My Online Rose Source From Now On: Nor'East Miniature Roses
Written: May 02 '07 (Updated May 03 '07)
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I am not ordering any more roses...I am not ordering any more roses!! I'll just look at my new Nor'East Miniature Roses catalog. Hmmmm...wonder what's new this year? Uh oh, I'm ordering more roses.
On the inside page of my paper catalog is a new rose called "Remembering Dee". A dear friend of mine passed away last year, her name was Dee. I even wrote a writers corner piece, here at Epinions, called "Remembering Dee" before I received the Nor'East Miniature catalog.
I am the type of person that means to order something, but things just happen. I lose the order form, someone borrows the catalog before I'm done with it, whatever. I wasn't taking any chances. I went straight to the Nor'East Miniature Roses website and placed my order.
Ease of Navigation
When the Nor'East Miniature Roses home page loaded, I knew Remembering Dee was going to be easy to find. On the left hand side of the page is a column of categories for roses. You can shop by type: New This Year, Terrazza, Collections and more. If you know what color you're looking for, but not a specific rose, you can peruse the roses by their color: reds, pinks, yellows, oranges, apricots & corals, mauves and whites. There is a shop for gifts link that will take you to rose related items.
Across the top of the page are links titled: Greetings!, Help!!, Contact Us, Shipping info, Prices, Request a Catalog and Shopping cart options. It will tell you the amount you have spent in your shopping cart at the top of every page. I like being able to keep track of how much I am spending, instead of getting to the end and realizing I have bought a lot more than I meant to.
At the bottom of the home page you'll find helpful links that include: Growing Tips, How to Use Minis, Our Guarantee, Nor'East Articles and their FAQ.
In the middle of all this you'll see a couple of different types of roses and the information on them.
Ordering
Remembering Dee is new this year, so I followed that link. There on the next page, I found 6 pictures of roses with Remembering Dee being the last one. I could choose the number of plants I wanted and add them to the cart right then or click on the photo of the rose and get more information on it. I wanted more information.
Remembering Dee's page gave me a small paragraph that included such information as who the breeder is, color of bloom (in this case, white), that it is very disease resistant, estimated mature height and the appropriate growing zones. All useful information in helping finalize my decision to buy. I added 2 plants by clicking the drop down box, choosing 2 and then the shopping cart button.
On the upper right of the page it showed the correct rose and amount I had chosen. The total for both roses was displayed. There are buttons for "Checkout" and "Refresh". (Refresh is if you add more or delete some of your order) I chose checkout. The next page showed basically the same thing, without the rose picture/description. It listed my order and the amount. I used the "continue checkout" button.
The next page is for entering standard name, address and credit card information. They accept Visa and Mastercard. The shipping address can be different from the billing address. There is a box you can check if the plant is to be a gift and enter a message to be delivered with the order. I think that is a nice extra. Make sure to mark whether or not you will allow substitution if a rose you've ordered is out of stock. Another added plus, you can choose which roses may be substituted if you want that option. Here you will choose when you want the rose shipped: as soon as possible, on a specific date or your zone's proper planting time. Continue with checkout and confirm your order.
Shipping amount is regulated by the amount of your order. My order fell between $14.01 and $42.00, so I paid a flat fee of $11.90. Nor'East Miniature Roses, generally, ships FedX Express Saver 3-Day. Need it there faster? Not a problem, they have a rush delivery option. For $10 more it will be shipped (Mondays & Tuesdays only) 2 day air.
I received an email and a bill the following business day that stated when my roses would be shipped.
My Experience
Nor'East Miniature Roses made ordering my roses easy. Simple steps took me through the process of ordering the right rose and amount. I chose the ship at my zone's proper planting time. I placed my order in February the bill stated my roses would be shipped April 26th. I did send an email asking when my credit card would be charged as I wasn't sure if it would be right away or when they shipped. I received an email reply the next day explaining I would be billed on the Friday of shipment.
April 26th I had an email stating that my roses were on their way. Checking my credit card online I noticed the correct amount was charged. I was a little concerned about them shipping over a weekend as that meant an extra layover day somewhere for my plants. Most plant nurseries I've visited online ship only on Mondays & Tuesdays to avoid the extra time. I came home from work to find my Nor'East Miniature Roses box on the porch today. (less than a 5 day transit time from California to Illinois, but still more than the 3 day express)
Update: I received an email from the vendor and after re-checking the billing email, I did notice that it stated my roses wouldn't be sent until the following Monday (April 30). So, it wasn't even 3 entire days before I received my plants. An improvement on what I already thought was good. I left the previous part in as a warning to others to make sure and check things over better than I did.
My concern was unnecessary. Upon inspection I found some of the healthiest looking plants I've ever ordered online. My roses are 10 to 12 inches tall, full, green, and already have buds. Gorgeous little specimens! I really liked that they were shipped in pots with moist soil and plastic wrapped around the pot to hold the soil in. I feel it is much better for the plant than to be shipped bareroot.
If I ever decide to order more roses...who am I kidding...when I decide to order more roses, I'll use Nor'East Miniature Roses again!
Nor'East Miniature Roses does offer more than miniature roses. They have some mini-flora, floribunda, shrub and tree roses, also.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
cmaw63
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 in Pets, Home and Garden, Books |
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Member: Julie
Location: Illinois, USA
Reviews written: 307
Trusted by: 73 members
About Me:
Looking forward to my first grandbaby. She's due November 24!
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