I must tell you that the bareroot roses we purchased from you are just superb.  Rose plants I have received from other outlets often have broken roots and stems and lack the healthy ‘glow of freshness’ of the ones we bought from you.  The nine we have already planted are growing well with lots of new growth buds.  We can’t wait for them to start blooming.
 
Thanks for all your help. Dave S. Atascadero, CA 

Just Joey far surpassed my expectations. I had heard Just Joey described (by rose
snobs, I guess) as "overrated", but it seemed the perfect complement to my 3 year old Fragrant Delight
and Wild Ginger. By June Just Joey looked like an established plant, not a recent addition and by summer's end was
larger and sturdier than FD. Its beautiful dark glossy leaves never showed a trace of black spot and it has
bloomed heavily and almost continuously since early spring.

In the past I have purchased roses from another heirloom rose nursery and my local all-purpose nursery
but comparing those plants after 2 or 3 years with the the stock I've received from you has me convinced. All
of my future rose purchases will be from Roses of Yesterday.

Nola V., Issaquah, WA

Just wanted to give you an update on the three Crimson Glory rose bushes.  All have survived and thrived.  One bush is eight (8) inches tall and already has four large open blooms.  The fragrance, color, and shape are definitely Crimson Glory, even though I have never seen any tea rose blooming at such a "young" age.  I followed your directions about planting and used vitamin B1.  I have not started feeding them rose food yet.  One of the two others has three buds waiting to open.  The third does not have buds yet, but is growing well.  I am extremely pleased with the plants.  Thank you.
 
Gail Hossin  [Roses received May 10, 2006]July 15, 2006

Dear Guinivere,
Thank you for sending my Sombreuil so quickly. It arrived today in perfect condition and will be in the ground tomorrow. I looked at several mail-order nurseries for the rose but I always come back to Roses of Yesterday and Today because the quality is so high and that makes all the difference; the cost may be a little more but well worth it.

I hope you have a good season.

Best wishes,
Patrick

comments: A long time customer = still very satisfied.  L. Edwards, CA

Regarding a shipment to Guam that was held in customs for two weeks:

Its amazing after almost two weeks on the shipment your roses are still fresh and in good condition. The next day I planted it in simple potting mix and to my surprise after 6 days the shoots are almost 13 inches long. But the winner is the Climbing Angel Face because altho' the new branches are only 4 inches I could see it already has buds. I never have doubts
about the quality of your roses, it always brings your customer great satisfaction.  Zenaida D.,  Guam

Dear Guinivere Wiley,

The Sacka da Weeda Apron is unique and sturdy.
The rose scent from the potpourri is delightful. Thank you.
I'll place my order for old roses next month.

Leila Korotounov

Reply:
I recommend hanging the roses upside down for whole roses, and for potpourri;
placing the petals only in a colander away from sun and in a well ventilated area.
Shake them lightly to loosen them as they dry over several days.  There are
stiff methods to preserving the petals, and we have potpourri that will last for years with
some misting and tossing to clean.  Your petals, without adding additional rose oil
and a preservative, should provide you with lasting petals.  I recommend the darker fragrant
roses, particularly, for adding to dessert or champagne.
Thank you for your inquiry,  Guinivere

thanks  james 

I just got the rose; I was thrilled. It looks great
and so healthy! Thanks for your help. Hilary

Having just sent you a message wondering about my order, I am letting you
know that it just came in the mail today, looking fabulously healthy.  Thank
you very much.

Mary Canavan

We look forward to receiving the order. We have about 20 of your roses purchased between 1980 and
1990. They are all doing well. Thank you for providing such a rare and valuable service of selling
these lovely roses! They are the only rose varieties that thrive in our organically grown
in Washington State.

best,
Diane

Received the roses Feb 9th in cood condition and planted on the same day.
Thanks for your service! Subject: Ordering roses
Date: Sun, 01 Oct 2000 16:52:56

I'd like to order a few bare-root roses...I ordered bare-roots last year and they have
been fabulous!   Rebecca B.

I purchased 3 climbers (White Dawn, Peace, Alchymist) in the spring and am wondering
if I can prune out all but 3-4 of the biggest canes right now - same question about the Blaze
climber I got the year before.  The white rose had a few flowers only twice, but neither the
Peace nor Alchymist ever had any blooms.  They all have grown a large number of canes,
even though I've pruned out the ones I didn't need, especially the Peace which is gigantic!
They are climbing on a wrought iron fence in an open area that will get Lake Michigan winter
wind.  Rather than waiting until next spring to prune them back to just a few canes, can I do it
now, to prevent so many canes from whipping around?  Also, even if I do not prune out the
smaller canes, how low can I prune each one: some of the Peace canes have grown way to long for
the fence area I need to cover and are looking huge and wild for the space they're in.
                                                                                             Thanks - Susan K.

Dear Susan K.,

It's best not to prune them, except if you would like to shape
them, by taking some canes out in the spring.  A lot of climbers, even repeat
blooming varieties (Peace) put their energy into growing the first year,
then bloom on the old wood the next year.  This is especially true with
the Alchymist as it is a once annual bloomer.  The Alchymist should
only be pruned lightly after it booms, and cut off weak, diseased, or
overlong canes as you like.

That is fine to prune back the Peace to suit your needs, just be sure to leave
a good amount of old wood for the blooms - they are especially helped by
"fanning" them out so as to provide some horizontal area for the blooms to
pop along the leaflets for lateral growth. Since you live in a cold area, you
may want to concentrate more on protection now - by tying the canes and
even wrapping them if necessary, and then to untie in the early spring and
secure them to shape as you like - but again, do not prune.  When the climbers
do bloom, they need only be pruned 3 to 6 inches, or more to shape as you like.

Primarily, to "winterize", it is important to surround the base of the plant
to a height of 6-12 inches.  For areas where the temperature is below
0 degrees F., it is recommended to place chicken wire or tar paper around
the plant and fill with stray, ground bark, or leaves, though not packed
too tightly, and beware that wet, matted down leaves can harbor disease.
It is important not to remove the cages to early, because a late spring
freeze can be fatal.  After the last freeze, gently remove the straw or leaves,
scrape away the earth mound around the canes, and rinse the canes with
a light spray of water.

You may find some helpful information regarding winterizing from your
local rose society, rose books, or via the American Rose Society web site,
www.ars.org.

White Dawn should be pruned after it blooms, to encourage re-bloom, but
only 3 inches or as you wish to shape.

Generally, shaping of the plant should be in the spring, because by pruning
it now, you may encourage growth that will be susceptible to cold.

We recommend a 0-10-10 fertilizer (no nitrogen) to be fed in September
to help harden the plants for the winter.

Hello Friends

 I ordered and planted a rugosa rose...the Rugosa started growing canes
and leaves right away the first 6 weeks or so. I fertilized with fish emulsion
every other week or so during the summer as well as using fermented nettle
tea. After a time, it seemed the canes stopped growing and it kind of just sat
there. It had plenty of light and room unlike the other one. Never put out any
buds, nor flowered at all! Is this normal for the first year? (we had a crazy
summer, as many have...tons of rain, not tons of sun, cool temps...which I
thought would agree with the roses. No black spot or mildew either)

Please advise if you can,               Thank you,         Jane S.

Dear Jane S.,

It sounds as if Hansa was given too much fertilizer, only once a month at
most, and with rugosas - they thrive on neglect and really don't need to be
fed at all (they grow well on beaches and freeway center divides).  Fish is
5-6 percent nitrogen, which spurned it's growth but doesn't get it to repro-
duce - therefore no blooms with seeds inside.  You can prune to shape in
early spring, and do not feed it.  You should see blooms next year.  Here,
we don't do anything but water the rugosas in our "pot pourri" field, and
they bloom like crazy.  Some years we do not even prune, and some years
I prune 1/2 their growth, or more.

Greetings,

I bought a couple of roses from you last spring (New Dawn and Dortmund)
which are doing great. I am curious to know what understock you used for
the graft? Thanks.

Dear Jon,

The New Dawn is on it's own roots and the Dortmund is grafted onto
Dr. Huey, which is our standard rootstock.  [Special Note:  Dortmund
will be "own root" for 2001.]

Glad to hear all is well!  Guinivere Wiley

Dear Guinivere,    A while ago I was having big problems with black spots.
Now, I only have few.  Some of my neighbors and friends are struggling with
it.  I was wondering if you could send me the recipe for blackspots.
                                                                        Thank You,  Tammie
Dear Tammie,

Here are the recommend remedies for blackspot:

   At the first sign of blackspot or mildew, it is recommended
gardeners spray their roses once a week for 3 weeks with a solution
of 1 tablespoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil (or
1/4 teaspoon of horticultural oil, from the garden store) to 1
gallon of water.  Also, remove infected leaves, and especially clean
up the leaves that fall to the ground, as the cycle starts when the spores
are on the ground, and are splashed up onto the plant.

For very serious infestations, one should check with Orchard,
San Lorenzo or another garden center for their product recommendations.

Wishing everyone healthy roses!  Guinivere 

My rose arrived in excellent condition. I'm anxious to plant it.  Thanks for great service, J. H.

 Thank you.   Cathy K.

Guinivere Vestal Wiley wrote:
Dear Cathy K.,

We do not have "Arizona".  You may have luck finding it on
the web site, www.helpmefind.com.

 To see our availability, please go to "The Roses"  page on our
 web site, www.rosesofyesterday.com.

 Thank you for your inquiry!   Guinivere Wiley

Mrs. Wiley,

Thank you so much for your response.  I have contacted the site you
suggested and am in the process of ordering the rose.

Again, thank you.   Cathy K.

Virused Roses suffer from a plant malady (the "Mosaic" virus) that results in
unsightly variegated-looking leaves. The virus rarely actually kills a plant. Growers
are supposed to be responsible for checking plants for virus in their growing season,
but virused plants sometimes make it out to customers. The virus does not spread to
other plants (nor, obviously, to people) ...it is spread among roses by the grafting-and-
budding process, generally from diseased rootstock.

from the portion on Mail Order Suppliers, Roses of Yesterday, 1998:
Virus Report:
       Four or five years ago Roses of Yesterday and Today, Inc. unknowingly got a nasty
batch of virused rootstock from a California grower; the company and its customers suffered
for it.  Roses of Yesterday now has entirely new, clean plants grown from clean budwood on
a different, clean rootstock by a new grower. The company has their local Agricultural
Commissioner  checking their plants to ensure they have no virus.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As the virus can also be spread from infected buds onto rootstock, we are sure
to only take budwood from clean plants. No insect vector has been found to spread
rose mosaic virus (see http://cygnus.tamu.edu/Texlab/Shrubs/Rose/rv.html) .
All of our rose understock and budwood is inspected for rose
mosaic virus by the various Agricultural Inspectors for the places
in which they are grown.

We guarantee our bareroot and potted roses to be free of virus!  Roses of Yesterday

Carla  February, 2000

Joanna K. 

My specific areas of interest are:
1) lots of fragrance
2) disease resistance
3) constant blooming
4) pretty and easy to care for
5) something that has a lot of thorns, so folks will only admire and smell them
    (not pick them!)

Sincerely, Larry G.

Dear Larry G.,

Sounds like Rugosas!  Check out some of the fragrant Rugosas -
"Hansa", "Delicata", "Blanc Double de Coubert", "Rosa Rugosa",
 "Parfum de l'Hay", "Roserie de L'Hay", and "Belle Poitevine".

Sincerely,

Pat A. 

Enjoyed  your website!  Deidre R. 

First I wanted to thank you for the two lovely roses you sent me.  Natalie
Nyphels has been a treasure.  She grew quickly and confidently into an
adorable little shrub covered with blooms.  Not a thing has touched her
foliage.  What a great rose!  Her fragrance is delightful. I never knew roses
could be so easy but she is building my rose confidence!

Just a quick note to thank you for taking the time to respond to my multiple
rose questions.  I have enjoyed your catalog, quality of roses, and customer
service so much I have been recommending you to my friends.

Deborah H.  Summer, 1999

The gardens of our northwestern Connecticut country home have many beautiful
flowers which have been lovingly planted by many generations of my wife's
family, but cared for all too sporadically.  The annual star of the show for
many years has been a thriving and much anticipated Charles de Mills which I
acquired through your company and most probably came from your farm.

I really don't deserve this beautiful specimen.  When I planted it I knew I
was taking a chance - placing it too close to an exposed southwest corner and
right next to a front porch storm drain which tended to overflow in torrents
down the hill.  But thrive it has!  And floating a few blooms as a
centerpiece on the dining room table has brought aromas that have complimented
even the most delectable of meals.

It is a pleasure to be able to thank you for that rose.  It is also a great
pleasure to be able to do business with your family again.

Sincerely,

Brian S.

Dear Roses of Yesterday,

This spring I bought a Reine des Violettes from your company, and I think it
has to be  the healthiest rose in the whole garden.  Not only does it look
healthy, but it has had several blooms this first year!  I really am
satisfied with your company and products, and I probably will get another
this fall.  I have a junky hybrid tea that keeps getting diseases, so I think
it will be replaced soon.  Again, thank you for your polite and friendly
service and cooperation, I really appreciate it.

-Peggy P 

We recently ordered a "pearlie mae" rose from your company for my
sister-in-law. She loves it and wants to order more.
                                        Thank you.   Barbie K. 

-- Date: Tue, 18 May 1999  Thank you for your reply.  I knew I should have pruned
back the canes--I was reluctant to do so.  I will cut back the two dead ones--I'm confident
"he" will be just fine but will let you know if the outcome is otherwise.  I love looking at
your website.  JH

--Date: Wed, 09 Jun 1999 -
Subject: Re: Just Joey Received and Planted
Joey is doing well.  I have "her" first beautiful bloom on my desk.  Have a great summer.  Jackie H. 

  Thank You for Visiting!