For most of the past year I have purchased roses from nurseries that ship US Priority mail. Typically, they arrived in three or four days. However, in the last month or two, shipments have taken close to two weeks. All have included roses that are dead or on their last legs. One grower replaced them free of charge; the others did not. I have had the same experience when obtaining prescription drugs.
I understand the politics surrounding the problems with the post office. However, until these problems are worked out I will no longer purchase roses from nurseries that only offer this as an option. Fortunately, both Heirloom and Palentine will ship via UPS. Heirloom will only send roses via UPS if you explicitly request it by sending a followup email. Palatine only uses UPS when shipping to the US.
I have discussed the problem of postal delays with a few growers and they just don't want to bother with the apparent headaches involved using other shippers.
You may think that this is a problem because I live in Hawaii, but it is not. Over the past 20 years I have used USPS Priority mail exclusively to ship items. Even shipments to the East Coast took only three or four days.
If there is any way to encourage nurseries to offer shipping alternatives to the post office, please let me know.
