Did I ever get lucky. Around Valentine's Day one of the local supermarkets had a "buy one get one free" deal on blooming minis. Usually I ignore these, ugly little tight red things with no scent, but this time there was a pink, moderately fragrant, loaded with blossoms and buds below. So I fell for it, took home two.
NONE of the blossoms shattered, and after a month, they look a bit tired around the edges. And three of the buds are showing color. BUT as usual,the lower foliage is looking less then pert. So I figured I would see what could be salvaged. When I unpotted them - instead of the usual packed 6 or 7 to the pot, there were only four in each pot. Big root systems, multi-branched. So I trimmed off all the blossoms (floating in shallow glass dish with a few foliage sprigs, still looking good). Then I cut them back a bit. I potted six - including the ones with the buds showing color - into a shallow pottery bowl for the dining room, and the two biggest back into the original pots for a window sill. I am optimistic about at least some of these babies making it into the "real" garden in a few months.
The supplier is Westbrook Floral in Grimsby, Ontario, and I am going to take on of the pot labels back to that store and ask for more from that wholesaler. The roses were "charming cupido", followed by "ruicharm ppafpbr".
Good product!

Jean