Jackson and Perkins

Pros:  Great roses, from an industry leader

Cons:  None

The Bottom Line:  The best site to get bare-root roses!

Full review
Everyone gets to see a new side of Opalman here. Yes, I not only love working with stones but I also love rose gardening. I have used Jackson and Perkins Online several times and have experienced them as a gift receiver as well.

Jackson & Perkins – What they Do
Jackson & Perkins is one of the largest retailer (and wholesaler) of bare root roses. They have numerous hybrids of their own creation. They offer a Rose of the Year selection, which is usually one of the most brilliant roses you will find. Many of the hybrid tea roses you see were originally J&P bred.

The Site
The J & P website is well designed and easy to navigate. Their homepage offers full color pictures of their current seasonal offerings. There is also a link to a Roses page, perennials, Flower Gifts, Home & Garden and Christmas in July pages. I like the design of the pages as with all of their flower pages you can search based on type, then on color.

The Roses
Let’s face it. You go to J & P for roses. When you select your rose type and color you are taken to a page that lists several varieties in that color. They include all the pertinent information. This includes; name, a brief description, bush size, bloom color, bud shape, bud size, number of petals, stem length and fragrance. All of this is obviously important when selecting a rose to fit a specific location. Last but obviously not least is the price of the rose.

The Service
Jackson & Perkins pride themselves on excellent customer service. I have never had any sort of problem with them. I did have to call to straighten out an order issue that I was having a problem with and the Customer Service representative was very courteous and helpful. She quickly resolved the issue for me.

Delivery
This is a very unique website. Due to the nature of their product, they don’t promise a shipping deadline of two days or even a week. When you place your order, you are told that it will be delivered at the proper planting time for the receiving address’s zone. This is great. You don’t have to get it and store it somehow until the proper time to plant. You don’t have to plan your purchase based on when planting season will be. Best of all, they do offer the option of a specific delivery date if it is in the planting season. My wife, at the time, my girlfriend had them surprise me with a rose delivery on Valentine’s Day last year. It was great.

Guarantee
J & P has a very nice feature. Since they are shipping a live product, they offer a 90 day warranty. Your plant will arrive in good condition and will be strong enough to survive. Ninety days is more than sufficient to allow your new rose to be planted, take root flourish. If it doesn’t you will get a new one!

Prices
As is usually the case, you get what you pay for. In this case you are getting a very high quality rose or plant. So, you guessed it, their prices are a little high. Nothing unreasonable for a good quality rose though. I would say that they are at the upper end of reasonable but have not left it behind. Their roses generally run from about $15 to $25 each. Then they usually have a discount for the purchase of three.

Wrapping it Up
Jackson & Perkins is a fantastic way to get your roses straight from the grower. You know you are getting a good, high-quality rose when you are purchasing from them. As experts in the field, they are also a great source of information. Best of all, since they ship the roses to you at the proper time, you are more likely to be successful at getting those beautiful blooms come summertime!