Heirloom Roses

Happy holidays!!!!

Thank you so much for sharing feedback! Heirloom Roses does intentionally defoliate your roses before shipping, to help them retain moisture while in transit. Also, you can expect roses from our area to be semi-dormant to dormant during this time of year. It sounds like one of your roses may have been damaged during the trip, but in most cases you can trim off the broken cane. If you feel your rose was severely damaged, please reach out with photos to our Customer Care team at HeirloomRoses.com and we will happily file a claim with the carrier on your behalf. The rose you received from Heirloom Roses is a first year, own-root rose, approximately 12-16 months old. It has already gone through one dormancy period and is ready to get growing! Your rose is grown 100% on its own roots. It may seem small in comparison to the roses you see at the big box stores, but that is because the roses at the big box stores are grafted roses that are already several years old. Grafted roses are roses that are joined onto the rootstock of another plant. So the bottom half of the plant (the roots) is from one rose, and the top half of the plant (the canes) is the rose you want for your garden. This is why it is larger than Heirloom Roses’ own-root roses. However, should the grafted rose ever suffer winter damage or weaken at the grafting point, the rose will return to its rootstock variety. All suckers will also be the original rootstock variety. With own-root roses, once planted in your garden, they will establish their roots quickly and begin to push out growth. If there is one thing roses love to do, it is to push out blooms and new growth. You should see growth in the first year and even some blooms. The next year, your plant will make a huge jump in growth and strength as it is even more established in your garden. Expect a burst of blooms and fragrance. We know you will be thrilled with the longevity and vigor of your own-root rose. While it is just a one year old plant now, it will be thriving and growing in no time and will last for years to come - always true to variety. We hope this information is helpful!