The scoop on 'Nichols Garden Nursery'

On March 15 I ordered two plants and three packets of seeds. The postage was $7.50 plus 3.95 handling. They shipped the seeds and one plant - not too much of a wait. They didn't charge me the $7.95 for the other plant, a stevia. A while later they notified me that the stevia was on back order because the plants were not strong enough to make the trip and that it would be shipped soon. By this time, I'd ordered it from another source, but didn't do anything to stop it until, on May 13, while checking my bank balance, I saw that they were charging me another shipping fee. I immediately wrote and told them that, if they were charging me shipping again, I did not want the plant. I never heard from them. A few days later, the plant arrived. I've written them again and still haven't heard from them. Each plant cost them less than three dollars shipping. I wound up paying $15.00 shipping plus the 3.95 handling. Even though the plants are beautiful and healthy, and they've always been good in the past, I won't order from them again. The cost was too high, and the service was not good.

I was terribly disappointed with my order from Nichols Garden. I ordered a Bolivian Sunroot seedling and some Oxalis tuberosa bulbs. I was charged $11.45 S&H for these two items fully expecting the order to be shipped priority, especially because they are on the West coast and I am on the East coast. I received the order today. It was shipped USPS 1st class which was much too slow and the Bolivian Sunroot looks marginal at best. The bulbs appear fine. If it was just a bulb order 1st class shipping would have been appropriate but not for a live plant when we are several thousand miles apart. Not only that but the actual shipping charges were all of $2.87. That's a big difference from the $11.45 that I was charged. I have my doubts that the Bolivian Sunroot will survive. I will never buy from this nursery again and wouldn't recommend them to anyone.

I've been ordering from Nichols for several decades. They always come through. Their herb selection is excellent. I've visited their nursery twice, and they offered a 10% discount to current Master Gardeners and lots of advice for the plants I picked up (2 huge Camellia sinensis which are thriving).

My order arrived today in very good time. I've ordered before from them and so has my daughter. We've both had good results with germination. They do carry some vegetable seeds that I was unable to find anywhere else.

Over the last two years, I've ordered vegetable seeds 3 or 4 times from Nichols and it has become my favorite seed company. The selection is good, the germination rate is excellent, the seedlings are extremely vigorous, and the prices are good.

I ordered garlic, saffron crocus, shallots, and Egyptian walking onions this fall, and the last of my order just arrived this morning. Although the prices are on the high end, these are some great bulbs! I feel they are worth the price. There were no duds at all, every bulb was perfectly fresh, and they are the first place I've been able to order a little late (beginning of september) that still had walking onions in stock (the main reason I ordered from here was availability late in the ordering season; I became aware of this place from their columns in Small Farm Today magazine, a great read.) Although a bit pricey, the quality is worth it, in my opinion; especially the saffron crocus, which are twice the size as the saffron I ordered last year from a flower bulb place. I can't wait to see what happens next spring (and fall, for the crocus)! Recommended.

I have been ordering from Nichols Garden Nursery for nearly 40 years. I have never once had any problems with seeds which grow well here in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, their root stock and bulbs are excellent and arrive here in perfect condition. If you are a newcomer to Nichols Garden Nursery catalogue you will be so pleased when your order arrives. I'd suggest you recommend the catalog to friends. I recommended the catalogue to Spotswood High School's agricultural teacher since we are a heavy farming community and he was delighted with it and the unusual seeds it had to offer. I'd like to say, also, that when I call the nursery I'm always treated very cordially and if there is a question, it's always answered for me.

I ordered Egyptian Walking Onions from Nicholls Garden Nursery. There were supposed to be 15 sets. What I got was 6 sets that were a good planting size, and 9 sets that were miniscule. If they advertise 15 sets, then all 15 sets should be close in size. The 9 were 1/4 the size of the 6 good sets.

I also ordered a set of 2 wooden garden trellises. The picture looked good. What I got was unsanded wood, with instructions that were unclear, accompanied by instructional photos that were impossible to decipher by someone who has had no experience in assembling items such as these. I had to go to my local hardware store so the employees there could show me what the pictures were telling me to do.

Last spring I ordered a few seeds from Nichols, among them was several packs of sunflower that was supposed to grow to 16 feet. I planted them in early spring and had good luck with germination and the flowers started to grow. the other day I noticed some of them along a 6 ft fence were blooming, which to m e means they are done growing. I sent Nichols an email and followewd it up with a phone call. after my explanation, a lady said they would gladly refund my money and 3 days later, BINGO, a check in the mail. they also said to cut the heads off and let them grow, which I did. mIf they make it to 16 ft, Im sending them the money back. a pleasure to do business with people like this.

I ordered from Nichols by mail, on March 15, & the order arrived March 24. Pretty good, I think. I was very happy with the packing and packaging. Other people have reported bad germination rates. I will report back when I know what mine are.

Nichols Garden Nursery is where I've been buying seeds and plants for over 20 years. They are located nearby so I like driving over to their lovely herb gardens and getting my seeds and supplies in their homey shop. When out of state guests arrive, this is often the place they most want to visit as they've been happily shopping by mail for many years. Great seeds, selection and knowledgeable friendly service. I think they have the most useful seed selection I've found.

I ordered several seeds from nichols in february 2006 and they came within a week of ordering(I ordered online). I started 8 each of jetsetter tomato and Pruden's purple organic tomato and every seed germinated. The plants are doing very well. I would definetly order from them again.

I've only ordered once from Nichols and I was okay with them. The germination rates were mostly good. I would have preferred more information on the seed packets; some had good information on a slip of paper inside, but others had nothing but the name of the seed.

I've been happy with their seeds, although there was one
tomato that was wonderful but very low germination. Their
selection of unusual greens is unequalled, and those have
germinated fine for me (turns out I don't actually like land
seaweed, but that's not their fault). I get a lot of winemaking
stuff from them. Prices on non-seed items are considerably
cheaper in their store, so I usually stop in.

I have been dealing with Nichols for many years. I find them to be very good people to do business with.

I ordered seeds, plants, and Mason bees from Nichols in 2003, and was very happy with everything. I didn't garden in 2004, but have ordered more seeds from them in 2005.

My family has ordered from Nichols several times and always had good luck. They have a great selection of seeds. I try to experiment with something new in the garden every year. With their selection, that task is easy. The prices are fair and shipping has been timely. We have also had great germination rate.

Just got the Bolivian Sunroot that I ordered (also called Yacon) in the mail and the packaging was very well done, the plant itself was in excellent condition and immediately started thriving the moment I placed it in my garden. I haven't had the best germination rates from some of their seeds before (only had nine Borage plants germinate from an entire packet) but I am very happy with the plant I received.

I've ordered seeds and plants (as well as the owner's book on container gardening) this spring, and have been pleased with the quality of the merchandise and the service. Customer service was pleasant and helpful when one of the plants I'd ordered was accidentally left out of the shipment. Nichols is "just down the road a piece," and I look forward to doing business with them on a regular basis.

I ordered three plants from this company as well as a few packages of seed. One of my plants (stevia) arrived looking sick, with yellow/brown leaves. I immediately took it out of the box and gave it a little water and placed it in a partially sunny spot to air it out. My husband inspected the plant that evening and noticed tiny BUGS all over the plant. I carefully inspected my lavender and thyme plant and thank goodness no bugs on them although the lavender was so tiny (2 inches at best). Unfortunately despite our efforts the stevia did not make it. I emailed the company TWICE and basically was ignored.
I wanted a refund of my money because they had shipped me a sick and bug infested plant. For the price of this stevia plant from Nichols I could have purchased a quality organic plant from another nursery.
I am VERY disappointed in this company and will not order from them again. I wish I would have discovered this site before I ordered from them because from what I read I am not the only one who has had problems with them.

I love Nichols!! Fabulous selection, fabulous germination, fabulous customer service. Hoping for more organic seed selection in the future!

I ordered from this company early this spring. My seeds and a catalog arrived first, and today my herb plants arrived. Nice plants, ones that are hard to get anywhere else.

I will definetely order from them, and recommend them, again. Thank you!
Karen Hane

I have been using Nichols seeds for the past 25 years. I have always experienced good germination rate with your seeds. Your varieties perform well for me especially last year when I gardened on a new site during one of our hottest summers on record. I love your Sweet Success Cucumber. I always get consistently good yields of juicy, crisp cucumbers. I appreciate all the salad greens Nichols offers esp Arugula, Mizuna, Misome and all the lettuce varieties. Thank you for being a reliable seed company. Because of your good quality seeds I always enjoy an abundance of great tasting produce from my garden.

I've gardened with their seeds for over ten years and have always been satisfied with their selection and great quality. What especially pleases me is the broad variety of herbs and unusual vegetables that I don't see offered anywhere else. When I phone in an order or have a question the staff is helpful and friendly. It's like talking to another gardener over the back fence. One of the most readable catalogs I receive.

Unacceptably low germination rates on seed--zero to 15% on varieties where I normally expect 80% or better.

I've never had much luck with their seeds. When planted right next to the same or a similar variety from another supplier, I've routinely gotten poor to no germination. I haven't ordered from them in several years, and don't plan to again.

Speedy service and great seed viability.

I absolutely love this nursery. I order almost exclusively from them. They are always prompt, I have had luck with seeds from them that I never had luck with before. I think some of my success may be due to the fact that Nichols grows and offers plants and seed that are especially suited to the northwest.

I have been ordering from this catalog for over a dozen years. They always have unusual and interesting stuff. Their plants arrive in good condition, and their seeds sprout true to description. Nichols has been my most reliable supplier over the years. My only disappointment--In recent years plants are no longer wrapped in moss the way they used to be. I always found this both charming and effective. On the rare occasions when mistakes have been made, they always sent replacements promptly.

I am sorry to say that I have never had much luck with the seeds I've ordered from this company. And I've ordered repeatedly, thinking it must be my hamhandedness.

Very good nursery to deal with. Have purchased seed & other nursery stock (such as hops) in the past for years, & have had very good success with everything. Very good selection for my Northwest (sometimes short season) area.

Great seed selection (a lot of varieties I haven't seen in other catalogs) and good germination. Finally found summer squash seeds that would grow in my garden (after 5 years of failure and wilt) and also a cucumber that did same.
They will get my order again.

I have been using Nichol's Garden Nursery for 30 years. I
have used their seed in California, New York and Oregon.
Nichol's has always done a perfect job for me. We have
another good seed company from southern Oregon called
Territorial Seeds that I have used also. One year I got
both catalogues and did a price comparison. The same exact seeds cost 25% less at Nichol's than Territorial. Nichol's shipping charge was also around 25% cheaper. I will still use Territorial if they have a seed I want that Nichol's doesn't carry but overall, because of the savings, I go with Nichols.

I have ordered from this company for 9 years. They have the widest selection of herb seeds, and herb plants that I have seen. The plants always arrive in excellent condition, and grow great! They also have tea, dried herbs, and other supplies available. A top rate company in my book!

My experiences with Nichols Garden over the past five years have been completely positive. I'm getting ready to order more seeds from them this year.

Have ordered from this company for over 10 years. Always satisfied.

Have bought live plants and seeds in years past. Would buy from them again.

I am a master gardener, last home on 5 garden tours, I love to garden and have ordered a lot. I've had good luck with Nichols in the past.

I've ordered from them for about 5 years, and have yet to be disappointed. Their selection (especially herbs) is great, without the high prices that are found with other companies. Garlic and shallot bulbs were received in good condition this past year (don't know what the end result is yet) and were shipped when predicted. The speed of shipment has impressed me as well. Very personable company with a good product!

I have to say I was very disappointed in my order from them. I'm interested in putting in a Lavender garden and they have several unusual varieties. I ordered as soon as the new catalog arrived in January and ordered several packets of flower seeds as well as 15 lavender plants. The seeds arrived sometime in Feb. with a note that the plants would ship in the spring (naturally.) By the middle of May, the weather here in zone 7 was hitting 80 degrees and I'd heard nothing from Nichols. I called the office, and was told they'd get back to me with the order status the next day. I heard nothing. I called again several days later and while they were sympathetic they still had no idea what had happened to my order. I had to call a 3rd time and re-fax my order form to them. They said the order would go out the next day. It finally arrived during the long Memorial Day weekend while I was away and sat in the lobby of my building. Half of my order was not enclosed with only a brief explanation that they would not be shipping it--no reason or apology.I called to enquire and they said that El Nino rains had affected most of their stock (fair enough, but tell me upfront). Half the plants were dried out and several others soaked and rotted. At the moment only one small specimen survives. Their operation is certainly low-tech, but it shouldn't be no- service.