Heirloom's roses are very healthy and will catch up and be just as big as any other rose by fall. At least, that was my experience with them last year. I planted mine directly into the ground and all three did well. Expect them to be slow to get started if you do this, but they all were fine by fall and are some of my best growers this spring. I buy from Heirloom because their roses are supposed to be virus indexed, which only a few other places do.

I planted directly into the ground because I'm very bad about keeping pots watered. You might be happier to keep yours in pots for a year which is what a lot of other people do. If your garage is attached it should stay warm enough for the roses and they don't need any light during the winter when they should be dormant.

garage isn't attached, but I do have a small unheated porch...i ordered five different roses from heirloom - crocus rose, golden celebration, heirloom, mary magdalene, and hot cocoa. I think I might try planting the austins. If I pot the heirloom and hot cocoa and let them go dormant (I know this sounds like a very silly question) but do I need to keep watering them? Snow keeps the ground moist and insulated so I was wondering how I would duplicate that.

Kandituft:

You are in a colder zone than I am but let me tell you about my most recent purchase from Heirloom. It was late last fall when I ordered 'Viking Queen' and it arrived in mid-October I think a small but healthy baby.

I was thinking what you are. Where am I going to put this for the winter? Finally after much vacillating at the end of October I planted it. I was kind of out of alternatives so just decided to take the plunge.

This spring I went out after the snow FINALLY melted and there was small, frozen little Viking Queen. I wasn't sure she was alive or not. Now that the weather is starting to warm up this rose is growing like mad. They really are extremely vigorous growers for the most part. This tiny little rose fared better than some of my established roses this winter.

Personally I really like their selection and have never been unhappy with a rose I've received from them. I can't say that about all vendors. Whether or not you want to order from them again is up to you but I think their bands will surprise you this summer.

Hope this helps.

Kate

Kate - thanks it does help - I'll have more trust in the Austins' ...the two I was thinking I'd need to pot are somewhat borderline for my zone anyway and so I thought they'll probably need a little more protection

Yes, you water the pots in the winter, but not very much. I've only done the garage thing with a mini so far. My test mini did okay, but it is very slow to come out of dormancy this year. The roses in the ground did better.

So many of my roses I bought from large rose growers showed the mosaic virus after 4 or more years. Sure they were big plants at first and did really well. But later on they slow down and get less flowers. The little bands are slower to start and put out small growth at first. The next year they are shooting up sturdy canes. I am replacing my grafted roses with bands as I can afford it. I want a healthy rose that will look as good 8 years from now as it does today. Virus free Bands are worth the extra time and money if you plan on having the rose 5 years or more.

I just bought six bands from Heirloom and I thought the same thing. The reason I bought them was because they were roses that I didn't find anywhere else and they are own root.
They were planted straight into the ground about a month and a half ago and all have caught up in size with my Chamblees roses that were much bigger to start with but were planted 3 weeks later than the Heirloom plants.
I actually like both Chamblees and Heirloom and won't hesitate to order from either again. Although because of the money difference, I will get it from Chamblees if they carry it over Heirloom.

So glad I found this thread. I was too embarassed to mention the size disappointment on an experienced rose forum.

My father's had 5 rose bushes for 30 years and they finally did tremendously last year because we put up fencing around them and weren't eaten by all the deer.

I got him 4 roses from Heirloom for Christmas. When they arrived in one box I thought it was "1 of 4" until I opened the box and found these really small plants. My father was disappointed and I must admit I was also. I ordered from Heirloom because, after doing some research, was convinced "own root" and disease resistance were paramount.

After reading your comments I'll try to be more optimistic and hope my Dad gets to see some blooms next year from the varieties he selected since I don't expect them to bloom this year. Correct about bloom delay?

He chose Margaret Merrill, Mr. Lincoln, a purple floribunda and 24" miniature because he liked the pink coloration...can't remember the names of last two. He's big on fragrance so chose mostly for color and fragrance.

When he saw the small size of Heirloom's bushes he said he could have bought "3 cane" rose bushes at the nursery and had blooms this year. Maybe we'll both be happily surprised by fall. I know it sounds strange but not everyone has 2-5 years to wait for great growth and blooms aplenty but that's no reflection on these rose bushes themselves. I think they're good quality rose bushes and will hope for good first year growth.

The photos I've seen of them in bloom are truly seductive!

I hope you don't mind if I butt in. I ordered a rose from Heirloom this year (just one!) and I'm curious what to expect so I'm checking around.

I found this on their FAQ page:

"4. Do own root roses grow differently than grafted roses?

The first year they grow somewhat differently. They produce vigorous canes of a smaller diameter than grafted roses. After their first pruning there will be little difference from a grafted rose."

Sounds like what y'all are talking about anyway, at least now I know not to be freaked out if it looks a little scrawny!

Kandituft what Austins did you get that are borderline for zone 5?
I think they are all hardy enough for zone 5.

I've ordered bands from Heirloom and planted them right in the ground.
I think it's better to plant them in the ground now and get those roots nice and established before winter IMHO.

I do not plant the Heirloom roses in the ground right away. I find that they made good food for rabbits and chipmunks if I do. I pot them up so they have a fighting chance when I plant them, and then I plant them pot and all. By the next year, they have grown through their pots and are where they should be.

The Chamblees roses are bigger and most of them take to the ground, pot and all right then and there.

The most important factor when buying a rose, IMO, is whether or not the rose is virused. Roses are very hardy. Unless you do something wrong, the rose will survive and get big. There's nothing you can do about RMV.

I've gotten may be 25 roses from Chamblees over the years and I don't think any of them have been virused. They're always my first choice.

My roses from Heirloom bloomed the first year. In fact, Burgundy Iceberg started blooming less than a month after planting. The first couple of blooms were very small and had few petals, but after another two or three weeks they were a more normal size. Rhapsody in Blue didn't bloom for several months, but it was one of those roses that likes to get big before it blooms. It had a three or four foot long cane before it decided it was big enough to have blooms.

Last year I purchased 6 roses from Heirloom. I received tiny plants in comparison to three I got from J&P. I too was dissappointed in the size. I let them soak in water as suggested and then planted them in the ground. I think I got them in June. Some of the names include Pink Bells, Dark Lady, White Diamond and Dream Come True. I cant remember the names of the other two. They all grew really fast. Especially the pink bells which is a climber. I will post a picture later today.
5 of the 6 bloomed that summer by August. All 6 made it through the winter. On a bad note all three J&P roses I purchased died (PJPII, VOLUPTIOUS and Princess Diana). :(

Carolina

All 6 of the roses that I bought a couple months ago have bloomed and three, Well Being, Loiuse Clements and Star of the Nile have had several blooms. So, I wouldn't rule out those plants blooming their first season.

When I put them in the ground, I put chicken wire with 1" or less openings in the wire pattern around them to protect them from rabbits. It has worked for me and I don't have to screw around with replanting them from larger pots.

I just put them in a one-gallon pot, as soon as they are big enough I plant pot and all. The rose blooms first year. In fact, most roses are blooming on receipt if they are rooted well. The pot protects them until they have gotten their roots through the pot so they can roam.

Try it several ways and see what works for you.

The Heirloom bands grew fast for me. The caught up to others planted at the same time in just a few months. They were direct planted here.

This is Rose de Rescht, with yardstick, in August of its first season:

{{gwi:222592}}

I have never ordered roses via the "mail" before. So, after reading this forum, I decided to take the leap! I ordered 2 roses from Heirloom (Paul Shirville and Velvet Fragrance). I go for the fragrance! I received the roses on May 8 and planted them right in the ground. Within 6 days they had new growth! I'm impressed.

By the way, does anyone have input on these 2 roses?

I really want to thank everyone for all their input! I wish I had been able to check earlier but bronchitis and asthma had me sidelined for awhile. The two I ordered that are a little iffy for my climate are heirloom and hot cocoa - the two non-Austins I got from heirloom roses. I do have some very busy baby bunnies in my backyard. I bought my daughter a chocolate vine for her "chocolate garden" semi-worried it might become invasive and the bunnies have nibbled it down to almost nothing. I sprinkled garlic around it and they haven't touched it since then (but it's been a whole two days - they might get hungry enough to brave the garlic still, but I did the same thing in my veggie garden and they haven't touched the lettuce or spinach). They're really almost too small for a fence to work. they just leap through the neighbors fence at high speed like it's not even there. If I found a small enough chicken wire that might work to slow them down a little bit though. I'm thinking my dogs and friendly neighborhood hawk probably slow them down the most. The bunnies are under the neighbor's shed (yes they are fun to watch, but not eating my plants - there's plenty of dandelions to go around) and I've noticed they're not crossing my backyard, but staying as much in the bushes and as close to "home" as possible. So since the austins are going in the new "sunrise" garden which is way across my yard, past the the lab, past the ameircan eskimo, past the hawk, past the owls...those might be relatively rabbit safe and safe for the zone so I'll try putting those in the ground (and watching for bunny damage daily) and potting the heirloom and hot cocoa (just because they're borderline for the zone and will eventually end up in a more "bunny friendly" area when planted permanently). Any recommendations on whether I should overwinter them in the garage or back porch and let them go dormant or try to bring them in the house for the winter? Which have you had the most success with?

Since you're trying various mail order vendors, I highly recommend that you try The Antique Rose Emporium some time. Their roses are two-gallon, growing on their own roots. Big and healthy, packaged in superior vault-like boxes, and ready for immediate planting into the garden.

Randy

I join those of you who are going to own-root. I've gradually been replacing roses in
my garden with own-root roses from J&P and Heirlom. The Heirloom roses are TINY when they arrive. I plant them directly in the ground (I live in temperate San Francisco climate) and basically don't touch them for the first year, except for a little healthy guidance I fertilize for good root development, and WOW, am I ever rewarded in years 2 and following. They catch up to the bigger roses fast and really perform well. Unfortunately you cannot get the new roses that are still under patent...but recent hits like Julia Child and Hot Cocoa are available now.

I don't like J&P's grafted roses but I do like their New generation own roots that were the biggest own roots I have ever seen.

I have never ordered from Heirloom as yet, shipping tiny bands from CA is very expensive and then to grow them is time consuming though most Vintage bands do quite well for me. In case of Vintage I can justify the purchase because I get roses from them I cannot get from anyone else; I just wish the shipping were not so astronomical. I can get a lot of roses that Heirloom offers from some of the Canadian vendors grafted on multiflora and if I have the option, I choose the grafted rose.

Chamblee's is one nursery that I have never been disappointed in. Great roses at great prices; not one rose from them ever died on me, and they ship on time. My only complaint is the heavy soil they ship the plant in but the soil is loaded with earth worms, LOL.

I had both Paul Shirville and Velvet Fragrance. I love them both a lot. I got Paul Shirville years ago and lost it to rose rosette disease after enjoying it for many years. It is a beautiful rose for the vase as well. Velvet Fragrance is one that a friend ordered for me from Heirloom, I believe, with several others. Velvet Fragrance is the only one I still have. The others I planted out in the garden and moles/voles ate them but I kept VF in a pot and planted the pot. I know that sounds looney but it has worked for me.

This is the perfect discussion! I just recieved my first Hierloom order and was thinking about asking here about the small size. My Chamblees order was delayed and will arrive next Thursday.
Thank you all for posting this great information.
Sandra

Patricia, thanks for your input on Paul Shirville and Velvet Fragrance. Everyday I go out and look at them...they are soooo small, but they look healthy, so hopefully....

I just bought a Knockout Rose (like everyone else in the rose world) and it's covered with roses! I'm happy just to get a rose bush blooming!!

LOL