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Q: My city has a pesticide ban in place and we aren’t allowed to spray or I prefer not to use any chemicals. Which varieties are the most disease-resistant? A: We recognize this is the way of the future for rose enthusiasts throughout North America. As a rule newer varieties and newly introduced varieties are more disease resistant as the hybridizers recognize this as well. To find varieties that meet your needs you can perform an advanced search in the "shop/view roses" area and select disease-resistant from the criteria or you can review the separate list noting the varieties which we believe to be the most disease-resistant.
Q: I live in zone 5. When should I receive/plant my roses? Should I wait until the danger of frost has passed before I plant? A: Frost (or snow) will not hurt the canes nor kill the plant (follow the planting instructions - pdf file). If you live in an area where the ground freezes in winter you should plan as soon as the ground is workable. When bare root roses are planted later in the season when temperatures are higher the plants have a harder time getting established and have a greater chance to fail.
Q: The rose I want says “Smaller Plants Only”. What does that mean? Are the plants younger? Will they grow well or should I look for #1 grade plants only? A: After we harvest the plants they are graded according to standards set by the American Association of Nurserymen (grading link). When we say smaller plants we are referring to 1 ½ grade. The plants are the same age. Some varieties are better branchers than others. For instance a number of floribundas such as Apricot Nectar, Gruss an Aachen and Margaret Merrill produce plenty of large plants but many have to be graded as 1 ½ because they only have 2 canes. In our experience 1 ½ grade plants will develop well and thrive in a well-tended garden. We only offer for sale plants that we believe to be viable and likely to survive. By following the link noted above you can see the difference in grades and make an informed decision whether or not you feel comfortable with lighter grade plants.
Q: There is a mushroom farm near me where I get mushroom compost for my garden. Can I use this on my bare root roses? A: NO. DO NOT use mushroom compost or “fresh” manure when planting bare root roses, as it will burn the roots. Neither mushroom compost nor manure should be used to hill up roses in the fall either.
Q: I received my plants from you and another nursery based in the southern US and yours are smaller. Why? Will they catch up? A: Yes, in many cases our plants will be smaller than those grown in more southern climates (though still #1 grade plants - grading link). This is due to our shorter growing season and cooler summer. If you are located in a southern climate our plants will establish themselves and perform as well as the larger ones. We have long time customers in the southern US who have ordered regularly for many years. Our plants may be better suited for customers in more northern climates than those produced in the south as our understock (R. multiflora) is better suited to our climate and is more winter hardy than that used in the south.
Q: I received my order and the bark on the canes isn’t green. It’s more purplish or brown. Are my roses dead? A: No the plants aren’t dead, dying or otherwise no-good. As we harvest our plants late in the fall they usually get some fairly hard frost prior to their being lifted. The coloration is a result of this frost. The plants are dormant and the canes are still viable. Roses produced in southern climates or harvested prior to hard frosts do not display this coloration.
Q: I’m in zone 5b/6. Why don’t you note the hardiness zone for your rose? A: Many of our rose friends have asked us to indicate the hardiness zone for the varieties we list on our website. We have not applied zones because we believe it is not of value for the majority of rose varieties. To our way of thinking the hardiness zone should identify the coldest zone the plant can survive without suffering significant winterkill to its branches. This would exclude all Hybrid Teas, Floribundas and many other varieties from zone 5 and colder. Most roses require care and protection to achieve their full potential in colder areas and restricting oneself to varieties that are identified as being winter-hardy in zone 5 and colder excludes varieties that have been grown successfully here for many years. As such we offer these general guidelines.
Q: Where do you get your varieties? A: In the case of newer varieties we receive budwood from the originator or their representative agency. This is the case for Austin, Fryer, Harkness, Kordes, Moore/Sequoia, Poulsen and Weeks. Weeks also now owns the rights for many McGredy varieties. In the case of older varieties we acquire budwood from other nurseries, botanical gardens, and trusted sources with whom we have dealt for many years. For varieties that we are unsure of we occasionally bring in plants to grow on for a couple seasons for evaluation purposes. If the varieties prove to be true to name and if we believe that there is likely to be enough demand then we bud them.
Q: There's a variety I want but I'm concerned about Rose Mosaic Virus? I've heard that Canadian roses are virus-free, can I be sure? A: We are absolutely sure that we have no virused plants in our fields. The budwood we receive from our sources is Virus-indexed and therefore virus free. Aside from that, we cover many miles walking our field inspecting the plants for issues such as mislabeled/ stray plants and disease/ pest infestations. New varieties are heavily scrutinized. We want to make sure that the variety is a good one and to be sure that it is healthy and lives up to its description.
Q: What rootstock do you use and why does it matter? A: We bud the majority of our roses on R. multiflora and the gallicas, damasks and some odds & ends on R. laxa. All our understock is grown from seed, thus making it virus free and less likely to produce suckers/ wild shoots. Rosa multiflora is commonly used as an understock in colder climates and is gaining in popularity in Europe. Rosa laxa is used for the noted types because it makes a stronger union at the graft and is more resistant to wind damage when the plants are immature. It is also a commonly used rootstock in Europe. The type of rootstock used is very important. Rosa multiflora is able to grow well throughout most of the northern hemisphere and survive our winters while some of the rootstocks used in southern areas are less likely to survive the winter. Also rootstock propagated from cuttings is more likely to produce suckers/ wild shoots and transmit virus. *In some states Rosa multiflora is considered a noxious weed. This has no relation to its use as an understock for garden roses.
Q: I would like to change my order to add/ delete/change some plants. How do I do this? A: In the past we have tried to accommodate additions, deletions, substitutions and delivery date changes to orders. In spite of our best efforts this has resulted in costly delays and confusion and ultimately disappointment. We ask that any additions be placed on a new order and we will make every attempt to ship both orders together. If you can give us details about your original order (invoice #, ship date etc.), it will make it much more likely that we can place multiple orders in the same box for shipping, thus reducing the shipping and handling charges.
Q: I have placed two orders; can you ship them together to save on shipping and handling charges? A: We will continue to try our best to combine multiple orders into one shipment to save on charges and will of course correct any errors made on our part. Before placing your order PLEASE be certain of your choices and the date you wish to receive your order.
Q: Why are US orders payable in US funds? A: All the expenses associated with shipping roses to the USA are paid in US funds. The transportation from our nursery to the border, the shipping charges within the US, the brokerage charges and even the royalties paid on many new varieties are payable in US dollars.
Q: I ordered last year and paid by credit card. Do I need to give my credit card # again? A: Yes. We do not store any credit card information
Q: I gave a credit card # when I ordered but my invoice shows a balance due. Should I call and make sure you have my number? A: The balance due is the amount we will charge to your credit card just prior to assembly. If your credit card # is incorrect, your card expires, or the number is changed prior to our processing your payment, we will attempt to contact you.
Q: I don’t like putting my credit card # online. Can I order online and call with my credit card #? A: Yes, but we will not process your order until we have a payment.
Q: When I ordered online all of my choices were available, but when I received my invoice it says some are sold out. Why? A: Although we attempt to keep our website up-to-date on a daily basis, sometimes due to large volumes of orders, we cannot do so. Also sometimes live plants fail in storage eliminating inventory we had expected to be available. (See next question)
Q: I received an email saying that a rose is no longer available after grading. Why is that rose not available when I ordered early and was told the rose was available at the time? A:
The issue of "availability after grading" is not one of when you placed
your order.
Here is how we work with our inventory; In June of the year the plants are
to be lifted from the field, we physically count each plant that we EXPECT
will mature into a healthy #1 grade plant. Bear in mind the plants will not
be lifted/harvested until October of the same year. Between June and October
invariably numerous plants are lost to damage from equipment, animals, wind,
general weather and theft. After the plants are lifted/harvested they are
brought into storage where they are graded for size and inspected for
condition where again we lose numerous plants during the grading process as
they are deemed unsaleable.
While we do our best to accurately estimate how many plants we will have
available to sell there are many obstacles to overcome to get the plants to
market. It is to our significant detriment to have fewer plants than
expected to sell but it cannot be avoided. Why do we count them so early?
Because the hybridizers stipulate that we must pay royalties by the end of
July on what they term a "Viable Bud count". Needless to say we have paid
quite a sum in royalties over the years on plants we never had a chance to
sell.
Q: The rose I want is sold out. Can you put me on a waiting list for the next time one is available? A: Sorry we do not maintain waiting lists or place sold out items on back order.
Q: There is a certain rose that I want but I don’t see it on your website. OR I saw a rose last year on your website but it’s not there now, Why? Can you get it for me? A: All the varieties we grow are listed on our site or in our catalog. We do not have access to other varieties and do not “special order” any roses from other sources. Every year we evaluate our assortment of varieties based on factors such as quality of the plants we can produce, the disease-resistance and vigor/rate of growth of the variety, the over-winter survival rate in our field, the general aesthetic quality of the plants and finally if there is sufficient demand for the variety to be an economically viable crop. When a variety is deleted from our assortment it is due to one or more of the above factors.
Q: Why are some roses not available to ship to the U.S.A.? A: As with many products plants can be protected by trademarks and patents for the economic benefit of the introducer/ hybridizer/ producer who has invested in its creation. We respect the rights of these parties and abide by the laws protecting their intellectual property.
Q: If I say yes to substitutions will you just put in any variety you have a lot of? A: No, we will substitute with a variety that is closest to what you ordered and if one is not available we will not substitute.
Q: Can I place an order to reserve some varieties I really want and add to the order later? A: Yes, but we may elect to process the additions as a separate order/ invoice and ship the 2 together in the same box as one order/ shipping charge.
Q: My city has a pesticide ban in place and we aren’t allowed to spray or I prefer not to use any chemicals. Which varieties are the most disease-resistant? A: We recognize this is the way of the future for rose enthusiasts throughout North America. As a rule newer varieties and newly introduced varieties are more disease resistant as the hybridizers recognize this as well. To find varieties that meet your needs you can perform an advanced search and select disease-resistant from the criteria or you can review the separate list noting the varieties, which we believe to be the most disease-resistant.
Q: I requested a certain date for my plants to arrive but the date on my invoice is different then the date I requested. Why? A: We ship on Tuesdays to the USA. Within Canada we can ship throughout the week. To facilitate border crossings we must combine orders into one consignment to reduce paperwork and ensure the crossing is as efficient as possible. We try to coordinate your requested arrival date with our once a week ship date so your plants will arrive closest to your requested date. The “ship date” noted on your invoice is the anticipated day the plants will leave our location. We work very diligently to attempt to ship every Tuesday although delays can be caused by factors beyond our control.
Q: I placed my order on Saturday and received my confirmation on Tuesday. I had requested that you ship my order immediately. I know you ship every Tuesday but my confirmation indicates that you are shipping my order next week. Why? A: To enable orders to cross the border the plants need to be inspected by Agriculture Canada and customs documents must be prepared. For an order to be included in a border crossing shipment we need it in our possession at least 1 week prior to the desired ship date (or 2 weeks prior to the desired arrival date). For Canadian orders we are sometimes able to accommodate immediate shipping but our busiest ship dates are the ones in April and the first 2 weeks in May so it may not be possible to accommodate a quick order/ship turnaround.
Q: I’m getting help planting my roses and I want to coordinate delivery of my roses with when my help is available. Can you guarantee when my roses will arrive? A: Sorry we cannot guarantee the date and time your order will arrive when it is being shipped by courier.
Q: If the weather is better than anticipated, can you ship my order earlier? A: Sorry, after an order is assembled it is stored in cold storage with other orders leaving on the same date. It would be very difficult and time consuming to search through all the orders to find one. If necessary we can delay shipping if weather is not favorable.
Q: It’s Friday and my order hasn’t arrived yet. Are the plants going have suffered or be dead when I receive them? A: No. Though the plants are bare-root they are sealed in a plastic bag with sufficient moisture to survive a prolonged journey.
Q: Why don’t you use moist newspaper or peat moss in the package when you ship? A: We don’t use any packing material for a couple reasons. First the plants are packed in a manner in which they can survive for considerable time. Second too much moisture combined with normal heat in transit in a sealed bag with a non-sterilized packing material is a perfect environment for the development of fungal diseases. Third is the added cost of transport and finally we are given to understand that inclusion of peat moss for instance would require inspection and the issuance of a phytosanitary certificate for a border crossing.
Q: Will you call me or email me the day my order leaves? A: We are unable to call each customer when we ship their order due to the large numbers of orders being shipped each week, however, you are welcome to call us at Local - 905-753-2155 Toll Free: 1-866-269-9282 to check on the status of your order. We are now sending an e-mail to notify our customers the day we ship their order if we have their correct email address on file. You can also check out our new link "shipping updates" on the home page of our web site to see if orders with a specific "SHIP DATE" are experiencing delays.
Q: Can I track my package with the courier service after it leaves your nursery? A: Yes. We can provide you with the tracking #. For orders to the USA we receive the information 2 days after the orders leave here, and Canadian we affix the tracking # ourselves.
Q: What's the best browser to use and what other requirements does the site have? A: We have tried to keep the site browser neutral. We test with Internet Explorer, Firefox and Opera, both on pc's and macs. Most of our visitors use windows and Internet Explorer so things may look best using that combination. The site also uses cookies and javascript.
Q: When I'm on the search page why do I have to click on the search button with my mouse, why can't I use the enter key? A: That's a limitation that goes back to the start of Internet Explorer and Netscape. It's a little technical, but as soon as you have multiple input fields for search then the enter button stops working. The original idea was to prevent people from submitting forms by accident.
Q: You have so many wonderful roses it takes me forever to decide what to buy. How long can I keep my cart open? A: At the moment it's limited to 10 hours, however, we are working on allowing you to save your cart so you can return days later.
Q: Why doesn't the shopping cart calculate shipping and taxes when I place my order? A: That would be nice, however, there are too many variables involved. There are different shipping options and different shipping zones as well and different thresholds in regards to the number of roses. We have a direct link to shipping charges on the main menu as well as a pop up chart when you are on the order form itself. Shipping and taxes are shown on your order confirmation that we send to you after we receive and book your order.
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