The scoop on 'David Austin Roses (US)'

Company Profile   David Austin Roses (US) Mailing Address: 15059 Highway 64 West Tyler, Texas 75704 (United States) Phone: 1-800-328 8893 Fax: (903) 526 1900 Catalog Order Page: Hyperlink Paper Catalog Cost: Free » E-Mail them » Visit their website Recent reviews: Past month Past 6 Months Past 12 Months Positive 0 1 20 Neutral 0 0 4 Negative 0 1 2 This company is affiliated with David Austin Roses (UK) This company specializes in: Gardening Books Plants: Roses (Modern) Other helpful information: Accepts retail and wholesale orders Member of Mailorder Gardening Association

Company Comment, posted on March 09, 2006:   David Austin has created an entirely new breed of rose called The English Roses. These combine the beautiful forms and fragrances of the old roses with the wider color range and repeat-flowering of modern roses. Over 250,000 new seedlings are grown and assessed each year at his nursery in Albrighton, UK. After at least eight years of field trials, only the very best four to six varieties will be released for sale each year. David Austin’s free ‘Handbook of Roses’ is illustrated with photographs of roses, rose gardens and flower arrangements. It contains the best English Roses for the American climate, together with old roses, climbers, ramblers and modern roses. All roses sold in the US are grown in the US. Roses are supplied as bare roots, grafted onto Dr Huey rootstocks, together with cultivation instructions. Books, gift vouchers and stationary are also available. We are proud that David Austin Roses is a family-run business. Please contact us if you would like individual advice on rose selection, for help placing an order or for assistance designing a rose garden.

Feedback History and Summary   75 positives 9 neutrals 7 negatives

Comments:

Rating Author Content Negative leisure500 Indianapolis, IN (1 review) July 06, 2009 Got a Lichfield Angel last year from David Austin (US). I had purchased (6) David Austin roses from Chamblees over the last (3) years and have been very pleased. I saw the Lichfield Angel as a 2008 offering and was very excited about receiving it. I received a very healthy looking plant from David Austin (US) in the early spring last year (2008) and planted it right away. The rose grew well ... and bloomed moderately its first year. I was very excited about this year. However, it didn't take long for me to realize this year that my rose was a victim of Rose Mosaic Disease. Even so, it grew and budded well. Unfortunately, the weak canes wouldn't hold up the blooms ... and its clear that I'm not going to get even minimally adequate performance from the rose. I hadn't thought about contacting David Austin about this yet. I should ... they need to know that they sold me a diseased rose. Positive kat100 Belmont, MA (1 review) July 06, 2009 My initial order was for 3 bareroot standards in mid-May. I received a phone call from DA asking whether I really wanted to get bareroot as it was late in the season(?) and they couldn't guarantee them. I wasn't worried about getting them to grow so I continued with the order. I received 3 great looking standards that were huge. However, I only noticed two days ago that 2 of the standards were substitutes and I only had authorized one substitute. Oh well, partially my fault for not checking the order. But all 3 standards are doing great and looks like will be blooming this week (7/6/09). Near the end of May, DA sent an email for a sale on bareroot roses (so much for late in the season rules) and I ordered 4 roses. This order was totally correct and are now doing great as well. It helped that MA had a lot of unseasonably cool weather so that the bareroots weren't shocked. My only criticism is that I would like to see real time inventory or notification before the order is finally submitted that my selection is or is not in stock and that the order is placed correctly. Packaging and condition of the roses were wonderful. Definitely would order from them again. Would like them to expand their container rose selections. Positive NE_Gardener Oxford, NY (Zone 4b) (1 review) June 19, 2009 Over time I have ordered by mail and planted well over 500 bare root rose bushes. I have replacement knees to show for it! But I must say that upon opening my three David Austin roses all I could do was gaze at them and exclaim, "Wow!" These had to be some of the largest bare root roses I'd ever handled. Their names are William Shakespeare and Louise Odier (2). Like a previous customer, I had to revise my hole depth when I saw them. They ended up soaking in buckets of water for a week before I could get them in the ground, but seem to be doing well. It has been two weeks and they are breaking dormancy with shoots coming out of their big green canes. I am really pleased, to say the least, with Bill and both Louises. I was concerned about the shipping situation until I read here that something is put on the roots so they maintain moisture. These roses sat at the UPS center in Syracuse two and a half hours away from me all weekend before being delivered. Yet they were properly moist and almost frighteningly vigorous when I got their box opened and the wrappings off. I never doubted that David Austin roses would be good, I just didn't know how good! Positive hocklea Seattle, WA (1 review) June 15, 2009 I have had many orders with DA roses over the past couple of years. I ordered five more again this spring. One came completely black. I emailed a note attached to my order form, and was answered back straight away. Another plant was mailed out the next day. I have never had anything but good service. I shall order from them again next year. Neutral CountryRefuge Grinnell, IA (3 reviews) June 15, 2009 I have/do/will order roses from David Austin because of the type of roses they carry. With that being said, I placed an order this spring. Like others, I had to post a question on their website asking: 1) if they received the order; 2) if I could get an order number; and 3) if they made note that I wanted the plant delivered the fourth week of May. They replied that they had received the order. I wrote back asking that they please give me the order number; I never got a response. My rose arrived in perfect shape...just 2 weeks earlier than I had asked. Neutral mieow USDA 6A, NY (2 reviews) June 09, 2009 Double delight is one of the roses I always want. Last week, I received their email about their half price sale. DD is on the sale list, so I placed my order. I know it was almost the end of the planting season in my zone, but I really wanted to have it and I planned to plant it in a pot. I received the bare roots about five days later. I was so excited until I opened the box. I ordered two totally. One has a big split in the middle among three canes, a break on a major root and some black end canes. Another one has a lot of black spots on two canes. I called right away and could only leave a message. I sent them a email after. Luckily they responded my email right away. They sent out the new roses for replacement right away. Now I only hope they will arrive in an acceptable and better quality condition. Someone already warned me since it is the end of planting season. I may still receive bad roses. I hope not!! I am very surprised at the quality from such a well-known rose vendor. I thought they were good. This was not my first time order from them, either. I had good experience before. If they think half price sale is equal to cheaper quality, then they should have made it clear. I would not place my order at all. Now I am hoping I will receive good quality roses and I do not need to fight for refund again. On June 12th, 2009, mieow changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following: I received my replacement yesterday. (No Double Delight available though.) Fortunately, no obvious big splits. However, unfortunately, there are still black spots here and there all over the canes. I emailed them right away and received the response this morning. They told me I was never charged for this order. On June 12th, 2009, mieow added the following: I received my replacement yesterday. (No Double Delight available though.) Fortunately, no obvious big splits. However, unfortunately, there are still black spots here and there all over the canes. I emailed them right away and received the response this morning. They told me I was never charged for this order. I would prefer to think this way: I just have bad luck for this order. I do appreciate that they respond my request promptly. Company representative comment on June 10, 2009: On Jun 10, 2009 8:26 AM, David Austin Roses (US) responded with: All roses bought direct from David Austin Roses are covered by our guarantee. We are proud of our reputation for high quality and have an exceptionally low level of complaints from our customers overall. We monitor the quality of roses very closely and analyse the reasons for any failures to help improve service, but with living plants, some problems do occasionally occur. As we have explained, we are happy to replace the roses under our guarantee and are very sorry for the inconvenience caused to you. We hope that the replacement roses we are promptly sending (which in this case exceed the value of the roses that were unacceptable) will help to restore your faith in our service. Best Regards, David Austin Roses Positive sammyginni Sacramento, CA (1 review) May 30, 2009 I have a large garden. I wanted english roses and finally ordered 5 david austin english rose deal for 5 of the most fragrant. They arrived 1 week later in a beautiful rose toile brown and black box and inside the roses were in plastic and moist. They included a beautiful rose catalog and planting instructions. I am keeping the box to use for storage, its so pretty. They are bare root, so there is no foilage or flowers/buds., and they are extremely healthy, completely green with no dead wood and the roots are healthy and established. I Planted them in their own rose garden area in rows with other new roses and used generous amounts of gramulch soil, I know they will do well, will post later if for some reason they spoil. Negative Rebecca123 Webster, NY (1 review) May 26, 2009 Last year I had great success in buying David Austin Roses. This year, not so much. I bought 8 roses, and they came with mold and broken roots. I also live in upstate NY and have had nights of frost as they were delivered at the end of April. (I did cover them.) One died, two are not doing so well. The others I think are going to make it although I am disappointed by the response by DA Roses. I called and all I got was a voicemail. I called, in total, 5 times over a month before I finally got a human. I got two call backs, but it was weeks after my first call. Although they are currently replacing 3 of the roses, I have to admit I am suprised by the slow response. I have read the company's comments and if the main branch corporation cannot supply you with enough help during the busy season then they should not be surprised if they begin to lose customers. (I understand your dilemma, but this is not the way to cut costs so hopefully this will be corrected next year.) Quite frankly it is a shame because I had such good luck last year and I so very much love the roses!!! Neutral figaro52 Oak Lawn, IL (Zone 5a) (28 reviews) May 22, 2009 Quite frankly I'm not "blown away" by my experience with this company. I expected much, much better. I ordered Port Sunlight. Then, a few weeks later ordered Benjamin Britten. Getting an order confirmation was like pulling teeth. Each time I had to send an email to ask if they had received my order. A company representative has provided an explanation elsewhere in this listing, which I can appreciate. Now, the roses. I was not overly impressed with the quality of these bareroots. While they were moist upon arrival, many of the roots were badly broken. On Port Sunlight, one of the thicker canes was broken near the crown. I planted these roses properly by "sweating" them in mulch for about 3 weeks. Benjamin Britten is leafing out nicely, but I fear I could lose Port Sunlight. The new growth that occured during the sweating process is not at all vigorous, and there is evidence of rose canker (may or may not be the fault of DA). I will appy some Neem oil and hope for the best. Over all, while I love David Austin roses and will continue to grow them in my garden, I will hesitate to order directly from the David Austin Company in the future. I've had better experiences ordering the potted DAs from Chamblees. I'll stick with Witherspoon for the bareroot, as they, too, sell David Austin roses. On June 5th, 2009, figaro52 added the following: I would like very much to give this company a positive rating, but at the rate things are going I don't believe that's going to happen. The people at David Austin (US) are wonderful. Amanda graciously offered to replace my ailing Port Sunlight. When I received the replacement earlier this week it was bone dry! Not one bit of moisture in the plastic bag. There was also a bit of white mold on the roots. I had to trim a broken root and part of a cane that was broken. These have been among the worst bareroot roses I've seen. I know I said I'd think twice before ordering directly from DA (US) again, but I was lured by their recent half-price sale. I ordered Shakespeare 2000. While I've not yet received it, I did receive an immediate on-line confirmation. If Shakespeare comes through in perfect condition, and if my Port Sunlight replacement begins to grow, I will seriously consider changing my rating to positive -- since I believe these folks are honestly trying to do their best under current conditions. The Benjamin Britten I planted in April is looking great and will likely set flower buds very soon! Positive mikekate Westminster, MA (1 review) May 21, 2009 We bought 19 roses and got free design assistance which was great. Then we ordered 6 more to fill in some spaces. Shipping error and we ended up getting 6 more delievered which David Austin let us keep for free. Those went to post office who didnt tell us and let them sit there for a week. Planted them a day or so ago and hoping for the best. I highly recommend David Austin Roses. Excellent plants. Of the first 19, all are doing well. I cannot wait to see the garden in full bloom. Way better plants than roses we've bought elsewhere. Very healthy Positive wyowonder Casper, WY (3 reviews) May 11, 2009 This was my first time ordering from this company. No problems ordering over the internet, received a confirmation, and received an e-mail telling me roses had been shipped. Got two large roses with great roots (nice and wet). Appreciated the detailed planting/culture instructions. Roses received Tues., planted Friday, new growth showing today, Monday. Whoopee, can't wait to see the blooms! Positive marykalice Beacon, NY (1 review) May 07, 2009 Hi! I just received my first purchase from the company and am happy with the results. They roots look healthy, were well packed and not dry in the least. Positive greekbecky Pittsford, NY (2 reviews) May 05, 2009 I wanted a David Austin rose for a very long time. This year, my husband ordered two of them for Valentine's Day. Yesterday, I received the beautiful rose-printed box at my door. I opened the box to find two plants (Christopher Marlow and Port Sunlight) that were broken and dry...ugh. I always heard DA roses were supposed to be top of the line, so I was very surprised to see them arrive in this condition. I tried calling DA several times today, but all you get is a recording. I left my name and number regarding the damage for Jo VonBargen, but hadn't heard from him/her yet. Kind of a bad first impression...:( On May 7th, 2009, greekbecky changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following: I changed my rating to positive, because the crew at David Austin acted swiftly to correct the situation. Everyone was so nice and frankly, even though I had a rough start, I would've ordered again...:) Thanks folks! Company representative comment on May 06, 2009: On May 6, 2009 1:51 PM, David Austin Roses (US) responded with: We do apologize for the situation, although I understand from my staff that it has all been handled. Shellie said she has taken care of reshipping a rose and Amanda said she had called you back several times about the email and you all had been playing phone tag. Sorry about that, but the phones are extremely heavy right now. I understand Shellie also took care of that for you and that everything is settled. Not the kind of first impression we'd like to leave, but happy that now it's sorted out. Many thanks for your patience. Best Wishes, Jo VonBargen General Manager 800 328 8893 Neutral heartopensky Beacon, NY (Zone 6b) (1 review) April 28, 2009 I ordered $138 worth of roses, with shipping on 4/16 (Thurs). I received an order confirmation immediately, but no notice of shipping in the ensuing days. Wanting to ensure they went out by Monday 4/20, I e-mailed on 4/19 asking when they would be shipped. I received NO REPLY until 4/27, six business days later. No apology, just, "Shipped April 24th. Tracking number UPS: XXXXXXXXXXX(etc.) Many thanks!" WHAT? They shipped bare root roses on 4/24, a Friday?!? So they can sit in a UPS warehouse over a weekend? What responsible nursery does this?! Not to mention they are in Texas (hot) and we are having a heat wave right now in downstate New York (85+ for four days running). By the time I receive these on 4/30, the Thursday following shipping (according to tracking info), they will have been in transit for *7 days*. I will receive my order *two weeks* to the day that I placed it, having lost a critical week in the northeast's planting window for bare root roses (as an aside, their policy is to only guarantee the roses if you shipment falls within your region's ideal planting window...cutting it a wee bit close here, I'd say). Regardless of the condition in which they arrive (which I will post upon receipt), the entire experience has been so poor, I had to report it. I am incredulous; I guess all their operating money went into the glossy, *amazingly* beautiful catalog with a cover almost equivelant to a paperback book! On May 3rd, 2009, heartopensky changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following: What a sad situation, for both company and customer. They clearly made amends, for which I am appreciative. They are correct - in spite of my incredulity, all five roots arrived still-moist, and with only minor breakage. They clearly know what they are doing; I seems I was premature in critiquing their shipping timing, for which I apologize. The fact remains that it was an unpleasant experience; however I am changing my rating to neutral, as the US management did the best they could in a bad situation. Hopefully, the UK "home office" will be able to manage whatever business issues drove these budget cuts, restoring/enabling the level of customer service the US team clearly wishes to provide. Company representative comment on May 27, 2009: On Apr 28, 2009 1:33 PM, David Austin Roses (US) responded with: I am indeed sorry for your experience with this order. We do, however, dip our plants in a solution that seals in the moisture for 7-8 days for the shipping process so that no matter what day we ship, they should arrive alive and healthy. We do customarily ship every day of the week as the number of orders we have requires it. The level of customer service we are able to give is not satisfactory to us, either, believe me. We are on skeleton staff as the home office in England is cutting costs and we are struggling to keep up with hundreds of orders and emails and phone messages and we do apologize. Your credit card has not yet been charged as we are behind on that as well. We will not charge the card for, as you have noted, less than stellar service. Again, our apologies. Best Wishes, Jo VonBargen General Manager 800 328 8893 On May 27, 2009 11:18 AM, David Austin Roses (US) added: I was concerned to learn of Jo’s comments via this forum. Our American business is very close to our hearts. We will take immediate action to make sure the team in our American office have the support they need to enable them to provide a high standard of customer service. If you have any comments, please e-mail customerfeedback@davidaustinroses.com David JC Austin Positive KylieB Quitman, AR (3 reviews) April 23, 2009 The roses from this company perform very well here in Arkansas. We do however get a lot of rain from time to time and have problems with blackspot but the roses smell so good and are so beautiful they are worth it! The customer service is very friendly, a little slow, but friendly. I would recommend them to any rose lover I know. A+ Positive Blackbelt_Lizzy La Grange Park, IL (14 reviews) April 22, 2009 I ordered 10 David Austin Roses that arrived yesterday. They were large healthy bare roots with several shoots on each one. I have ordered from David Austin before and have never been disappointed. My roses from last year are shooting new growth and all survived a nasty Chicago winter. I also have several, 8 year old Teasing Georgia Austin roses that are going strong. A great company with fabulous roses. Positive FenwickFarm Williamsport, MD (5 reviews) April 15, 2009 I ordered 13 Crocus roses in February and Jo couldn't have been nicer. I was notified Monday that my roses were on the way via UPS and I was able to track the shipment. The roses arrived a day early which was wonderful. I opened the box and I am just amazed at how beautiful these bare root roses are. I think I expected 'twigs', but I am delighted to report these are definitely full grown bushes! I hope I can do right by these roses in my planting. I have had a very positive experience with this company. On May 6th, 2009, FenwickFarm added the following: I am thrilled with the growth of these roses. They are growing extraordinarily well. My experience with this company and with Jo could not have been better. I am sorry that some people have not had this great experience. I would try again, since these roses are truly a joy to watch grow. Positive BUTTONS_MAMA Mobile, AL (3 reviews) April 14, 2009 I ordered over 20 roses from them earlier this year and a few were slower coming up than others so i was worried but they all are up and running now and about 5 to 7 of them are already blooming. They were shipped bareroot and were quite large when i got them. i don't think it will take long for them to make a nice display. Jo was also helpful in making the decision of which roses would tolerate the heat and humidity in Alabama. Positive madamdeathstare Owens Cross Roads, AL (5 reviews) April 09, 2009 I ordered three climbing roses from David Austin. They have been in the ground for a month now and are all showing good signs of growth. Although the ground around them has been thoroughly amended with compost and composted manure, the natural soil is a very heavy clay. As we have had about four weeks of rain I expected the poor things to rot off. Instead they are looking healthy with many shoots developing. I am looking forward to seeing the flowers in Summer. Positive gianetta Mechanicsville, VA (4 reviews) April 07, 2009 Order #1 arrived at the appropriate planting time and in good condition - very nice plants. On April 8th, 2009, gianetta added the following: Order #2 arrived at the appropriate time and in good condition, but 5 out of the 12 plants were the wrong variety (wrong white climber). I called customer service, spoke to a very nice woman who apologized and said she'd send out the correct roses that day. Assuming they arrive as promised, I'm very pleased with their service. Company representative comment on April 07, 2009: On Apr 7, 2009 9:34 PM, David Austin Roses (US) responded with: Yes, I believe that was me to whom you spoke and those plants are indeed on the way. I do thank you and all the others here who have posted such lovely comments. We sometimes do accidentally get it right! We're very appreciative of all our customer comments, both good and bad, because the feedback is very helpful in finding ways to improve our service which at the moment is not up to par by any means. We certainly thank all of you for your faithful support and your incredible patience. We love our David Austin customers....you're all the BEST! Many thanks, Jo VonBargen (Gen Mgr) Positive cherrybelle4 Minneapolis, MN (2 reviews) April 06, 2009 I am hoping that I will be able to change this to a positive rating. Yesterday, I ordered 4 roses on the website, which got totally messed up. (I thought everything was ok until I got the confirmation e-mail) I immediately sent an e-mail back, and tried to call the number in the confirmation e-mail, but it was a Sunday, so no luck. They only have hours M-F. The problem is the website. It would not let me change the amount of roses I was ordering, and kept insisting that I was in Alaska for shipping. Well, Minnesota is northern, but not quite that far north! Today, I received an e-mail with the cryptic note "All is done!" All WHAT is done? Order fixed? Order cancelled? Knowing that sometimes even the best companies can have mix-ups, especially at this busy time of year, I called to confirm what "was done". I must say, the young lady that I talked to was very dismissive of my concern, and got very short with me when I had to interrupt her to tell her why I was calling. To top it off, she told me that their computers were not set up to send confirmation e-mails for "fixed" orders. I will get one through the post office in 2-3 weeks. Well, I hope that it won't be too late to fix before my credit card is charged, and the roses are shipped. The attitude with which I was treated is really the reason I am disgusted with the company. There are so many places that sell beautiful plants, I don't feel that I need to give my business to one that thinks customers with questions or concerns are someone to be rude to. I hope that this is the exception, and not the rule, for David Austin Roses. On April 10th, 2009, cherrybelle4 changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following: Well, thank goodness, I am able to change this to a positive rating. After a bit more communication, Jo was able to understand my point of view, and just as importantly, I was able to understand theirs. I appreciate the effort made to resolve my problem. If their roses are as good as everyone says (and I don't have any doubt that they are) I will be completely happy! However, I would recommend avoiding the website for ordering and would call them instead! On June 3rd, 2009, cherrybelle4 added the following: An update on the roses -- I received the roses in mid-May, which I expected. They were well packed and in good condition. Extremely large. I had to wait a week before planting, but they were fine. They have broken dormancy are putting out new growth. A little slow, but that could be due to our cold, dry spring this year. If they fail, it will be due to me, not the roses! After reading other feedback, I really hope that the corporate office will better support the team in the US. They, and their customers, deserve better. Company representative comment on April 11, 2009: On Apr 7, 2009 9:20 PM, David Austin Roses (US) responded with: I am extremely sorry for your experience with one of my new people and believe me, we will be working on more useful techniques in dealing with frustrated customers. I did see she was having trouble with your call and plugged in to hear it. You were upset with the website and subsequent email and she was extremely harried and overworked; neither of these being your fault, of course, but you were asking questions and then interrupting and not letting her answer. It all made for a very volatile situation. They are indeed working on our website which is in England, and for some time the email confirmation feature was disabled and it took them some time to figure out why. Our company is growing by leaps and bounds, and training new staff in the middle of a deluge of orders is total chaos. Again, not your problem. I would hope, however, that you would try us again to see if we've improved. We're not happy with our dinosaur order system either, and with impatience on all sides, it makes for a bad experience all around. The harried IT staff in England is trying to get it all sorted, but it's a slow process as they've added Japan as well, which is tied to our website, so they're dealing with a language problem as well. They have promised we will have a brand new order system by December. None of this has anything to do with you, and is certainly no excuse for poor service...I'm simply trying to show the circumstances in which we all find ourselves. Personally, I would like to see DA's stop growing for a moment so staff can catch up! Unfortunately, DA roses are in big demand now and these are the growing pains. The young lady of which you speak is dealing with 250-300 emails per day and with that volume, all responses have to be abbreviated to get them all done. We will work on wordage that is more informative and less dismissive and again, we do apologize for your negative experience. If you wish to speak to me, you may phone 800 328 8893, or email me at us@davidaustinroses.com. We certainly would like to mend the rift if we can. All the best, Jo VonBargen (Gen Mgr) On Apr 11, 2009 4:08 PM, David Austin Roses (US) added: Many thanks again, Ms Cherrybelle. I would like to tell everyone what good ideas you gave me for handling difficult situations in the future, exactly what to say to bring the volume down on both sides, so to speak. That sort of feedback is genuine, real-world, and very valuable. I think we should put you on the payroll! Thanks again....I appreciate the give-and-take very much. All the best, Jo Positive Barbwk Arrington, TN (Zone 7a) (1 review) March 23, 2009 Finally broke down and actually ordered roses as opposed to buying them locally. Beautiful,large roots. Moist upon arrival, well packaged. Loved the "rose" box they are shipped in! If there is one small glitch it would be the lack of an immediate confirmation upon ordering. I never knew if they received my order....I emailed them asking for confirmation but never received a reply. I could have called, but just assumed my order had been lost in cyber space. So, when I saw Jackson and Perkins had some DA at Costco I bought quite a few. Well, not 3 days later, I received an email from David Austin with shipping details of my order! They arrived exactly when they said they would and the difference between the 2 (Costco's J&P and my actual DA) were very noticeable. DA being far superior in all regards. Positive melody Benton, KY (Zone 7a) (16 reviews) March 23, 2009 I placed my order over the phone and the staff was helpful and educated. My order arrived when they said it would and the roots are huge. These are obviously well cared for stock. Packing was great and everything arrived undamaged and healthy. I'm already planning my next year's order. On September 22nd, 2009, melody added the following: My Abraham Darby's have bloomed their heads off this year. The plants have grown admirably and the gorgeous blooms are always commented on by guests. The helpful descriptions and designations in the catalog were instrumental in letting me choose the rose that would have the attributes that I desired, to thrive in the area where I planted it. I already know what I want next year...and this is from a person who thought they would never successfully grow roses! Positive zhenya Los Lunas, NM (Zone 6b) (5 reviews) March 09, 2009 Was pleased with my shipment this week. Some of the roots were so large I had to expand my predug holes. Nice healthy plants. They had quoted me a later ship date, but I am always prepared as my experience over the years with many nurseries is that you might as well expect your order anytime after placing it. My only complaint is that I did not get an automatic return email, but they correpsonded with my quickly when I wrote to follow up. They have a great selection and a beautiful catalog to put under your pillow! Positive michelleyk Whittier, CA (3 reviews) February 13, 2009 I just received my roses on 2/11/09. They were in wonderful shape and I look forward to growing them! The packaging kept the roots moist and ready for planting, and all of the plants were in tact without bent braches or severed roots. Very nice job! I'll update you as the plants come along! On April 10th, 2009, michelleyk added the following: I just wanted you to know how vigorous and beautiful my DA roses are! They are all growing leaps and bounds, and the ones in the back have actually got a few little buds on them! I expect them to bloom this month...and I'm thrilled. Thank you all so much, the service has been excellent (even helping me when I was confused about an order I entered incorrectly) and the plants themselves are gorgeous. Will definitely order again! And again, and again... On April 10th, 2009, michelleyk added the following: I just wanted you to know how vigorous and beautiful my DA roses are! They are all growing leaps and bounds, and the ones in the back have actually got a few little buds on them! I expect them to bloom this month...and I'm thrilled. Thank you all so much, the service has been excellent (even helping me when I was confused about an order I entered incorrectly) and the plants themselves are gorgeous. Will definitely order again! And again, and again... Positive Melsrose Veneta, OR (1 review) February 12, 2009 Everytime I order with David Austin it is a great experience. Their roses are gorgeous, healthy, and smell amazing. Any difficulties I have had have been resolved by polite and timely customer service. I wouldn't go anywhere else for roses. Neutral PeonyandRose Preston, CT (2 reviews) June 15, 2008 I ordered 12 roses from this company this spring. All the roses I picked were available when I placed my order, at least that's how the website showed. I waited two weeks and didn't receive any notification of shipment, then I e-mailed them several times but never received any response. 3 roses arrived a month after the order was placed. They were in great condition and they looked healthy and definitely much better than the roses I had ordered from Jackson & Perkins two years ago. However, I was very disappointed in DA's customer service. If the roses I ordered were out of stock, they should let me know about it. I was planning to plant a beautiful rose border, but now the plan has to be postponed. They already charged my credit card for the full amount, but I have no idea when my other roses will arrive. Probably next spring? Company representative comment on February 03, 2009: On Feb 3, 2009 10:53 AM, David Austin Roses (US) responded with: Please phone or email me with your order information so I can investigate what was done. I apologize for the late reply; I only just now saw your comment. Our policy is to send a statement letting the customer know if something is out of stock. If this was not done, I need to follow that trail and get it corrected. My apologies for the lapses on our part. Best Regards Jo VonBargen 800 328 8893 us@davidaustinroses.com Positive MorsisX Lockport, IL (Zone 5b) (22 reviews) June 10, 2008 Simply put, Superb! The climbers I ordered are far and away the most vigorous I have ever seen. Your customer service was exemplary in assisting me. The planting guide has proven invaluable. I will absolutely return for more of your signature English Roses! Positive kylie79 Quitman, AR (2 reviews) May 28, 2008 I ordered over 30 roses from this company this year. Every single one of them is beautiful. Taking care of roses is very hard work but it is worth it when those buds open up! They smell soooo good. The customer service is outstanding and all of my bareroot roses arrived in excellent condition. I will continue to do business with David Austin Roses. Positive mrs_colla Marin, CA (Zone 9b) (26 reviews) May 20, 2008 The plants are robust and look healthy. Therefor, a positive rating. But... It took them a week to get here; shipped on Wednesday, arrived the following Tuesday. That I have never heard of before. No other company lets plants sit in a box that long. They are dormant, so it shouldn't have hurt them. ( Or so I hope...) Some roots are broken and the canes were sticking out of the plastic, out of the box. There was nothing but the plants in the box, no material to prevent the roses from shifting during transport. I was horrified to see the box get to me in such a way. Christie I have been happier with other companies so far, but will comment on the progress of the roses and see how they hold up. Because I ordered the plants in May, late in the season according to their terms, I had to accept them without the one year warranty. My choice. I plan on pampering them because the catalog has such outstanding pictures. On May 21st, 2008, mrs_colla added the following: Sorry about the typo, my name was suppsed to be on the bottom, not in the middle of the text. CC On May 30th, 2008, mrs_colla added the following: All four of them are coming out of dormance with abundance. On January 30th, 2009, mrs_colla changed the rating from positive to neutral and added the following: Hmm, a bit dissapointed this time... The roses were very moldy on the roots, they weren't packed so they won't dance around in the box, nothing to keep the roots moist, and shipping took them a week. There are many big roots and branches broken and the tips were pruned very sloppy, raggedy and the roses just look 2nd class. I love David Austin Roses dearly but will buy them from other nurseries from now on. Neutral rating because the plant material doesn't appear dead. On March 19th, 2009, mrs_colla changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following: I have contacted Jo about my plants and she has kept in touch. The roses never broke dormancy, and Jo sent them again, at no cost ! Thanks you Jo, this batch arrived here moist, box intact and I can see where the buds will be sprouting soon. The roses I bought last year have woken up and I can already see tine flowerbuds forming. A company that stands behind their stock is worth my business! CC Company representative comment on February 03, 2009: On Feb 3, 2009 10:50 AM, David Austin Roses (US) responded with: Dear Mrs_Colla, I do apologize for the obvious sloppiness in packing this order. We are currently undergoing a training process with an entirely new warehouse staff and have had a few slip through like yours. No excuse, please understand, but that's the reason. I'm hoping these types of errors will not recur and if you will phone or email me, I can mark your order in case you have trouble down the line. Our roses are always guaranteed for a year in any case. We do appreciate all feedback as it helps us to improve. Many thanks! All the best, Jo VonBargen 800 328 8893 us@davidaustinroses.com Positive RosaBelle Huntsville, AL (1 review) April 28, 2008 Very helpful, polite, and knowledgeable customer service department. The roses were shipped as expected and were huge. Although three are slow to come out of dormancy, they asked that I keep them posted to as to have them replaced if necessary. You can't ask for a better company to do businesss with. Positive Elizabethanchild Bel Air, MD (1 review) April 23, 2008 I was so impressed back in 1991 or 92 with Austin roses, I went into business of selling these roses and only them. I had at that time had searched hard to find a local wholesale supplier. I live in Maryland. I ended up buying over 400 from Hortico in Canada. Myself and cousin took on alone getting the rose root stock planted in pots. We took some of those to a well known very old seed supplier and small nursery. They were so impressed they bought from us right away. The Ladew gardens, a well known topiary and mansion, the president saw the roses at the seed company and took my phone number to contact us. She also had a beautiful English style prominent residence and almost a half acre of nothing but roses. She planted the Austin roses closest to her home in her starter garden. She asked what I used for fertilizer. Horse manure. We owned 6 Belgian draft horses plenty of manure of course. Manure tea works great. Heritage, Abraham Darby, as numerous species as we could get along with these. I am not in business now but, remain dedicated to only buying Austin roses. The introduction to the area I was living in made such an impression on buyers there along with a wider area across Maryland. The aroma and hardiness can not be surpassed in my view. Positive Karen4Roses Traverse City, MI (2 reviews) April 03, 2008 I have ordered from David Austin Roses for a number of years now, and have been consistently delighted with their plants and their customer service. Our rose society placed a large group order a few years ago and our members were also pleased. The roses came with good cane and root size and were packed carefully. I've only had one rose not thrive after planting it, and was immediately credited for another after I contacted their customer service. Because David Austin roses are hardy here in Northern Michigan and have such a beautiful form and fragrance, I'm pleased to have a reliable source with such positive customer service. Positive ncdirtdigger Waxhaw, NC (8 reviews) March 11, 2008 I ordered 5 different varieties, all arrived with moist bare roots and were in good condition. They all appeared to be healthy and of good size. Shipping was timed in accordance with the normal time for planting bareroots in my area. Provided the plants hold up to our heat and humidity I may try more. Neutral mudpiegirl Los Lunas, NM (15 reviews) January 06, 2008 I have ordered 3 times from this company for a total of 12 rose plants. All of the roses arrived in fantastic shape. If there was a substitution, then it was one I specified as acceptable. I have had 1 rose that didn't make it, but I believe it was due to animal damage, so I didn't file a claim. All of the rest far exceeded my expectations for growth in the first year. My mother has ordered from them over the phone and says that she prefers this because the people are so nice. I will never buy any other kind of rose, and I will never order roses anywhere else! On April 1st, 2008, mudpiegirl changed the rating from positive to neutral and added the following: As of spring 2008, I am afraid that I am having to downgrade my rating to neutral, due to negative experiences with the company that I an my mother (who lives on my property) have had. I ordered 2 roses this year, and they arrived in poor condition. They appeared less vigorous than other roses I have received to being with, but more disturbing was that about 1/2 of the root system was broken off of one, and 1/3 of the roots off of the other, due to poor packing. The box they arrived in was in perfect shape, but there was nothing at all in the box to cushion the poor roses during transit. When I called the company to complain, I was surprised at how unpleasant the customer service rep was--I had never had a bad experience with them before. She told me that there were no more of the rose I had ordered available, so I could either put them in the ground and hope for the best or take a replacement rose of a different variety. I felt she had no interest in my satisfaction as a customer, which especially irked me after all of the roses I have bought from them and all the roses I have encouraged other to buy from them. In my mother's case, her roses arrived 2 weeks earlier than she had been told to expect them, so she was unprepared. On top of that, they sent her a bright fuchsia by mistake instead of the white one she ordered. Although the other 4 roses she ordered seemed in good health, and they at least did not require her to send the unwanted rose back. I really hope that this is a momentary lapse in their high standards, and that is why I am marking it neutral rather than negative. The roses I bought in the past are still doing extremely well, and I really do hope the company refocuses on the service side. On April 19th, 2009, mudpiegirl added the following: I regret that I did not see the company reply until after my replacement rose was sent. I do appreciate the sentiment, but alas the company's standard practices have not changed, at least in my experience. Neutral really does not reflect how torn I am with this company. On one hand, I have a gorgeous, 8ft, 9 year old Graham Thomas (David Austin) rose. The roses themselves are beyond beautiful. My problem is with the shipping, which seems to reflect a complete lack of respect by the company for their own product. My replacement rose was shipped in nothing more than a single plastic bag, in a box big enough to easily hold four more roses. Without any effort made at protecting the rose from damage during shipping, of course it arrived to me with partial and completely broken roots, and roots with significant damage to the root bark. This time I was sent a much healthier and larger plant to begin with, so it is my hope it will make it despite the damage. A little newspaper and a few plastic packing pillows could have completely prevented all of the damage. I hope that the company will consider re-evaluating their practices. I don't plan to give up David Austin Roses, but I guess I will have to find another source for them, because I am tired such disrespectful treatment of such a thing of beauty. Company representative comment on April 02, 2008: On Apr 2, 2008 10:54 AM, David Austin Roses (US) added: I agree that this appears to be shoddy service and I do apologize. This is not the high level of customer care we have always aspired to. We have a couple of new trainees and it appears I haven't gotten across our standards to one of them for some reason and I will certainly work on that. We will also pass along the broken root info to the warehouse manager. Something like this should not have gone out as a grade one rose. If you will contact me personally at 800 328 8893 I will be most happy to make this right for you and for your Mother as well. We would not like to leave this situation hanging as an unappetizing experience for you both. Alternatively, you may email me at us@davidaustinroses.com. Again, our apologies for the poor service. Best Regards, Jo VonBargen General Manager David Austin roses Positive countryrosegirl Powersville, MO (3 reviews) September 13, 2007 I ordered 4 roses for spring 2007. They came packed e in a nice looking box. They are very healthy. One of the roses I ordered Lady Emma Hamilton was out of stock at the last moment before shipping so they sent me Pat instead. I really like Pat so it was a good substitute. I put my order in really early for spring 2008 so I really hope they will have enough in stock for my order. I am very much in love with most of the DA roses and look forward to my 2008 spring order. Positive jkoe47 East Haven, CT (Zone 6b) (1 review) June 06, 2007 I purchased 2 rose bushes from Dave Austin Roses that were delivered today. Since I had read the reviews for this company, I knew they would be arriving in a plastic bag sans packing material. I work for a web-based company and make a large number of purchases on line, but was always leery about purchasing plants. Dave Austin replied within the hour, ackowledging my purchase. Shipping was timely and I was furnished with a tracking number and a link to UPS so I could watch my little guys as they moved across the country. The arrived at my door well packaged in a very sturdy box, are a good size and in great condition. I am a VERY satisfied customer. Positive kerrydrury Portland, OR (Zone 8b) (2 reviews) June 01, 2007 My two DA's bareroot roses were excellent specimens, with large canes and extensive root systems--and arrived moist and ready to go. Positive bluethroat Quincy, MA (1 review) May 28, 2007 I am just a beginner with roses, and usually consider all the thorns to be a real bother. I prefer to grow Tree peonies and daylilies, along with magolia as my favorite trees. But my wonderful neighbor recently bought a Heritage DA rose bareroot for me as a present. She loves roses, and thought I should try one. After i planted the bareroot, I did some research and discovered how beautiful the DA roses are. I then went on the phone and ordered three Gertrude J. at half price from the recent sale. They came in a well protected box right on time, and I gave one each to my wonderful neighbor as a return present, and one to my mom, and kept one for myself. Hopefully they will grow and prosper, but I must say, the company is first rate from service to prompt delivery. It's a real winner in my book. Positive WingsofCrystal Blaine, WA (Zone 8a) (2 reviews) April 16, 2007 I purchased David Austin Roses in 2001. They flourished. I fell in love with David Austin Roses. I just recieved my three Shropshire Lads today and as before David Austin Roses were lovely. They are the only roses I will buy. Crystal Berger Birch Bay, WA

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