Roger wrote:

I guess by nature, I am a complainer, so here goes.

If so, you certainly set yourself up for enjoying your hobby by buying
your roses at the worst possible place. People who buy roses at the box
stores deserve what they get. You get what you pay for. Bagged bare
root "Tyler Texas" roses were on sale at Home Depot, Lowes, and KMart for
$3.99 to $7.99 in my area. Why? Because at least 50% of their roots have
been cut off and they are not generally grade 1 roses.

Order your bare root roses online from reputable distributors like S&W
Greenhouse or reputable nurseries like Edmund's, Ashdown, or Jackson and
Perkins. Or, from decent local garden centers and nurseries. You will pay
$13 to $20 but you will receive big healthy bare roots, and if not they
will usually replace them.

Where you are is important, too. I like to order from places closest to me
because the roses will not be in transit as long. Also there are
considerations like what rootstock they are grafted onto, as some are
better for cold weather and some for warmer climates.

Go to KMart for your cotton balls and underwear, not your roses.