The scoop on 'Bob Smoley's Gardenworld'

Have had several dealings with Mr. Smoley. Always courteous, extremely knowledgeable. My experiences have always been great. Plants are healthy, large and pest free. Labeled true to species. Have dealt with him many times and look foward to doing so again. Highly recommend.

Ordered Sansevieria from Bob Smoley's Gardenworld and plants came healthy and quick!! Great experience with this company.

On the whole, I was satisfied with my purchase. I ordered five plants. One died promptly & a second one died months later, most likely due to frost.
The only reason I don't plan on ordering from Mr. Smoley again is because his website has no pictures of the plants (leading you to have to look them up on other websites), and the order-placing process is overly complicated for an on-line seller, including a snail-mail confirmation (?)...it should be much more streamlined.
If you know exactly what plant you are looking for & don't mind waiting an absurd amount of time just to know your order was received, then this is an okay seller.
I can safely say that I did NOT receive a scorpion in my package...and wonder how common scorpions are in Pennsylvania

Placed an order 10/23/2007 and was received on 11/08/2007! Definitely received my order within the time frame promised. Everything was well-packaged and arrived in good condition. All the plants were very healthy and some were bonus sized. Will do business with Mr. Smoley again!

;~}
Larry

I placed an online order with Gardenworld on May 15, 2007.
Unfortunately, for me my order was too big for the online order form. So I contact Mr. Smoley that same day via email letting him know that the form was too small but that I had paid the full amount via paypal and included the transaction number with the plant material that I ordered.

On May 29, I received in the mail a reply to the online order, that I had not sent enough money and that my order was changed. Again, I sent a copy of my original email and explained what I wanted. He contacted me and stated that he would take care of it.

On August 3, 2007, contact Mr. Smoley again to find out the status of the order since it had been over two months, which I thought was outside his normal processing times, to make sure it had not gotten lost in the mail. On August 6, I got a reply that he should be shipping that week and that he was behind.

On August 31, 2007, I contact Mr. Smoley again for another status update. On September 3, 2007, I received a notice that my order would be shipped the very next day.

On September 6, 2007, I received my package of plant materials and was very excite to see what I had gotten.
The first few plants looked great and I couldn't wait to get to the bottom of the box. Of course, what was waiting for me at the bottom of the box was an even bigger surprise.

There was a small scorpion about 2 to 3 inches long in the bottom of the box. It would have been one thing if it had been dead. But no it was very much alive and very upset.
Not as upset as it was after it met the bottom of my shoe.

In North Carolina, we do not have scorpions, so I don't know a good one from a bad one. So I wrote Mr Smoley about this. This is his reply:

"Simply kill the critter !!
He must have gotten into the wrapping paper that was used for packing....I remember that day when I was packing your order along with others that I got stung by something....I thought it was a scorpion by the sharp sting but could find his whereabouts.....it is not a big deal as they are completely harmless....only a bee sting type sting. They do not eat the plants or lay eggs if this is what you are getting at....enjoy his company."

Completely harmless unless you are allergic to bees or have small childern or pets! I don't know about other folks here, but getting stung by a bee or a scorpion is not something I enjoy and look forward to.

As a consumer, I can understand the wait for a specialty product that is produced in a limited quantity. But the website should reflect that wait times in excess of three months not two are possible and likely.

As a horticulture major, I can now understand the importance of shipping restrictions on plants to protect from pests and disease. From now on all new material will be opened outside and in broad daylight to protect myself and my family. I will not rely on nurseries to follow the rules.

As a manager dealing with customers, it is important to say you're sorry and try to reassure the customer. A "Hey I am sorry, not sure how it got in there. But don't worry, it's sting is just like that of a bee. Sorry again, we will try and do a better job next time. " is better than a what are you complaining about just kill it!

Ratings:
Plant Material: A
Plant Selection: A+
Customer Service: D-

Just received my 3rd order since January 2007. Ordered mostly Hoya un-rooted cuttings. Some of the cuttings I ordered he did not have, but since I always prefer substitutions, I was more than pleased with what he sent. All cutting were more than generous 18 to 24 inches, healthy, green, and the substitutions were of equal or greater value. Have been ordering from him since 1998, and have not been disappointed yet.

just got my plants froo Bob Smoley's Gardenworld
all plants was in good shape

I have tried several mail order nurseries and growers over the past 25 years and have been most impressed with Bob Smoley. As I was a novice at collecting two types of plants other than common varieties, (epiphyllum and hoya) I needed a little extra assistance along the way. Bob was extremely helpful. He also worked with my schedule, delivering all orders when I would be in town to accept them. The quality of all cuttings and rooted plants was consistently of the highest quality. In fact, I often got rooted plants for the price of cuttings. I will continue to order from Bob and have recommended him to others.

Placed a huge order with this company. Received my order within the time frame promised. Everything was well-packaged and arrived in good condition. All the plants were very healthy. Would definately do business with this company again!

My order this fall was for mixed Rebutia/Lobivia species and mixed crown-of-thorns.

Size and health of specimens was good (one of the crown of thorns was a large multistemmed plant), packing was fine and delivery time was reasonable. I'd order from this supplier again.
One suggestion for improved ordering - it would be nice to be notified that the order had been received and to get an expected delivery date.

I ordered from Bob and I was exceptionally pleased with the plants I received. I ordered mostly common varieties, but I did get both Kerrii's and a few other harder-to-find ones. I was told right up front that it would be a while before I got them. I was so happy, the variegated carnosas had a lot of red & pink on them, much prettier than ones I had had before. The Kerrii was quite large and healthy. There were 4 stems to the multiflora, and many came with multiple starts to them. But - one must be patient I think the whole thing took over 2 months before I got my plants. But they were worth it.

I must admit that when the plants finally do arrive they look very good and are quite healthy.
The only problem is he that you sometimes get the plants 8-9 weeks after you placed the order. But the thing that took me over the edge was that he immediately cashed the check but didn't even get back to me to give me an idea of when I was going to get my order. On the whole I would recommend him, if you don't mind the wait.

Ginger

Ordered a sans. from this company and the plant arrived promptly and properly shipped. Also price was very good compared to other sources. Will buy from this company again.

I do wish, however, that he had more many pictures. In mail order marketing, I think that is a must.

I ordered 15 Rhipsalis cuttings from Bob when it appeared an order from another company (Lauray of Salisbury) was unfulfilled.

I had some concerns about ordering after reading the comments here, so initially made an email inquiry to Bob. Bob responded that same day, and indicated an order would ship in about 3 weeks. I went ahead with the order, and received it in 3 weeks. The order was preceeded by a postcard indicating order was shipping. Good communications with this company for me.

Cuttings were nice sized and healthy. They were substantially larger than cuttings from Glasshouse, and slightly larger than Lauray's. Cuttings had apparently been dipped in a rooting compound, which I think is a nice touch. Cuttings were accompanied by hand written plant label. Packaging was excellent.

As part of the order, I asked Bob to include a seletion of 5 unusual Rhips (gave him a list of what I did not want)and asked him to select them. I was truly pleased with the selection he sent, which included several items I did not know even existed and am very pleased to have.

Bob's web site needs some work. I would like to see pictures, and the on line ordering system is weak and somewhat inflexible. Nice plants, well packaged and delivered when he said he would. Bob's will be my first stop for future additions. Impressive variety of plants.

Had mixed experiences with Bob's place- ordered three times now- first time I was amazed at the selection.. All plants were larger than I expected and in excellent condition (didn't keep me from killing half of them, but that was my fault).

Next time took a bout two months to get the order back, but it was winter and they warned me it would take longer, so can hardly complain. Got a fern which I expected to be a joke, as it was packed with aloes... but it was in excellent condition and is doing great today.

The selection is wonderful, especially if you're into Hoyas or flowering cacti... which, unfortunately, I'm not (yet). But still a pretty good aloe selection.

On the down side, there are many mispelllings. Also some very questionable names- things that don't seem to exist, or perhaps so badly mispelled I just can't figure them out.

The last order I made has taken too long to get back... it was in early August, and it's now nearly the second week in October and still no sign of plants. They sent me the same winter warning of delayed shipping... I know it's cold in Pennsylvania in the winter... but even Pennsylvania is warm in August. And anyway, it looks like the growing grounds are in Florida. I did e-mail them and they promptly said plants would be on their way... but still 10 days now and nothing. I don't mind the wait so much as the unexpected wait... and it's getting cooler now and I am worried things aren't going to adjust as well this time of the year. Maybe I should have ordered in the spring for a late summer delivery??

Maybe I will update this when/if plants show up.

I received my order of Sansevierias from Bob's this week and they exceeded my expectations. They arrived one month after I placed my order. Based on the quality of this first order, I have placed a second order with them.
Ray in Texas

I received plants from Mr Smoley on 6/13/05 that I ordered several weeks earlier.

I have bought from him in the past and have been pleased with my purchase but this most recent one was a little disappointing.

I bought a peanut cactus collection that is offered as 10 varieties for $25. In his online catalog he has 34 different hybrids listed for sale,in a rainbow of colors.

When I received my plants one of the 10 had turned to mush in the box but this was not my problem with the order,nor was the size or quality of the plants. In fact the quality and size far exceeded what I had expected to get.

The problem I had with my order was the fact that he offers an array of colors in this cactus but my collection of 10 consisted of 4 yellow,4 reds ,1 white and 1 purpleish color.

When offering a collection of something for sale more care should be taken when choosing which colors to send. If I had only wanted 1 or 2 colors I could have ordered the plants anywhere .

I am posting this feedback as neutral because I was partially satisfied with my order and most likely will order from this grower again in the future.

I ordered from Bob for the first time this winter (about eight different rare ferns and cacti). I promptly received an acknowledgement tellling me to expect the plants within 2 - 4 months. All of the plants but one arrived well within that window, together with a note to the effect that the bakordered plant would arrive in another 6 - 8 weeks, which it did, as promised. The plants were all of excellent quality and good size. Bob's terms (payment, shipping, etc.) are clearly spelled out in his webpage. I am very happy with the experience and will certainly order from him again.

I order from Bob a couple of times last spring. This was my first experience with mail order plants. It took several months to receive my order, which being a newcomer I didn't know any different. The plants were rooted cuttings, a bit small, but I was still pleased. After ordering from other companies, I realized I could get more for my bucks, so I tend to stick to other companies to order my Hoya plants. If they don't have what I am looking for, I would consider ordering from Bob's again. As long as I have a few months to hang out and wait for them.

Bob may have a good selection of plants, but his processing of orders is the worst out of all the cacti nurseries I order from; this is my last order from him. I ordered plants in February and here it is April 23 and still no plants. I hope to receive them before I am too old to enjoy them.
Louis

I have ordered over 70 different sansevierias from Bob Smoley since 2002, and quite a few other various plants as well- gasterias, cryptanthus, epiphyllums, etc.. I've always been very satisfied with the plants recieved. It takes a while to get them, but he makes it clear from the start that such is the case, and it's always worth the wait. There is simply no other place where such a variety of sansevierias can be ordered. The plants are always very healthy, with good root systems, and good sized. Sometimes one may be a smaller specimen, but always in such a case I've either recieved an extra, or another plant in the order would be much larger than expected. Very happy to have this very valuable resource for so many extremely hard to find plants!

Someone stole my 18 year old common Hoya carnosa that had been started for me by my deceased mother and I was beside myself. Bob was not there when I placed my order and I was told it could take up to a couple of months to get my order. But it only took a couple of weeks. I had ordered one of his "collections" and 3 or so of the variegated carnosa matching the plant that had been stolen. I was delighted with all the new varieties, some of which I have not seen anywhere else since. I have turned into a collector and have ordered from others now too. But no one has sent as healthy and vigorous plants as Bob did. I would not hesitate to order again, but you do have to be prepared for a wait.

I've ordered from Bob several times over the years, and am more or less pleased with my experience. Because he does a lot of shows, orders can sometimes take a very long time to be filled. The plants are usually nicely sized but are often mislabeled.

My experience with this nursery was somewhat perplexing. I placed an order explicitly stating that I did not want substitutions and yet I received them anyway. Also, the catalog listed a plant which is often found only as a graft. The catalog listed this plant "on its own roots". I ordered this plant only to receive a grafted specimen. I will also note that the rest of my order was fine. Plants were healthy and shipping was not too long. I did not complain to the vendor as I had limited experience. I do not understand the inconsistencies though.

I've ordered plants from Bob a few times and have always been extremely pleased with the quality of the plants. And I like that I can always count on Bob to return my e-mails personally. If you have questions, he's there to answer them. He's one of my favorite vendors!

I ordered the Alocasia Assortment. I was very pleased. Item arrived very promptly and was well packaged.

I purchased several Christmas and Easter cacti from Bob. All were in very good condition, I received two plants of each (ordered only one of each), extra plants, and only a few substitutions, which I had said in advance said would be okay. The plants arrived within two weeks of order.
Bob mailed in advance a copy of my order, announcing the arrival time.
I recommend Bob to any collector of Christmas or Easter cacti. I have not ordered any other types of plants from him.

Bob Smoley certainly does have an impressive list of plants at his web site, but I've never seen one so I don't know how healthy they are. I did try to order about $125 worth of plants plus a few other odds and ends. Although he lists oak leaf mold as one product he carries, he has apparently been out of it for a year or more. I wanted to try his Bob Smoley cactus soil, and added that to my plant order on an impulse. I had placed two other plant orders from other companies on the same day, and they arrived in about a week. I continued to wait, and received a snail mail order confirmation from Smoley in another week. The soil sold for about $7.00 a cubic foot plus $12 a cubic foot for shipping (I ordered 2), plus the $16 shipping on the rest of the order. I hadn't realized the shipping would be so high on the soil, so I emailed Mr. Smoley that I would like to cancel that item. is reply was that if I had read his catalog I would have seen that there were extra charges for shipping the soil, and since I 'obviously did not understand the conditions of the sale' he would refund my money for the entire order. I emailed back asking that he substitute plants of equal value (his choice) for the soil, since I had indeed not realized that the 'extra' charges would amount to $24, and I was fearful of running out of weather warm enough for shipping. In about a week I received the refund check along with a sheet of paper on which he had taped cut out sections of his catalog detailing his shipping policies. Now anyone would think that for a vendor to behave in this way, the customer must have been really rude first. I can only assure you that was not the case. I simply requested in my first message that the soil be deleted from the order, and in the second message that he substitute plants for the soil. So my review is not 'mixed' as another that I read here, it is entirely negative.

I have ordered from Bob Smoley for years and have found his plants to be in excellent condition when received. Prices are competative. I also order his cactus & succulent mix & have had success using the potting mix.

I have ordered several times from Bob Smoley. His plants are healthy and vigorous, delivery time and packing is okay, but he sometimes sends misidentified plants. This is very frustrating. Still, he has alot of things that can't be found anywhere else. I will still continue to order from him.

His plant list includes a huge number of hoya species plus lots of other succulents, but my experience with him was frustrating. I placed my order in the middle of March. On the web site, one is warned that can take up to 7 weeks to ship orders (on the snail mail confirmation, the 7 had become 8), so after 9 weeks but no plants and no word, I sent e-mail. To his credit (and unlike some others with whom I've dealt), Mr. Smoley responded quickly, saying the plants would go out the following week. Three weeks later they were finally sent. Along with a refund check and a note telling me that two of the plants (half my order) were unavailable because of Winter losses (which hadn't become apparent until the end of May?) On the other hand, the plants were fine. One of the two is significantly bigger than I expected and is in fine shape. The other is basically a rooted cutting, a little beat up and kind of anemic, but good-sized; I expect it will grow on fine. I guess my bottom line is a mixed review. I can live with "advance orders," but it was very frustrating not having any real idea what was going on with my order, and I suspect that if I hadn't contacted him, it might have taken even longer than it did. But if you want unusual hoyas, there aren't exactly a vast number of sources. Just be prepared to be, uh, "flexible."