Hard to say. The canes look green, but it does look like it has a crack in it. What kind of rose is it?

David Austin - Princess Alexandra of Kent

Does it only have one cane on it? How did u plant it?

Here are some additional pictures. I just received it today and the nursery told me to keep it in the pot it arrived in for 3 days before planting. I'll be putting it into a container.

For ordering a rose from online I would say it’s not half bad. Fallows the directions given, make sure it is well watered and given more then 6 hours of sun and it should be fine. When u plant it make sure that u mix compost with good garden soil and too add much. If u take care of it, I think it will grow into a nice bush!

U can. Ordering roses online is a tricky business as you can’t pick out the bush you want. Most bushes that come fro online are smaller and don’t look that impressive. I ordered a Rose from online before and it was small and not very impressive, but over time the bush improved and I feel like it getting m better every year. Take care of it and it should improve.

The nursery is a very reputable one. I was recommended to go to them for having high quality roses BUT on the other hand I know not all roses are perfect. I guess I just need to bring my expectations down a few notches next time. I'll reach out and see what they say in the meantime. Thanks for the encouragement and input.

I, too, would encourage you to send them a picture and inquire.

I would probably ask for a replacement, especially if I paid more than $20 for it.

I have no problems calling a nursery on less than perfect stock. I pay money for it and I want something that's going to thrive not something that I have to baby from the get go.

Rosey B: Am I correct that the cane in photos 1 thru 3 is the only cane arising from the soil?

And: OR or grafted (I'm guessing the former)?

Yes, it's the only cane arising out of the soil.

It's grafted on Fortuniana.

I would probably bury it so that the point where it splits into 3 canes is 4-5 inches deep to encourage it to go own-root. Then, if the cracked stem fails the plant might still make it. That is, assuming you can't easily get them to replace it.

I think if u baby the rose it will make it, but if u can get a better bush do it. I’m always skeptical when I get a rose from online as I can’t inspect it before I buy.

Rosey B

Yes, it's the only cane arising out of the soil.

It's grafted on Fortuniana.

Rosey B: Do you think that is Princess A of K cane or Fortuniana with the crack - where is the bud union (under soil or way up high)?

@rifis (zone 6b-7a
NJ) I believe the cracks are in the Fortuniana
rootstock. The bud union is much higher. Attached is a pic with a markup showing the bud union.

@ebharvey1 I want to try to help the plant along but I have absolutely NO experience with this stuff. This plant is going to be a permanent container rose as of right now but this could always change in the future. I live in Florida and we have issues with Nematodes, which is why grafted roses on Fortuniana rootstock are ideal for our soil situation. If I bury the bud union and the rose starts growing own root style do I need to worry about Nematodes being it's planted in a container? I'm using the 5-1-1 soil mix.

@Anthony Wutz It's a bummer that these kind of things happen. The awesome thing is reputable nurseries usually have a guarantee, if you're not satisfied.

I'm appalled. There's no way we would accept that here, we just wouldn't be sent one like that, and I don't think you should accept it either, when you consider DA roses are some of the most expensive out there..

Here they're pretty good and will replace it without question if you're not happy with something, after sending photos, and you keep the original. I would expect them to do the same. Do think about that..

Marlorena-z8 England-

I've been in discussion with the nursery owner and he's going to either send me a full refund or replace. However, I need to wait until Monday to get clarification on it since they're closed now. He wasn't concerned or phased by the damage so I reached out to David Austin (USA) to get an expert weigh-in. DA said they would replace this rose, in the condition it is, if it came from them.

That's good news for you, I'm delighted, although I admit I misunderstood and thought you got the rose direct from DA U.S... so it's good customer service of the nursery owner to give you those options... it's only right really..

Marlorena-z8 England-

It is. Thankfully! And, I agree.

I always use potting soil for my container roses. I add perlite to improve drainage and sometimes add some ground bark for the larger containers.

I have added shredded hardwood mulch to the tops of containers when the weather goes up in the 90's. It slows water loss.

Hope the nursery gives you a replacement for that rose. You deserve one. PAOK is a generous bloomer and a healthy plant will give you MUCH pleasure this year!

Good to hear about refund/replace.

You can modify ebharvey1's idea - bury crack but keep bud union above soil line - maybe Fortuniana roots can be encouraged to grow from above crack (in case rootstock below crack fails) while still ensuring nematode protection. Looks like there's plenty of height to do that.

@barbarag_happy(8A) Thank you. I’m using Al’s 5-1-1 mix which
is 5 parts pine bark fines, 1 part perlite, and 1 part peat moss (plus lime
& osmocote). I also added pine bark mulch on top of the
soil in the container for water retention. Thankfully the nursery owner is replacing her
with a Harlow Carr DA rose.

rifis (zone 6b-7a NJ) He's replacing her with a Harlow Carr DA rose. :)

I've taken your recommendation on burying the cracked part. Thank you. I suppose time will only tell if she will make it.