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| My carefully laid rose garden plans for 2013 have indeed gone awry . . . First, I received word from Regan Nursery that several varieties I'd ordered (and paid for) had been poorly harvested by the grower. The result was half-grade plants having roots that were dug too shallowly. In compensation for the lack of root support, it was necessary to prune-back all the canes on each plant. Regan offered customers the option of cancellation/reimbursement or a $5 reduction per plant (from $20 to $15 each). IMO, opting for the reduced price seemed rather like accepting somewhat pricey body bag-type plants without the bags. I cancelled the half-grade plant portion of my order, ordered more 'Weeping China Doll' standards, and ended the transaction owing money to Regan. (Of course I would do that . . . How else was I to cope with my disappointment?) Then yesterday, the other shoe fell when Rosemania notified me that the grower they contract with (Star Roses) was unable to supply 4 varieties, & that they (Rosemania) were unable to locate those varieties elsewhere. I definitely do not assign culpability here to either Regan Nursery or Rosemania -- or to any other entity, for that matter. I perceive this turn of events merely as being further evidence of the radical changes (ie, deterioration) taking place in the American rose industry. In addition to Regan & Rosemania, I usually place annual bare root orders with 2 or 3 other vendors. For 2013, I ordered only from those two. I'm wondering if other vendors have experienced similar difficulties with their growers this season . . . |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by mad_gallica Z5 Eastern NY (My Page) on Wed, Feb 6, 13 at 16:36
| In the aftermath of our version of Pickering Panic, one of my rose co-conspirators pointed out that there may be vendors who usually bought wholesale from Pickering who would also be unable to import those roses. The fallout of that issue will be with us for a while, in several forms. What the 'new normal' is for rose growers won't be obvious until that has blown over. |
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| That's a shame, Jax, but I guess we'll all have to roll with the punches now days. Like Mad said, things are a changin in the rose world. Look at it as an opportunity to try some new vendors and some new varieties that you hadn't considered before! |
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- Posted by amberroses 10a-Pinellas Co.FL (My Page) on Wed, Feb 6, 13 at 21:35
| At least Regan informed you of the inferior condition of the roses instead of just shipping them to you as is. I think radical deterioration is taking place in America in general and not just the rose industry. |
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| Oops . . . Sorry, guys -- I thought I posted this on the OTHER rose forum. If you're like me, when your focus is on antique roses, you could not possibly care less about issues and travails regarding modern bare roots. Mad Gallica: I was unaware that there may be firms that import Canadian roses for resale to gardeners in the U.S. Since those roses would most likely be on Multiflora rootstock, I'd be very interested in dealing with them. Did that co-conspirator of yours mention specific vendors who may have imported in the past? If the vendor(s) dealt with Pickering, perhaps they may switch to Palatine. |
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| Buy yourself a fat ITOH paeony.....or some of the newer geums. There are many other lovely plants (consolation is an easy thing to sort, I find) and there is always next year (unless you are 90 or so). |
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- Posted by mad_gallica Z5 Eastern NY (My Page) on Thu, Feb 7, 13 at 8:10
| I think she was mostly talking about local garden centers. The big mail order places, like Regan's and S&W, that get roses from a lot of different sources don't advertise the fact. |
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| I honestly think that, as we continue to lose rose growers and vendors, and fewer and fewer varieties are offered at all, it would be wise for everyone really interested in roses to learn to propagate. Start, first, with learning to root cuttings. There are many methods, and many on-line guides. (See, below, the Gold Coast Heritage Roses Group for one article.) Once you're proficient at that, learn to bud. People like us can prevent the loss of many rarer roses by propagating them, growing them, and sharing them with others. Until better days come again. Jeri |
Here is a link that might be useful: ARTICLE: Propagating Roses
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| Looking at what is coming into the garden centers here, it wasn't the best harvest. I've seen Lots and lots of downy mildew on the canes. Roses are a crop, like apples or lettuce, and not every year is a good one. There's always next year! :) |
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- Posted by melissa_thefarm NItaly (My Page) on Sat, Feb 9, 13 at 0:42
| I'm always willing to second Jeri on this subject. Also, don't forget suckers (I mean, of the grafted part of the rose). I have a lot of once-bloomers that I've never been able to get to root, and which are now beginning to sucker off their root stocks. Recently we've been digging up and replanting the suckers. I always want to have at least two of any variety, so this way we're protecting the collection. |
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| Regans gets a lot of their old roses from Pickering, or at least, did at one time. |
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- Posted by harborrose 8a-PNW (My Page) on Sat, Feb 9, 13 at 15:04
| Yeah, Regan and Rosemania's best laid plans of selling a lot of roses this year probably went awry too. Not to mention Pickering's. |
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| If you have any local nurseries this might be a good year to support them since the online ones are having problems. That way you can keep the little guys in business and actually go see and pick out the ones you want. |
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| I have ordered from some vendors new to me this year as well as my old standbys. I now wish I had ordered more from Vintage when their selection was larger. I foolishly thought they and all those roses would be available every year. Now.....some of the ones I have wanted are only on the custom root list. But there are others to buy....and certainly wasnt a slacker ordering from Vintage. So where there is one disappointment, there may be treasures from other vendors. My pot ghetto can attest to that! Judith |
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