Toni,
I just got my order of Vavoom from GVR this week, and it, too, was extremely dry. The skin on the canes was shriveled, and the roots were nearly dry. Oddly, the entire plant was not placed inside the plastic bag it was shipped in. Only the roots were surrounded by plastic, and the bag was tied off at the bud union, so this left the canes exposed to dry air while the plant made its week-long trek from California to New York. The roots were merely wrapped in some damp newspaper. I'm really perplexed. I'm going to need to send a note to Fallon or Mark to let them know that normally I would return a rose in this condition, but I cut the canes back and saw that the piths had not yet turned brown, so I soaked it for a few days and the skin on the canes has since rehydrated, so maybe it will survive. I kind of doubt it, but it might be worth a try. I selected this rose in person while visiting the nursery in February, when it was still potted, and it was very healthy then, and Fallon took very good care of me that day, giving me and Zuzu a complete tour of the nursery as it began to wake from its winter dormancy. She's a real sweetheart, and I briefly met Mark when visiting the nursery the first time last year, and he's a real gentleman. I'm sure they'll be helpful if I bring this to their attention.
I'm a bit disappointed on how dry they were. I planted them about 2' down and then piled mulch on top of them so that only about an inch of canes are showing.
