| Rating | Author | Content |
| Positive | khailac
Oakland, CA
(2 reviews)
October 14, 2009 | I have ordered standard african violets from Rob's twice, and each time the plants are carefully packed and shipped. They may be small plants, but grow very quickly and bloom within a few months. Some even arrived with buds.
I also recently ordered the streptocarpis and these have started blooming well even on the tiny plants.
Rob's is really the place to get a great variety of african violets, in terms of selections and quality. |
| Positive | MercuryMewer
Boston, MA
(3 reviews)
October 14, 2009 | The Alsobias and Streptocarpus I ordered were delivered beautifully packed. Two of the six Streptocarpus were blooming, only one of the Streptocarpus didn't have a bud on it. I will order from them again. |
| Positive | krauskg
Old Lyme, CT
(Zone 6b)
(1 review)
October 10, 2009 | In December, 2008, I ordered a collection of ten streptocarpus, their choice. The plants were quite small, but nicely packed. They sat in three-inch pots in my cool greenhouse all winter, not growing, not dying. Then they took off in the late-winter sun and warmth, and from May on they have been blooming like mad, and look picture perfect. Cultural instructions were excellent. |
| Positive | shohinken
Fort Lauderdale, FL
(4 reviews)
August 29, 2009 | I have placed one to two orders a year for the last at least 10 yrs. The plants are always well packed with prompt mailing. I have ordered almost all of their miniature house plants and many of their miniature african violets. The plants have come in very small pots.
They are usually in white 2 inch or 2 1/2 inch pots.
I have resisted transplanting them upon arrival and not transplanted them for a month after delivery. They advertise as sending small rooted cuttings. Their prices are commensurate with the size.
I have found Rob's violet barn is a great place to buy bonsai starter plants at a cheap price. Thanks Shohinken |
| Positive | RobertaJ
Coos Bay, OR
(2 reviews)
July 08, 2009 | I ordered 3 miniature African Violets last month for a terrarium. They were thoughtfully and carefully packed, and arrived in perfect condition, as contrasted with the experience I had with another vendor of different plants last month. While the shipping/handling cost initally seemed high, it was well worth it to get the plants intact. If I am unsuccessful with the terrarium, it will be my inexperience to blame, not Rob's Violet Barn, and I will definitely get replacement plants from Rob's.
A minor suggestion: the ordering process and website is unsophisticated in a way that suggests a fly-by-night operation. When ordering, I had concerns that the process was not going to be effective or secure, but so far, so good! |
| Neutral | VA_Wild_Rose
Fredericksburg, VA
(Zone 7a)
(5 reviews)
May 31, 2009 | I was hesitant to write this review, but I have relied on Garden Watchdog in the past, so I wanted to weigh in on my experience with Rob's Violets. I have to give him a neutral. I phoned in my order, and spoke directly with Rob. As the customer, I just didn't feel important. Customer service and the way you treat people, both in person or over the phone/on-line is very important to me. I felt he was condescending and short over the phone, and again when I emailed to inquire about the order a week later. My order was received, and he does an outstanding packing job... much care and time is put in to packaging the plants for mailing. I only ordered two plants, and while small, they appear healthy, and I don't expect to have any trouble with them. |
| Negative | sheilasouth
Osage, IA
(4 reviews)
March 21, 2009 | My previous experiences were fairly positive, although the hoyas were very small. To date, now 3 years later, they are still in the same tiny pots & haven't bloomed. This time I tried epscias & African violets...I have to go with the negative rating because they sent the order while the temps were still too cold @ night to arrive safely, even with heat packs & expensive express shipping. I explained the problem to the owners & they took the attitude that I was making this up & the plants really hadn't died. They said they had no problem with shipping to other people in cold climes, & not only one, but TWO seperate orders to my climate were unable to survive. I don't like owners that act mad @ me when the weather causes plant loss. So, they will wait till MAY to send replacements, even when I assured them that April would be fine. I just don't like this guys attitude....no thanks to ordering from them again. I don't need this kind of grumpy attitude...there are others out there that don't consider me a liar. What happened to assuming the best about their customers.??..When did these guys gets so jaded??? Sorry, but they will get no more of my business. |
| Positive | frecklesr
Nacogdoches, TX
(Zone 8b)
(2 reviews)
February 28, 2009 | Absolutely the best packaging of mail-order plants I've every received. I ordered the Begonia collection of 10 plants, seller's choice. Yes, small 2" pots, but for $3.50 ea, what I anticipated. They gave me a great selection, I will buy from them again. |
| Negative | limbiclady
Medina, OH
(Zone 5b)
(2 reviews)
October 08, 2008 | I placed an order with Rob's, for begonias. I forget how many, but the order came to around $64. While I received them in a timely manner (from placing the order) and it was not too early in the season - June or early July, I received very small plantlets with poorly developed roots. Most of the plants did not survive, in spite of my nurturing them.
I am an experienced and successful terrarium and begonia grower. I would recommend that if you do buy from Rob's, you should request that they grow the plants up a little before shipping rather than receive a specimen that can't thrive. I am seriously disappointed and they did not respond to my emails. I will not purchase from him again. |
| Positive | luvblueridgemtn
Martinsville, VA
(Zone 7a)
(12 reviews)
September 29, 2008 | Wonderful selection of plants. Plants arrived well packed and in great shape. I really enjoy their plant care advice on their web site. I will order from them again. |
| Neutral | charissas118
Calgary
Canada
(2 reviews)
August 10, 2008 | I ordered four Hoyas from Rob at the VioletBarn last month -- my plants were shipped relatively fast (from USA to Canada) and were intact when I received them.
The phyto inspection cost is a bit prohibitive but I felt hopeful about the quality of the plants after talking with them on the phone. In reality, the four plants I received, while well protected in the shipping box and undamaged when I received them, were extremely small and basically appear to be leaves that have been shoved into the dirt. I was promised 2.5" pots, but received 2" ones, and other than one plant which is already a six inch climbing vine, the other three (as I said) are each just two or three leaves in some dirt. Frown. |
| Positive | elizzy
Orofino, ID
(Zone 6a)
(1 review)
July 12, 2008 | Last fall I ordered 2 small Hoyas and they arrived in very good condition! I did not think the packaging was overkill, I rather appreciated the extra effort they took to insure the plants traveled comfortably. They are both growing and doing well.
Thank you. |
| Positive | Toni05
Brookfield, IL
(43 reviews)
May 22, 2008 | Received 5 African Violets today. . All five are good-sized, very healthy, and pest-free.
Price per plant is quite reasonable, as is shipping cost.
I talked to the owner, (I think he was the owner) who was very pleasant and helpful.
Soon after our conversation, a confirmation email was sent, letting me know all 5 Av's were available.
Plants were well-packaged, held together with plastic and rubber bands, tucked between newspaper. Foil was lined inside the box for safe-keeping.
Considering the order was phoned in a few days ago, shipping was extremely fast. Toni
|
| Negative | lucyscap
Stratford, CT
(1 review)
October 23, 2007 | First time buyer from this company this past summer. Paid close to $60 for 8 plants. Plants that arrived were very small and packaging was really overkill. After two weeks three of the plants developed wilt and I ended up tossing them. Called the Violet Barn and left a detailed message on their answering machine, which to date, I have received no reply to. Very disappointing. Will not order again. |
| Positive | Louied22
West Point, MS
(1 review)
October 08, 2007 | Recieved 7 plants 4 days after ship date in perfect condition, 4 where already blooming, not a single problem with any of the plants. All where healthy and beautiful.
This is a new hobbie for me and i set these up in a spare room i made into a grow room, they are doing great under the grow light, i am making a second purchase this week of several more violets. I recomend the Violet Barn to anyone whishing to purchase quality plants in excellent condition for a good price. I will be purchasing other exotics from them in the future. |
| Positive | janerobie
Malden, MA
(2 reviews)
September 29, 2007 | I recently ordered some miniature plants for terrariums. The delightful little plants all arrived very well packaged and in good shape. They're now all planted and are going well. I'd definitely order from Violet Barn again. |
| Positive | herbivore74
Chicago, IL
(Zone 5b)
(2 reviews)
September 13, 2007 | I placed my order Friday night and received it the next Thursday, very carefully packaged (almost too well-packaged - it took a while to get the plants freed of their protective wrappings!). Most of them are babies not yet in bloom, but that's OK and it's clearly stated on their site that you will probably get small starter plants unless you select a "grower's choice" option. I was given a free plant for finding the "secret words" on their site, and they chose one that was similar in flower characteristics to the other plants I had ordered, which was nice. If these grow well for me (and if I can find more room...!) I will definitely order from them again. They have a nice selection for very reasonable prices. |
| Positive | Drinnian
El Paso, TX
(Zone 8a)
(2 reviews)
July 30, 2007 | This was my first time ordering African Violets, so I'm not the most experienced reviewer. However, while small, all 6 plants that I ordered look beautiful and healthy. The prices were very reasonable and I received my plants within 2 weeks after ordering. I would certainly purchase plants again from the Violet Barn. |
| Positive | gessiegail
Taft, TX
(Zone 9a)
(18 reviews)
June 15, 2007 | I have never received such beautifully grown plant material. I'm really sorry that I divided my total order into 3 companies because people had said Rob's material was too small. It is outstanding plant material and I couldn't possibility expect more from a company.
****It is not 'just ok'....the plants are fabulous
On August 26th, 2007, gessiegail added the following:
Violet Barn gets another A+ in my opinion.............just more of those healthy plants............from Petrocosmea, Chirita, Nautiloxcalyx and other gesneriads.
On September 21st, 2007, gessiegail added the following:
I now have heard several people complain about Rob's hoyas ...........so small that some are not even rooted..............I will order what i have ordered but wouldn't even consider ordering hoyas ...........i thank the DGers who have warned us about his offering something that he evidently is not able to grow....... |
| Positive | Equilibrium
(32 reviews)
June 14, 2007 | The pricing at this site is indicative of a small plant. I received small rooted cuttings which is exactly what I expected. I had read old comments here so I was very careful to check for pests- nothing so far and it's been well over a month. If they had a spot problem a few years ago, they evidently don't now.
I ordered quite a few Streptocarpus, they are all doing very well and for small leaf cuttings I was pleasantly surprised to find that all of them began sending up flower scapes within a few weeks. Incredibly pleased with this as quite a few are already blooming.
I don't particularly care for the substitutions deal that so many nurseries slip into their orders but with this place, addressing substitutions was simple enough- note that you aren't willing to accept substitutions and forgo the free plant they offer to ship you if you aren't willing to accept a substitution. I think it's nice that they offer a free plant if you are willing to accept substitutions.
Overall I am incredibly pleased with the health of their plants and I'll take a pest-free small healthy rooted cutting any day. |
| Positive | princess_1
Claremont, NC
(1 review)
June 09, 2007 | I gave them a neutral rating because up till now I have been VERY happy. Their plants love my house and grow very well. They have fast shipping and are always packed good, but...
I put in an order, one of many, and the main plant I wanted was Alsobia "San Miguel" they substituted it with Alsobia "Cygnet" beacuse the invoice said "out" for the ASM. The website said they had some(and still does), small plants, but I emailed them to ask why they sub'd if they have some say if they had any left I would be happy to put in a small order (my orders usually are small anyways, 3-6 plants) to get it. Well , a week later after another email to them, no response.
I am sad because I really enjoy getting a box from them, but I guess they don't want my money anymore.
Disappointed in NC
On July 9th, 2007, princess_1 changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following:
Well, it's taken me a while to update, but they did contact me saying I was using an email address they were no longer using. I put in another order and got the plant I wanted, but still have no Idea why I didn't get it in the first order, oh well, I have it now. |
| Negative | kimskreations
Kennebunk, ME
(Zone 5a)
(3 reviews)
June 05, 2007 | I ordered this spring for the first time from the Violet Barn.
My order consisted of 3 hoyas.
Needless to say, they were TINY cuttings. I potted them into their new homes only to discover that the Polyneura (which is why I placed the order originally) had NO roots and quickly died after moving. I called Rob to let him know and to explain that I couldn't send a picture as they no longer accept e-mail. He said that the next time I placed an order he would send me a new one. So I asked him if I bought one now what my total would be....$17.00! $12.00 of that being shipping for 1 plant. Needless to say, I felt that was too expensive for the size plants he sends. They charged me $12.00 shipping for 3 cuttings that cost them $5.40 to mail.
I hate nurseries that make money on the shipping!
So, all in all I ended up with 2 small rooted cuttings for $27.00!!!!!!
Never again!
Kim |
| Positive | Chrissycf
Columbia, MO
(3 reviews)
January 17, 2007 | African violets delivered as promised in good condition even though the post office delayed delivery by 24 hours. Some of the plants, however look like they might be older, rejuvenated plants rather than young, freshly propogated ones. THese plants have responded and begun to grow nicely, but do not look as vibrant as the obviously very young plants growing side by side with them. When they get enough leaves I will propogate some fresh ones from them as I plan to exhibit them and want to present the best plants I can.
Some of the varigated types were not varigated when they arrived, but are beginning (2 weeks in) to show some varigation because i am growing them under cool conditions. One is still not showing much varigation and I am waiting for it to bloom to see if it is the variety I ordered. All but one plant have developed many buds and it is growing beautifully-just no buds yet.
Very good customer service response to my questions and odd-ball shipping instructions.
Overall, a positive experience and I will order from Rob and Olive again.
Thanks Guys! |
| Positive | DarcyPennell
Durham, NC
(5 reviews)
January 01, 2007 | I ordered a set of miniature african violets, self-watering pots and potting mix as a Christmas present for my mother. They emailed me right away to confirm my order, and then again to let me know when it would be shipped. My mother received the violets less than a week after I placed the order. She said they were extremely well packaged, all healthy and she was very happy with the assortment. The pots and soil arrived a day or two later. I would definitely order from this company again. |
| Positive | maureenpm00
Lindenhurst, NY
(8 reviews)
December 27, 2006 | I ordered a holiday special, express delivery of 3 mini violets and fertilizer, ceramic pots and violet mix (I think I get a spring catalog also). I asked if they would send dark colored minis if possible - which they did.
The plants arrived in perfect condition via express delivery (next day) and were blooing and healthy looking. I will definitely order from them again.
|
| Positive | calypsa
Plymouth, MI
(Zone 5b)
(19 reviews)
December 18, 2006 | I have ordered from this company several times in the distant past, and just recently my husband placed an order with them for a surprise anniversary gift to me.
It was wonderful! Everything was packaged beautifully, and the plants were in excellent condition (despite having been wrapped and stored for a few days after the package arrived) when I opened the box this morning. My husband said that the staff had been very helpful when he placed his order, and that he had chatted with them for quite awhile to make sure that everything would be perfect for our anniversary. I was so surprised, and I am thrilled with my miniature violets! They are gorgeous!
We would not hesitate to order from this company again. |
| Positive | Eric_OH
Columbus, OH
(Zone 6a)
(42 reviews)
November 26, 2006 | My order was mostly gesneriads (i.e. kohlerias and columneas for the most part).
Plants were small but a fair value for the price. Packing was done with extraordinary care (I had the express shipping service), everything arrived intact and healthy-appearing and the turnaround time from when I placed my order to its receipt was three days.
Thumbs up. |
| Positive | milliemaxwell
Marietta, GA
(3 reviews)
November 22, 2006 | I had the same problem as shivers but it was because they never recieved my on line order. A quick call and my order arrived three days later. Nothing but good things to say about this company. And beautiful minis in bud and bloom is not sales talk. |
| Negative | shivers
Rochester, MN
(2 reviews)
November 22, 2006 | While I have ordered from the Violet Barn before with good success, I am not pleased now. Several months ago I placed an order with them----weeks went by and I never received it or heard a word from them. Unfortunately there is no phone number on their website where customers can call. I sent another email again asking for the status of my order. It has been about a month and I still haven't heard anything. Since they did not charge my credit card I did not lose money----but for whatever reason they do not contact their customers or keep track of their orders. :( |
| Positive | msu1721
East Lansing, MI
(1 review)
September 10, 2006 | All hoyas arrived in good shape within a couple of days. Only a couple of tiny insects. Plants were small, but they warned me that they would be. What do you expect for $5 apiece. |
| Positive | Grandmaellie
Incline Village, NV
(Zone 5b)
(1 review)
September 03, 2006 | This was my first order (miniature violets). I couldn't have been more pleased. The plants had beautiful little flowers, were packaged without a single leaf being broken-quite an accomplishment since they were shipped all the way across the country! I'll be ordering again when weather permits. |
| Positive | wagneramy
Santa Cruz, CA
(Zone 9a)
(6 reviews)
July 09, 2006 | I ordered 7 begonias and 4 African violets. They arrived when promised and where packed with the utmost care. None of the plants where damaged and all look healthy. That is pretty incredible considering the how fragile those plants are. I would order from them again. |
| Positive | Chamelaux
Newberg, OR
(2 reviews)
April 20, 2006 | Received my first order today, Thursday, after placing my order on Sunday!!! These plants travelled from New York to Oregon and arrived in pristine condition. Not a hair was ruffled on their tiny heads due to meticulous packaging. I enjoyed exploring the user friendly website and finding so many wonderful varieties. I have passed this link on to other plant lovers and will be visiting them again soon. |
| Positive | Enchantra
Farmington, NY
(Zone 6a)
(5 reviews)
April 20, 2006 | My Father collects African Violets. He tries to get to The Violet barn at least once or twice a year. Since he is permanently disabled this can be difficult for him at times. He has always received polite courteous service whenever he visits, and he has found the violets to be of good quality. He would post this himself but his computer skills are very limited. |
| Positive | rusty2004
Lodi, CA
(20 reviews)
April 15, 2006 | I have ordered alot of plants from rob, always happy with plants. REceived very well packaged plants, double wrapped, insulation around plants, plants are real green and healthy. Good customer service which I appreciate.
Will order again.
On September 10th, 2006, rusty2004 added the following:
I received my order week after I ordered. Plants healthy, very well wrapped, pleased with order as always. |
| Positive | janerx
Haubstadt, IN
(Zone 6b)
(3 reviews)
December 31, 2005 | A first time buyer, plants arrived in excellent condition, well packaged, promptly shipped. Good instructions for after- care included with plants. |
| Positive | Kelli
L.A. (Canoga Park), CA
(Zone 10a)
(13 reviews)
October 31, 2005 | My mom asked me what I wanted for my birthday. I decided that I wanted a gift certificate for African violets. I looked that the Watchdog and found the Violet Barn. (At that time it had 100% positive ratings.) I got the gift certificate and ordered 5 plants. All arrived fairly quickly and were good-looking plants (4 AVs, 1 streptocarpus). Two AVs were blooming. I've had them now for about a month and they still look good and are growing. |
| Positive | jsandco
West Bend, WI
(Zone 5b)
(1 review)
October 30, 2005 | I ordered twice from the Violet Barn this month. The plants arrived quickly and were very well packed and healthy. One was on the small side, but since the on-line catalog said this plant was in "very limited quanity" I was just happy that I was stiil able to get it, and all the plants are growing well. I will order again. |
| Positive | GrowHappy
Baltimore, MD
(Zone 7a)
(5 reviews)
October 07, 2005 | I recently ordered several Hoyas from this company and was thrilled when I opened the box! From start to finish, the entire order process was fabulous. I ordered online on a Friday evening. I received order confirmation on Saturday. I had my plants by Wednesday! All the plants were very healthy and looked great. The packaging couldn't have been done better. I even saved the insulation they used for future trades! I would order from this vendor again. |
| Negative | fairclo1
Fayetteville, NC
(1 review)
September 19, 2005 | I placed an order for African violets, streptocarpus, hoyas, and chiritas. One of the violet cultivars (Crismson Ice) showed the symptoms of a virus when it first bloomed (within a few weeks after I received it.) The blossom virus, not uncommon, manifested itself as lighter streaks of discoloration in the flower. One of the hoyas had a red mite infestation. I later discovered that two of the streptocarpus had root mealybugs. I put all of the plants under lights in a separate room away from my collection upon receipt, so that I wouldn't introduce any pathogens. I wasn't too bothered by the insects and mites. I know large growers often have small popultations of pests that they mostly keep under control, but the virus is more problematic. So I emailed the company just to let them know about the problem with the virus, not mentioning the other two pests. I wasn't asking for a refund or replacement, because I have so many plants that any one cultivar is not that important. I just wanted to let them know so that they would be aware of the problem and hopefully correct it for future customers. I received a reply (I think from Rob) asking "How did you determine this?" I think it was pretty obvious. Flower viruses are not uncommon in African violets and many other plants. I did not pursue it any further, but it does seem to me that three different pathogens in one plant order is a bit sloppy for any grower. |
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