Those look like normal bands to me, I'd be okay with those.

What did your get?

I wanted to try some hybrid musk roses. I got Ballerina and Gartendirektor otto linne.

I am new to ordering roses from online sources. I guess, I am used to the bare root & potted roses from the local nurseries. But for the price, shipping & the wait, these didn't meet my expectations.

I've ordered quite a few roses from there, they've all survived & thrived, give them time, in my experience HM's are tough roses, in 2 years they should be doing nicely.

Jane

rarely if ever is ordering a rose going to be cheaper then buying one from a respectable nursery. The advantage is in getting varieties you can't find where you are. That is the only reason I order a rose.

Some places ( antique rose emporium) ship big plants already potted up, but most only ship a decent sized plant if it is bare root.

I think of these sizes of plants as rooted cuttings. I have bought many from RVR and Heirloom and they are all doing well so far. It would be a surprise if you weren't used to getting them though. I order tropical plants from Wellspring Gardens Nursery which are just 2 inch pot tiny starts from tissue culture, for the most part, so I am used to starting out small with mail order plants.

I have bananas that are 10-20ft tall (depending on the varieties) that started in 2 inch pots so as long as the plants are healthy and you are willing to baby them a little it usually works out.

I have GOL he'll grow so fast you'll not remember what it looked like a month from now. So heathy and I really like the growth habit. Blooms for me in huge flushes. Rather like a once blooming rose over and over again. I believe mine also came from High Country.

I guess if you didn't know what to expect, you might have been surprised - but High Country has always done well by me and I thank goodness they are still around with so many wonderful rose choices to offer. Those bands will take off and as Patty says, you'll soon not remember what you had to worry over. Give them time and good care and you'll see.

These look like perfectly normal, healthy bands to me. Pot them up into one gallon pots, leave them in those for 6-12 months, then you can plant them in the ground. If you are not used to ordering roses by mail order, I can see why you are disappointed, but the point is that you got healthy plants - just take care of them for a while and plant them. You would not want to pay the shipping costs if they grew them out into 5 gallon pots! What roses are they?

Jackie

Look great to me.

I received La France from them about ten days ago and it's already in the ground since our winters are so mild. It's already sprouting new little shoots and leaves. Fortunately it rained shortly after it was planted and I've mulched it well so it should take off soon. I hope yours do too. The second rose you show does seem a little on the skimpy side, but I think with a little time it also should do well. If you don't see new growth after some time and with good care, you can always contact the seller and have your money returned.

The second one (Ballerina?) looks pretty puny to me. I've ordered lots of band-size roses from various places. (Rogue Valley, Ebay, Countryside, Roses Unlimited, Antique Rose Emporium etc...) Ballerina's pretty tough.... I'm getting ready to place an order with High Country. Best ever bands were from Roses Unlimited,btw, but I've not gotten very many from anyone as puny as the little one in your photo. Can you update as to how they are doing now? Thanks! :)

I'm rather glad this was brought up again. I've thought many times about this since I posted my answer. I really got busy with things and never got back. I've ordered from every own root nursery there is several times. Back when I ordered from High Country Roses their plants never looked like that. I wish that I would have said that had I received those plants i'd have been on the phone as soon as I opened the box. The second plant did look as thou it had begun too canker or rot in shipping. They really did look as though they rooted them for the order. Shipping them in such a fragile condition could have caused stress that they may not recover from. They look no different from a young cutting that I'm rooting and would never disturb while so young.

I suppose that nurseries that root plants for people do send them as such but I would want to know.

Every plant I ever got from High Country Roses did very well. I wish bluehaven would report back.

I just placed an order from HCR to take advantage of their 18% pre-Super Bowl sale. I ordered from the in the past. Yes, their plants are small when they arrive, but they are really healthy and take off like crazy. I think when I opened my first order with them years ago (Harrison Yellow) it was expecting the size one sees in nurseries. Don't let the size fool you, they are healthy and well rooted and will grow quickly. Besides, they are a very friendly bunch of folks to deal with, very helpful and knowledgeable. You won't be sorry at all in a few weeks.

This time I ordered:

Grande Amore

Light of Day

Jens Munk

Aunt Honey

Quietness

Westerland

Golden Gate

I really like the Kordes roses and want to foray more into Buck roses as well. On a side note, a big thank you to all here who so willingly share their experiences with rose varieties, start very informative and interesting threads. You all are the greatest. Last fall when shopping sales I kept constantly checking out varieties on this forum to see if they had received good remarks on here. I call it my Rose Forum Peeps Seal of Approval! Or Massive Enablers for short..lol Thank you all!!!