Prospero'
'Rose de Rescht'
'Tamora'

I also received 'Indigo', 'Francis Dubreuil' (aka 'Barcelona') and 'Reine des Violettes'. The first two died (my fault), and the last one turned out to not be the same RdV as offered elsewhere, so I'm not counting those three.

Here's the order received April 2013 before repotting:

{{gwi:263352}}

After repotting:

'Abraham Darby'
{{gwi:263353}}

'Evelyn'
{{gwi:263355}}

'Golden Celebration'
{{gwi:263356}}

'Jude the Obscure'
{{gwi:263357}}

'Paul Neyron'
(This came later, and I don't seem to have a "baby pic", but it was about the same size as the others)

'The Prince'
{{gwi:263358}}

'Prospero'
{{gwi:263359}}

'Rose de Rescht'
{{gwi:263360}}

'Tamora'
{{gwi:263361}}

They were grown-on for a couple months while I was getting the garden ready before being planted by the end of Summer last year. Here's how they looked this year:

'Abraham Darby'
June 4, 2014, lower right corner, and two long canes are cut-off in the pic
{{gwi:224828}}

One of those two long canes cut-off in the previous pic, taken May 22, 2014
{{gwi:224825}}

'Evelyn'
(remained in 2-gal container and gifted to a friend, but was 3' tall after pruning this Spring)

'Golden Celebration'
June 4, 2014
{{gwi:263362}}

'Jude the Obscure'
The tall, upright rose on the right-edge of the pic, taken May 22, 2014. There was another tall, thick cane which broke last year while I was cutting back a tree in the yard.
{{gwi:263363}}

'Paul Neyron'
June 5th, 2014
{{gwi:263364}}

'The Prince'
Lower right corner of pic, taken mid-May, 2014. It's recently put out A LOT of new growth since then.
{{gwi:257636}}

'Prospero'
May 31, 2014
{{gwi:263366}}

'Rose de Rescht'
May 28, 2014 -- some baby-canes flopped down under their own weight
{{gwi:263367}}

'Tamora'
(was pruned back hard because I moved it -- currently rebounding but only 12" tall)

Moral of the story -- don't be afraid of bands. They're small, yes, but that means cheaper shipping, and less worry about transplant shock. Give them a boost and they'll take off.

I should note that I received three bands from Heirloom this year -- 'Happy Child', 'Velvet Fragrance' and 'Vineyard Song.' They were MUCH more substantial than what I received last year, and were planted right away (without being babied in pots first). So whatever the change in ownership is doing, it's working very well. I'll definitely have no qualms about ordering from them again -- with one caveat. Apparently, there are a handful of OGRs with questionable identities. If you're looking for a well-known Modern, go for it. But be aware that their 'Reine des Violettes' and 'La Ville de Bruxelles' have been cited by others as being "imposters" and that this MAY hold true for some other OGRs. Perhaps this will change as the new owners go through their inventory. Errors from the past shouldn't be held against the new people running the show.

:-)

~Christopher

I was hesitant ordering a band from Heirloom, but I did because they had a rose I wanted and I wasnât sorry. Heirloom sent a rose with a good root system and it really took off. Here is a photo of my Tequila Supreme taken just six weeks after I received it as a band.

And it's very subjective. Many people rave about Chamblees. I made one order from them, for 8 roses. One I am sure was mislabeled (it didn't survive long so I can't be sure) and I lost 5 out of the 8. Was it the roses, or was it me. I can't be sure. So since then I've always been wary of Chamblees, but every year my rose society puts in an order and they seem happy with the results.

MMartin - yes, I agree with the others - please plant your tiny band plants, and let them grow all summer, and THEN decide if you are happy or not!

We frequently get comments on here from folks who have never seen a small rooted cutting in a band pot before, and go into immediate "band panic". I root a lot of cuttings myself just to plant in my garden, and some of them are WAY smaller than any small bands I have gotten from commercial nurseries when I plant them.

If well taken care of (put them into 1 gallon pots, leave in the shade for 3-4 days, then out into the sun, protect from critters, keep watered but DO NOT use chemicals, including fertilizers of any kind, until they start to establish themselves), small band plants will thrive and turn into large bushes.

I have ordered dozens of roses from Heirloom over the years, and have never been unhappy with the outcome.

Jackie

I got my first order from them about a month ago, and I'm very pleased. Most of the bands had more than one main cane, which I really, really prefer.

As it turns out, Iris Clow has a bad spot (some canker or dead spot) about an inch from the soil on one of her canes. But since she has several little canes, I don't have to panic :) And she's been putting out growth below the spot, so even that cane is probably going to be ok (once the top is cut off).

I don't mean to mention the canker/spot as an insult to Heirloom. The many little canes are my point. Believe me, I've seen cankered canes on more than a few band orders in my time ;) For all I know, they don't show up well until being in a box and shipped to my humid region. If there is enough rose there, it's no problem at all. With Iris Clow, I think I even have THREE more 'main canes' left, which is so very nice.

I've never had a problem with Heirloom...
Now if you lived in a very cold climate with a real short growing season then bands might not be the way to go...

I have been buying "Heirloom Roses" for many years. They do take longer to grow into bushes, unless you get something that grows really fast like "Dortmund" Took over side of my house in several years. Yes I have had some to die but mostly it was my fault, for not planting properly, not given them enough time to mature before they went into the ground, and not preparing our horrible clay soil well enough. If you want a rose to grow fast you have to buy it in pots for $40 or at least get a bare root rose. These little guys from Heirloom are only 1 year or two from rooting. It takes time to let them grow up. The one problem i did have with these small roses is I put plastic id's on them, which washed away over the years and now I have a bunch of roses I am trying to name..

This is a picture of Soaring Flight that was bred by Heirloom Roses. I have many roses from there and most did okay. When roses are this small you have to give them extra care and expect not to have a full grown plant for awhile. There have been exceptions. Soaring Flight grew up like crazy. It is a continual blooming rambler that is really amazing. It is over 15 to 20 ft tall and as wide. I keep having to prune it back to keep in bounds and to get some flowers on the lower branches. It is a beautiful pinkish yellow and is always in bloom except Dec through April. I also got a baby Dortmund from them that took over a huge part of the side of house within two years. But most of their plants do take patience and you have to plan on staying on your property if you want to see them grow up. The problem I have is that so many of these places stop selling their older stock and switch to the newest trend. With Soaring Flight, it seems they are out of the plant and no one else grows it since it was bred by Heirloom Roses. Now they are out of stock and they don't know if they will bring it back, which means I have to root my own if I want another one. But I did notice that my ORR have gotten a large and as healthy as my grafted roses.. so time will tell

picture of the top of Soaring Flight bred by Heirloom Roses, one of best continual blooming rambler I have had. to bad they may not have it available again.

That is beautiful. One of my favorite pinky color schemes.

I have order six roses from Heirloom; all last summer. The bands have been very healthy and correctly labeled. I have had issues with other vendors in terms of mis-labeled roses. Fortunately the error was determined within a matter of months. One vendor replaced the rose, but RVR, despite requesting photos, after my making phone calls to them, and submission of numerous e-mails , they never followed through with a response. The error was not remedied. I expect there to be some errors with order fulfillment. These people are human, and look at what they are dealing with. What I really take issue with is a failure to remedy the situation, and that is why I will not do business with RVR. I have no issues with Heirloom and am happy to see that they have larger plants now.

Lynn

I have had both good and not so good with Heirloom Roses. I have no problem with how they handled my orders. Always sent plants on time and in good health, although some were small. It took forever for some to get to a good planting size. Others seemed to grow like crazy and within 2 years have full size bushes..
Some though seemed not to do so well in the ground, but this may have been due to my not planted deep enough in our clay soil and they had to compete with the roots of a very large Monterey pine. Now have elevated most of my roses in beds and they are doing much better. Also digging out some of the large roots with a power saw in area of roses did help the rose, although my back is not really happy.. Several of the roses I had to dig out and replant in what I call my rose hospital, where all the roses go if they are not doing well.
Heirloom is not selling some larger roses but still it is limited. I would still buy from them but at this time in my life I am not sure that I will live long enough to see them grow to full size. I do like own root roses though.. Just had my second Dr. Huey from my two Royal Sunsets. So I do like the idea of own root roses but I would rather someone else care for them until they get a little larger. For awhile there my whole deck was covered with potted own root roses. Now that I have gotten most in the ground am very happy..
I have always had good service from Heirloom. Just hoping they will continue to sale Soaring Flight.. There are not a lot of us who have one and would hate to see it not available to others since it is the best continual blooming rose I have ever had.

Just an update, because I saw this thread in the current posts...

I received a one gallon rose from Heirloom about 3 weeks ago and was shocked! The size of the canes, the root system and health was like no other one gallon plant I have received. I don't know if this is their standard or a fluke, but I really hope they make more one gallon plants available if they are similar to the one I received.

I continue to be very happy with this vendor.

Lynn

I really was impressed w/ Heirloom and thought their roses were extremely healthy.

I purchased:
2 Henri Martin Moss Roses
1 Salet Moss Rose
1 Green Ice Mini

All of them are doing extremely well. I have one HM in part shade. All are growing very well, I planted them directly in the garden. The mini has even been putting off blooms for several weeks now.

I will be shopping with Heirloom a lot in the future.

After reading all the comments about Heirloom Roses, and seeing that these comments were made quite a few years ago, I am not surprised that Heirloom Roses are now offering one gallon potted roses as well as bands.

I've bought roses from Heirloom for years - of course, I live only about thirty minutes from their nursery - so I can pick out my own roses. But even those I've gotten mail order have been well rooted and have grown into large shrubs.

I think I owe a debt of gratitude to everyone who complained since I can now buy one gallon rose plants where before, all plants were bands.

Susan

When Heirloom Roses first announced that they would offer the gallon size, they said it was due to customer feedback asking for more mature roses. Here's the link to the original video: One Gallon Roses.

Heirloom Roses changed ownership several years after this thread began. I've only have experience with them under the new ownership. I've been pleased with their well-rooted bands. However, I will receive a gallon size Julia Child this fall, because they were out of stock of the band size. I'm anxious to see the difference.

I have only ever purchased bands from Heirloom until August when I ordered Constance Spry. They are no longer selling this rose in the US and they only had one gallons left.

It was short, but had several canes that were cut down to fit in the box. I just planted the second week of August and it's already putting out new growth. I've been very impressed.

But I'm also impressed with their bands.

Thank you for the video link jasminerose4u. The change in ownership certainly explains why Heirloom Roses is now shipping one gallon rose plants. I like that one can also order a stake with the name of the rose engraved on it.

Susan

This has proved to be a great thread as we decide what new rose to buy for our yard.....what vendor is best?..... own root vs. grafted? (IWe've lost many grafted roses over the years.)

I learned about bands and how to care for them and about the benefits of a one-gallon pot for those in colder climates. I especially appreciated the more recent photographs from Christopher, lelamsk, and jasminerose4u.

Thanks,

Molie

Wow, those are all very beautiful, Susan.

Thank you!

Susan

Oh. My. Gosh. Your gardens are beautiful as are your roses. Thanks for sharing, Judy.

Thank you Judy.

Susan

Earthsong baby band I got from Heirloom Roses and planted latter July of this year...