When the rose arrived, it was much smaller than I had expected. I was also surprised that it wasn’t shipped in a box—it was simply wrapped in USPS cardboard and placed inside a mailing bag, which offered very little protection.
After opening the package, the rose did not appear to be in very good condition.
What concerns me most is the timing of the shipment. I don’t understand why a young rose was shipped to a Zone 7 area in the middle of July, during the hottest part of summer. The extreme heat greatly reduces the plant’s chances of establishing successfully, and I was worried about its survival from the moment it arrived.
