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Original poster

Are cheap roses any good?

31 replies

calcit · 24/01/2022 12:50

I'm new to gardening and last year (after drooling over their website for months, choosing) I brought three bare root Dave Austin roses bushes. They are fantastic and I love them.

But yesterday I saw bare root roses in Pound Stretcher for £3.49!!

Does anyone have any experience of these cheap ones? Am I best sticking with the Dave Austen ones? I don't want to waste my time/compost on something that's going to be a disappointment.

Thank you!

OP posts:
MNHQ
HebeMumsnet · 24/01/2022 21:21

Bumping these for you, OP. Flowers (nearest we could get to roses)

Nanny67 · 24/01/2022 21:22

I bought a rose from Poundland 2 years ago and it's beautiful. It grew really fast and has outlasted many of the other plants that I bought from nurseries.

Greydogs123 · 24/01/2022 21:26

I have a David Austin rose and I also have a rose someone bought me from Tesco and the Tesco one had a couple of fantastic flowers last year (it’s only been planted since last spring). The david Austin one also produces good flowers, but they were more delicate and disappeared more quickly.
Go for the pound stretcher ones and see it as an experiment!

Original poster
calcit · 24/01/2022 22:19

Thank you @HebeMumsnet! Smile

OP posts:
Original poster
calcit · 24/01/2022 22:20

That's great news @Nanny67 and @Greydogs123. At that price I can treat myself to a couple!

OP posts:
Jjjayfee · 24/01/2022 22:27

I bought two from Squires in pots, quite large, and together they cost fifteen pounds. Got them last year and they flowered last year. Brilliant. I haven't had any success with Poundland plants.

Jjjayfee · 24/01/2022 22:29

I did buy a bare root rose from Tesco. After much love and care nothing grew so I took the bare root back after several months and got a refund!

DobbyTheHouseElk · 25/01/2022 07:17

It’s more hot and miss. With David Austin you know the rose you are buying and the plant guarantee that goes with it.

That said, I bought a £1 honeysuckle from wilkco and it’s grown to be really beautiful. Took a bit longer to get started as it was a teeny thing.

evtheria · 25/01/2022 07:22

I bought a Poundland tearose 4 years ago - it’s now the healthiest, biggest rose bush in my garden! The only issue is it was totally not the colour the box said (yellow instead of pale pink) but there are so many roses on it every year I am loathe to get rid.

I will still buy a DA rose when I have space, though, because I want specific types.

Hathertonhariden · 25/01/2022 07:24

Went to a talk by a gardener from a stately home and he was a big fan of Wilko for plants. He reckoned that any plant that could survive being kept on a trolley for that long and generally not looked after by people who knew anything about watering was guaranteed to be robust.

Gladioli23 · 25/01/2022 07:32

I've had 3 roses from Aldi, they were 99p each maybe 3-4 years ago now. They are definitely a bit random. They all live in a single bed, so the same conditions. They all lived, they all flower (but are floribunda not hybrid tea) but one is waaaay happier than the others. It's absolutely bounteous. I don't manure them or water them and frankly barely prune them as I am someone who loves gardening more in theory than reality!

I have another rose from a garden centre (which similarly ended up s different colour from the label) and it has lovely flowers but it's very prone to blackspot whereas nothing happens to the others.

JustJam4Tea · 25/01/2022 07:57

Just pick with care and try and buy it in the early days of it being neglected. I’ve had great plants from Tesco, bargain hospital shelf at b&q, Poundland etc. had a jasmine for a £1 from Tesco that was amazing, was very sad to leave at last house.

Also many acers over the years bought for a £1 when looking v sad….

CleanQueen123 · 29/01/2022 08:06

I bought two from Tesco three years ago and they're still going strong. I only picked them up because they're were £4 each and had the same name as my DD.

The only surprise was that they were meant to be the same kind and they're clearly not. One has deep red flowers and the other is definitely more pink and a different shape/style of flower but they're both lovely.

MereDintofPandiculation · 29/01/2022 10:02

When you buy from a breeder like David Austin or Peter Beales, you’re not paying for extra vigour, you’re paying for the years of breeding that has gone into producing a certain flower shape/colour/scent/flowering period etc

Stickytreacle · 29/01/2022 10:20

I have David Austin roses as well as supermarket cheapies.
I find that DA can be floppy and disease resistance can be hit and miss, my bargain roses all seem robust and long flowering. My favourite and healthiest rose was rescued after spending days on a bonfire so completely free!

toppkatz · 29/01/2022 12:50

All rose varieties are grafted onto a rootstock, so as long as it looks healthy and there are several vigorous stems, cheap roses will be fine. You won't get the more unusual varieties though.

I think I bought my Iceberg rose from Woolworths in the mind 1980's and it is a real trouper. It flowers all year round and actually has a couple of buds on it at the moment.

BillMasheen · 29/01/2022 13:51

@MereDintofPandiculation

When you buy from a breeder like David Austin or Peter Beales, you’re not paying for extra vigour, you’re paying for the years of breeding that has gone into producing a certain flower shape/colour/scent/flowering period etc
I came to say this.

It’s the difference between supermarket clothes and a piece by a renowned designer. DA Roses are carefully bred, and if you are looking for that exact shade or scent, they are absolutely worth the money. IF that is what you want

If you want a rose, to fill a gap and look rose—like. But aren’t picky. Then supermarket is just fine.

CleanQueen123 · 29/01/2022 14:41

That's really interesting to know. I always assumed my cheapy supermarket roses were inferior but by the sounds of it that isn't the case.

They're certainly resilient. I've got no idea what I'm doing but they're still alive and flower each year.

Any tips on when to prune them? I thought it was end of Feb/March time but they've got new growth on them now so have I missed the boat?

Girliefriendlikespuppies · 29/01/2022 14:59

I bought a really cheap light purple climbing rose with the most amazing scent from Tescos a few years ago. It's taken a couple of years to get going but it absolutely beautiful and I get a lot of compliments on it. It cost 2.99.

I have another cheap one in the front garden, it's also a climber and a very traditional red rose which looks lovely climbing over the front porch. I think it was around £2.50 from The Range.

The only one that I spent a bit more is a lovely yellow rose called golden showers which I've been impressed with as it's very fast growing and flowers constantly.

I love roses 🌹

Crowdfundingforcake · 29/01/2022 15:08

My two best climbing roses were from B&Q shelf of doom (reduced to 50p because they were practically dead Sad). They have climbed and climbed and flowered profusely.

I do have three David Austin roses - they are lovely, but not as vigorous as the cheapies.

Original poster
calcit · 30/01/2022 08:20

Thank you everyone, that sounds really positive. I've brought one rose from Poundstretcher - it's roots are in soak now and I'll plant it today. Good to know that about DA roses. I think I'll save them for if I'm looking for something special but for now I'll pick up those bargains. I could get seven for the price of one DA rose! Smile

OP posts:
M0rT · 30/01/2022 08:25

I am a very novice gardener so can I ask when you say plant today do you mean in a pot or the ground outside? I thought we weren't meant to plant anything until at least late March now because of frost risk?

MereDintofPandiculation · 30/01/2022 08:42

You can plant now if it isn’t frosty. As I understand it, it’s not that you’re putting a plant into frosty air, it’s burying frosty soil around the roots.

tapdancingmum · 30/01/2022 08:59

I bought 4 from Poundland which did absolutely nothing so had to take them out. I do have 3 DA roses but we wanted them specifically for colour and smell and they have been glorious. One of them is still budding now.

I also bought some cheapy ones from Dobbies and they have also been great and have grown very well.

I picked up one from a garden centre closing down sale which was marked as a bush rose but has turned into the most impressive climber so had to move it. I'm always nervous about moving them but think it has two chances and it has bloomed ever since.

I agree that DA roses are worth the money if you want something specific but plants from pound shops are just as good. We bought 3 strawberry plants that are in hanging baskets are will now be on their 6th season. Not bad for 99p

toppkatz · 30/01/2022 13:17

@CleanQueen123

That's really interesting to know. I always assumed my cheapy supermarket roses were inferior but by the sounds of it that isn't the case.

They're certainly resilient. I've got no idea what I'm doing but they're still alive and flower each year.

Any tips on when to prune them? I thought it was end of Feb/March time but they've got new growth on them now so have I missed the boat?

The deadline is Valentine's Day, I believe, although if would depend on the climate in your region. Spring is earlier in the far south west than it is in the north east for instance.
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