Now that I've hopefully captured your attention with the title of this article, I should confess that the completion of my "Seven Dwarfs" polyantha series (DeRuiter, Netherlands, 1950s) wasn't uppermost in my mind when I first decided to apply to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a permit to import roses under their Postentry Quarantine Program. However, I have recently been successful in locating and importing those little men I'd not been able to acquire in North America and am delighted to report that the seven dwarfs are nearly together in my garden, separated only by the ten feet required during the mandatory two-year quarantine period. When the quarantine period is over, they'll be reunited in a special corner of the garden, along with - you guessed it - Snow White (Polyantha, Grootendorst, Netherlands, 1946).

Choosing a quarantine area was easy when I had only a few roses imported from Europe.

Whether you're searching for one special species rose to be used in your hybridizing efforts, or not content to limit your chase of the latest and greatest exhibition roses to those available from North American suppliers, in order to import roses into the United States (other than from Canada, from which roses may be imported without resort to the Postentry Quarantine Program), the first thing you'll need to do is to apply for an import permit from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The USDA requires permits for the importation of any restricted plant article listed in Part 319.37-7, and plants must be grown under postentry quarantine conditions under the authority of 7 CFR 319.37. Although the procedure may appear somewhat daunting at first glance, it's actually quite straightforward, and I've found that once you know how to navigate the process, the permit can be obtained fairly quickly and the inspectors, at least those with whom I've dealt, are extremely supportive in assisting you through the importation process.

So where do you begin? A good place to start is by going to the USDA's Agriculture Permits Postentry Quarantine Plant Material web page¹. Here you'll find an overview of the program, frequently asked questions, and information for obtaining the necessary application form (PPQ Form 546) as well as instructions for submitting the form to the state regulatory official in the state where the roses will be grown. State inspectors assist the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture in carrying out inspections under the program, and once you've received roses subject to quarantine, you are subject to spot inspections to ensure compliance with the quarantine rules. A telephone number (1-877-770-5990) is provided for further information.

In completing the application to import roses, you're basically entering into an agreement with the USDA that you will comply with the rules of the program. These rules, as they apply to roses, are few and are basic:

• all plant material will be grown on the premises specified in the application under your supervision and control and will not be moved or distributed without prior written permission
• state or federal officials will be granted access to the premises during regular business hours
• there will be no increase of these plants by cuttings, grafting, suckers, flowers, seeds or air layers, no distribution of the plants, and no cutting of flowers for sale, until the plants are released from quarantine, without prior written permission
• the plants will be labeled by plant name, port accession number and date of import
• the plants will be separated from domestic stock of the same genus, including such stock on adjoining premises, by no less than three meters (approximately 10 feet) and will be separated by other imported plants by the same distance.
• any treatments prescribed by the officer including destruction of the quarantined plants or other plants grown on the premises will be complied with to prevent dissemination of plant pests
• the appropriate official will be notified in writing within 30 days when an abnormality is noticed or when a plant dies. Dead plants must be retained and surrendered to the officials for analysis

Unfortunately, there is an absolute prohibition on the importation of roses from four countries: Australia, New Zealand, Italy and Bulgaria, for reasons that most now consider to be no longer scientifically valid. I say "unfortunately," because there are some wonderful roses available in at least Australia, New Zealand and Italy, that are not available in North America, and hopefully this blanket prohibition will be reviewed in the not too distant future.

The choice of quarantine area became far more difficult six months later when the number of roses imported under the program had multiplied several fold. The driveway provided a natural break between the quarantined roses and other plants.

So now you have your import permit, and you've found rose suppliers who are willing to export the roses you wish to import. The willingness and/or ability of a foreign supplier to export roses shouldn't be taken for granted. They will have to subject themselves to inspection by their authorities, who will have to certify that the premises were inspected within the past 12 months and found to be free from certain pests, including two forms of the potato cyst nematode. Many suppliers, particularly in the U.K., are not willing to subject themselves to inspections which could cause problems for the sale of roses in their domestic markets, for the sake of a limited number of export orders, and this has recently limited the number of suppliers willing to accept orders from U.S. customers. But let's assume you have your import permit and a willing supplier. I've found that beyond the legal restrictions, there are a number of practical considerations to keep in mind to ensure that your roses arrive with a minimum of delay and therefore in the best possible condition.

First, unless you're dealing with a supplier who routinely ships roses to the U.S., and is therefore familiar with what the phytosanitary certificate must state, don't assume that the supplier and/or the local authorities will supply a phyto certificate that is satisfactory to the USDA inspector who will inspect your roses when they arrive in the U.S. Roses are shipped to the local USDA inspection office, not to you, are inspected (and I've found that when everything is in order, they've been terrific about carrying out the inspection and releasing the roses promptly, and in most cases within 24 hours of receipt) and then forwarded to you.

Tags supplied by the USDA should be attached to each shipment (they haven't actually provided a tag for each plant).

I had one situation where the inspector held roses imported from Germany because the phyto certificate did not include all of the required pathogens. The roses were held at the inspection station until I contacted the supplier, the supplier contacted the German authorities, and the authorities issued an amended phyto certificate and forwarded that to the USDA inspector. Fortunately, they had inspected for all of the required pathogens, but in this case had failed to list them all on the certificate. I now go through the phyto requirements with each supplier before their local inspection to avoid having this problem again in the future.

The inspector in South San Francisco said that he'd keep the plants moist while we waited for the amended phyto certificate from Germany. He did indeed and this is how they looked when I unpacked the box - in very good shape, all things considered. Every plant has now leafed out nicely.

The other area to which I've learned to pay special attention is that of transport of the roses, both from the supplier to the USDA inspection office and from that office to me. In most cases, the roses will need to be sent by air to ensure that they don't arrive dried out. This can be quite expensive, and is something to factor in when deciding to place an order, along with the cost of the phyto certificate and any other special charges that the supplier might impose.

The inspector in South San Francisco said that he'd keep the plants moist while we waited for the amended phyto certificate from Germany. He did indeed and this is how they looked when I unpacked the box - in very good shape, all things considered. Every plant has now leafed out nicely.

As I've already mentioned, I've found the inspectors to be most accommodating in completing the inspection of certificate as well as the physical inspection of the plants, usually within 24 hours of arrival. However, you should make specific advance arrangements with the inspector for the onward transportation of the roses from the inspection facility to you. Unless you specify otherwise, the inspectors generally tape up the original package, seal it with tape noting that the contents have been inspected by the USDA, and forward the package to you, usually via the U.S. postal service.

The USDA official inspects, clears, repacks and seals the box, then forwards it to you via the US Postal Service, unless you specify otherwise.

You are responsible for any charges incurred in this onward transport. I learned my lesson with a shipment that took a full week to arrive at my home in southern California from the inspection facility in northern California. After paying a premium to ship the roses from Europe to California by second-day delivery, I could have lost the roses due to the delay in the forwarding process. I now provide my FedEx number to the inspectors and ask that they forward the roses to me by overnight or second day delivery.

The USDA official inspects, clears, repacks and seals the box, then forwards it to you via the US Postal Service, unless you specify otherwise.

I hope that this overview of the legal as well as the practical aspects of importing roses hasn't left you "grumpy," rather than "happy." If you're seriously interested in obtaining roses that aren't available from suppliers in North America, don't be "bashful" or let the import process deter you.

Once you've gone through it once or twice, you'll find that it's both logical and relatively easy to comply with. And unless you happen to have an allergy to a particular rose, which could make you "sneezy," (see the "doc" if you do, but be sure that she or he doesn't prescribe sedating antihistamines, which could make you "sleepy" or "dopey"), you'll find that the joy of seeing those new blooms will more than compensate for the time and effort expended in complying with the postentry quarantine program's rules and procedures.

1. www.aphis.usda.gov/ppq/permits/plantproducts/postentry.html.