The scoop on 'Nature's Promise'

The two tree peonies Andrea Moore of Nature's Promise sold me in September 2004 have leafed and sparsely blossomed. But dealing with her was most unpleasant. The website advertised " Huge plants available 3-4 feet high with many stems. 6+ years old." The two delivered plants, one unlabeled, were 15" and 12" high. They were advertised as 10 gallon; they were 5 gallon. She responded to my polite questions with excuses and finally became defensive. Here's a sample from an email:

" This is the end of it, I will not accept a return shipment of the plants or they will just be killed. I will not refund you...I believe you did receive a fair to excellent value for your money and I put in a lot of hassle to work with your ridiculous schedule you put on us."

You decide if you want to do business with Nature's Promise.

Have purchased a few tree peonies from this company. The plants received were all very nice--good roots, good stems. Most grew well (not the companies fault if they didn't--had horses & dogs helping me). The prices reflect the quality of the plants--the nicer the plant, the higher the price, but again, you get what you pay for. Wwould buy from this company again.

I ordered 2 Chilean Bell flower plants from this company and received 3 - 1 1/2" seedlings. When I expressed that I was not happy with this they: immediately "updated" their website to say seedlings, told me the extra plant was a "bonus", told me I could have a free peony, told me I could send the plants back for a refund (which would not include the 10.00 shipping and handling charge and would cost me to send them back). When I said I was not happy with those choices and would rather have a partial refund I was told that: the seedlings were a lot of work to grow, that this plant is rare, that other places would have charged more. When I said I would report my experiences to various garden web forms if I did not receive a partial refund within one week, I was told to be precise in my post lest I see them in court for slander. How would I rate their customer service dept? Definitely in the negative numbers.

This company is so GREAT!!!!!
This was my first time ordering with this company and it was the greatest customer service I've ever had. All my question about best shipping time and plants hardiness were answered promptly and with lots of useful information. And I wish you could see the size of Tree Peonies I received couple weeks -beautiful, HEALTHY, well-packaged plants. I followed instructions , planted them and they are doing just great. Three out of four my tree peonies are going to bloom this summer. Cann't wait.
I will order from them again.
Highly recommended!

Last fall, I ordered for myself and friends about 8 chinese tree peonies. I talked and emailed Andrea Moore more than once. Her response was quick, and she was very helpful with all her tips on growing the peonies, which arrived in good condition. Now 2 months later in our Northern Californian mild winter, I am excited to see tiny leaf growth and signs of flower buds in 3 out of my 4 trees. If I would order more peonies, I will definitely go to Nature's promise again.

This is one online nursery you have to visit often! I took advantage of Andrea's special of 4 Tree Peonies (their selections) for $100.00 this fall 2001 and I couldn't be more pleased. I know it sounds like a lot of money for four plants and you're uncertain about which varieties you'll get, but it was an incredible deal. Several varieties are valued at over $50.00 and I got them for $25 each! Their prices on their other products are fair and I certainly won't hesitate to order next fall having received such great plants! Sizes varied from variety to variety, of course, but each had at least 4 strong canes and remarkable root systems!! No recent imports here. They're well grown, on their own roots (Chinese), and some plants already have buds (Dec-Jan). A great nursery and customer service was excellent.