The scoop on 'Big Dipper Farm'

Feedback History and Summary   105 positives 6 neutrals 10 negatives

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Rating Author Content Positive cargotaz (1 review) On May 11, 2008, cargotaz Canterbury, CT wrote: This was my first time purchasing plants online, so I was a little nervous. But oh my, what a wonderful experience I have had with Big Dipper Farm!! I ordered 4 Phlox "Purple Flame", 4 Russian Sages, "Little Spire", and 2 Echinacea "Pixie Meadowbrite." They all arrived wonderfully healthy, and still very moist. The Phlox and the Echinacea all had nice large roots and lots of green leaves. And the Russian Sages, though smaller and dormant, 3 have leafed out allready. And when I emailed the company to ask about the 4th one not leafing out, they emailed right back saying to let me know how many didn't leaf out and they would send me out replacements right away!!! NOW THAT IS CUSTOMER SERVICE!! WOW!! I am so impressed, and any time I need a plant, I will go to them right away!! And their prices are fantastic too. Oh and I was so excited to find old stalks on the phlox, so these have allready bloomed, so I know they are mature plants and will bloom for me too. The packing was fantastic, the plants looked like they were fresh packed that day, and hadn't travelled at all! So I highly recommend them to everyone!! It's a wonderful company with excellent customer service!! On May 12th, 2008, cargotaz added the following: Oh, forgot to add that they also sent me a free packet of Love in a Mist seeds, which I have been dying to try, and they shipped my order right when I specified too. Very top notch company!! Negative chiefjps (4 reviews) On May 3, 2008, chiefjps Dover, DE wrote: A very disappointing experience with Big Dipper. The four double primrose I ordered were all taken out of the pot with the bare roots wrapped with plastic bags...they are surviving but certainly not thriving in the garden as they attempt to rebound. The four Ajuga Pink Surprise all came in large pots, but when I pulled them out to plant they came out root bound with six pack one inch pot roots and dirt. They were placed in a larger pot just before shipment to make them look more mature. The Salvia microphylla was shipped bare root and dormant, and has shown no sign of life yet since I potted it one month ago. The Orchid Primrose was also shipped dormant, but it atleast is showing some sign of life as new shoots are beginning to appear. The final two items from my order were marked as "not ready" on the invoice I received with the plants. I waited three weeks and e-mailed asking for an estimated delivery date. After no response one week later, I sent another e-mail and they did contact me to say the items would not be available this season and a refund would be sent. Not a very pleasant experience all around, with high shipping charges, questionable or deceiving packing and potting practices, and a three month wait after order and payment to be told items would not be available (and I only received this response after some prodding on my part). Hopefully my experience is not typical for this company, but unfortunatley there was not a single item in my order that I felt was worth the money spent. Positive cbcomet (1 review) On April 30, 2008, cbcomet Rochester, NY wrote: I received my order last week. All of the plants were in beautiful condition and well packed. They came a little earlier than I would have preferred, but not unreasonably so. I'm very pleased. Negative sls (1 review) On April 27, 2008, sls Sykesville, MD wrote: I placed a large ($700), varied order in the fall of 2006, at the same time that I placed large orders from several other companies, in order to compare product. I agree with other negative/neutral comments that, while selection is good, plants arrived in poor condition and were small and not as vigorous, so best buy from elsewhere if you can. Daylilies are "dinky" (I will use that word, if another commenter hesitates) and nowhere nearly as vigorous as from Oakes (or even Gardensoyvey or Touch of Nature); hydrangeas ditto, better to buy from Gardensoyvey; ferns ditto, better to buy from Gardensoyvey or Niche. Much of what I bought did not make it to next spring, and this was in a prepared nursery bed with appropriate winter mulch applied, and obviously the several thousand dollars of similar or the same plant from other vendors was a good control, so, like another said, "it's the plant, not the planter". I explained my loss and my better experience with other vendors, and I was told by customer service that the problem was the long shipping time to the east coast. Quoi? They gave me a $50 credit on this order (much more in plants was lost, but at least this was a gesture I appreciated), with which I bought the daylilies I above referenced. I placed them in the same bed as daylilies from Oakes, Gardensoyvey, Touch of Nature and a wholesale place that sells 2 fan divisions, all bought and planted last summer. Oakes sells huge plants, 4+ fans generally, but for some, not all, cultivars you will pay more, so the wholesale place may be a fairer comparison. I had some of the same cultivars from Big Dipper and the wholesale place. Now walking through the garden, all is lush and big and beautiful, with the exception of Big Dipper's, the dinkiness of which prompted me to write this review now. There are so many amazing companies out there in the Watchdog 30, I really wouldn't waste my time with this company unless I absolutely had have a particular plant I couldn't find elsewhere. Positive LinkM (7 reviews) On April 25, 2008, LinkM Williamsville, NY (Zone 5b) wrote: This was my first time ordering from Big Dipper, and I was completely satisfied. I was able to find several plants that I tried unsuccessfully to find locally last year. Plants were shipped when I requested and arrived in fine shape. Packaging was excellent, with plants well protected and moistened for the trip across the country (Washington State to New York State) . Plants all included the info marker so I didn't have to try to remember where I was going to put them. I will definitely order from them again. Positive RubyVox (7 reviews) On April 24, 2008, RubyVox Boston, MA (Zone 6a) wrote: I took a chance with ordering from Big Dipper Farm after I could not find a specific plant I was looking for at other nurseries I trust. I was so impressed! Now I order from them regularly. (Mostly cimicifuga/actaea, heuchera and ligularia, but others as well.) With both orders I’ve received small, but healthy and well-priced* plants that grow quickly and are trouble-free. My orders have always been packed well and the plants have arrived in good shape. They also send free plants as samples with large orders! Anyone who gives me a free plant, especially a sought-after plant, is fine by me! (*for on-line nurseries) Positive robcorreia (6 reviews) On April 23, 2008, robcorreia San Diego, CA (Zone 10b) wrote: I received my order from Big Dipper this week. All items were very poorly packed, with all the leaf tips broken due to lack of protection. One of the items was simply in unacceptable condition - almost dead! I emailed them yesterday and haven't heard back yet. I am giving them a Neutral until I hear from them....(or not!) On May 2nd, 2008, robcorreia changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following: BD's customer service person called me regarding my email and they were very polite and wanted to make everything right for me. They re-shipped a couple of the items that I had received in poor condition, and this time, they were packed nicely and the plants were in good shape. Positive FdLNursery (4 reviews) On April 18, 2008, FdLNursery Olympia, WA wrote: This was my first order from this company and the entire experience was very positive. I was very pleased to find they had Korean Violets, a beautiful little variegated violet that has proven difficult to locate, some hard-to-find Primula, Saxifrage fortuneii and Spiranthes (Nodding Lady Tresses, a terrestrial orchid). The plants arrived at the appropropriate time for my climate, were of very nice size, well-packaged and arrived in great shape. I look forward to doing business with this company again in the future. Thanks for the great job! Positive Gourd (10 reviews) On April 12, 2008, Gourd Mesquite/Mesilla Park, NM (Zone 7b) wrote: Ordered some foliage Iris and received great plants they were packed with extra care.. I am very impressed with the size of them. I just want to say Thank you to Big Dipper Farm for sending such nice size Rhizomes/Plants. Positive kribensis (6 reviews) On April 10, 2008, kribensis Clayton, NC wrote: I am a first time customer and ordered one Paeonia l. "Festiva maxima', 1 Philadelphus x 'Snow Dwarf', and three Phygelius 'Croftway Snow Queen'. Everything arrived looking great with the exception of the Peony.The tuber had become broken during shipping. I called and spoke with the owner and she immediately said that they would ship a replacement. A few days later, I received a replacement which was not what I had ordered, but a tree peony of similar colors which was infinitely nicer and three times the cost of my original purchase. So, in conclusion, I have to say that the customer service is SUPERB and the plants are nice and healthy. I highly recommend this nursery! I'll be sure to order from them again. Lori, North Carolina Positive ernestine2 (1 review) On April 5, 2008, ernestine2 Dover, NC wrote: I can only rate Big Dipper Farm as an excellent nursey I ordered a Peony and received it within a few (same week ) days here in NC Positive Idahoan (14 reviews) On April 5, 2008, Idahoan Boise, ID (Zone 6a) wrote: Thank you very much for a nice transaction! The plants are beautiful. Thank you also for carrying real fuchsias for Zone 6. The plants arrived safe and sound. Idahoan (Judith Shinn) Positive acuffs (1 review) On March 29, 2008, acuffs Sparta, TN wrote: I found Big Dipper on line. I ordered more than usual for a new nursery. Hellebores, Trillium and epicedium's. The plants arrived in great shape and were good size for a mail order nursery. I will order again soon Negative jonquilC (1 review) On March 11, 2008, jonquilC Boise, ID wrote: This company lists a huge host of plants on its website and, yet, when you click on the plant, a message tells you that "no records for this plant." They need to do some regular website maintenance. Neutral LariAnn (5 reviews) On February 8, 2008, LariAnn Miami, FL (Zone 10a) wrote: I placed an order with Big Dipper for 3 Luma apiculata. They were shipped promptly and arrived in good condition. Only concern I had was that the plants had been cut back to less than 6 inches tall, although lthey looked like at some time they must have been well over a foot tall, based on the caliper of the cut stems. I'd love to have had the larger uncut size and would have been glad to pay more to get them. I suggest that prospective customers call them and find out the actual size of the plants they will be shipped to avoid disappointment. Positive kathy_ann (23 reviews) On February 7, 2008, kathy_ann Judsonia, AR (Zone 7b) wrote: I have purchased perennials and hibiscus plants from this company, Plants are always nice looking and decent sized. Shiping is very expensive. Somethings you have to put up with to get nice plants that you can't find locally. This is a large web site and has plenty to offer. I was over all pleased with this company. On March 11th, 2008, kathy_ann added the following: I recently made another purchase from big dipper farm. Upon receiving my order and contacting them about it. They were more than eager to please me. Infact , they went out of their way. Their kindness and eagerness to please their customers made me decide that this is a great place, (my kind of place.) and I will come back, they have some nice plants. I appreciate their quick responses to my emails. You don't get that alot on web site purchases. Positive shaytoday (2 reviews) On October 23, 2007, shaytoday Cobbtown, GA wrote: I placed an order and received half promptly, the other half was in transit for a week and did not arrive in good shape at all. Multiple attempts to get a response have gone unanswered. I will not be purchasing from this company again. On October 24th, 2007, shaytoday changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following: Computer issues at Big Dipper Farm and when contacted by phone were very helpful and apologetic. Good lesson, computers are not a replacement for good old fashion talk! Replacement for dead ferns on the way, thanks BD! Positive lostintexas (6 reviews) On September 8, 2007, lostintexas Abilene, TX (Zone 7b) wrote: This is another site that every time I go to browse I end up buying something. I love the way the plants are listed on the front page in alphabetic order so they are easy to find the ones I want. And they have the common names also. I have ordered several times from this company and have no complaints. The plants come in a timely manner, are good sized plants and all have done well in the garden so far. No complaints, only good things to say about this company and I am sure I will be paying them another visit in the spring when I find out some of my plants did not make it through the winter. Positive Ibuylotsonline (2 reviews) On September 6, 2007, Ibuylotsonline Edgemont, AR wrote: I have had such wonderful experiences with Big Dipper Farms that when I see plants I want some where else I go to their site and order. Every time I call I either get someone (sometimes out in the field planting) who explains and chats with me until I am finished. Their suggestions are excellent and their plants have always arrived in wonderful condition. Last year I had a large order to arrive when I was to plant in the fall. I had surgery and could not plant so I just hoped for the best and put them in the garage in a window and kept them lightly watered. Planted in the early spring and "presto" the ferns burst forward and all the other plants grew like weeds. I was delighted. Very nice people and lovely plants. Positive Florida9 (6 reviews) On September 3, 2007, Florida9 Palm Harbor, FL (Zone 9b) wrote: I just received my first order from Big Diper, three echinaceas. The plants were well packaged and came in 5 in. deep pots with roots developed all the way down. The Coconut Lime even had a bud on it! They were shipped promptly and made it from WA to FL in 2 days. We are having very hot weather but the plants were neither dry nor soaked. As healthy as these are, it is all up to me! I am very pleased with the order process, communication on shiping/tracking, and the quality of the plants themselves. Neutral queenofthegarde (12 reviews) On August 24, 2007, queenofthegarde Whittier, CA wrote: I was grateful to find several plants on the Big Dipper website that are generally not available till January in my local nurseries. I wanted to get these plants in the ground now so that they will be established by spring. Unfortunately, the plants are smaller than I would have expected, not dinky, but definitely less vigorous-looking and definitely fragile-looking. It looks like I'll have to nurse these plants along till spring instead of getting a head start :-( My order was processed relatively quickly (within 2 weeks). No substitutions seem to have been made. Will see if these little dahlings grow. . . Positive Cretaceous (30 reviews) On August 15, 2007, Cretaceous El Cerrito, CA (Zone 9b) wrote: I ordered nine (native and exotic) ferns from Big Dipper Farm at the end of July and the order arrived today. Upon placing the order I did receive an e-mail confirmation stating that orders placed in July are taking 2-3 weeks to ship. In my case it took less than two weeks as the plants shipped on Monday and arrived today (Wednesday), so no problem there. (It is not uncommon for nurseries to have a slight delay in shipping, especially during peak business times). And I did receive another e-mail notifying me that the order had shipped. Anyway, the plants were healthy, well packed, and arrived in good condition. I have noticed that in some of the feedback for Big Dipper Farm people have stated that the plants are small. This was definitely *not* the case with the order I received. Given the price of the plants, they were no bigger, or smaller, than those I have received from other nurseries (and believe me, I buy a lot of ferns !). On November 15th, 2007, Cretaceous added the following: I recently ordered five more ferns from Big Dipper Farm. The order arrived today, and again the plants were healthy, well packed, and arrived in good condition. Neutral foofranay (3 reviews) On August 10, 2007, foofranay Birmingham, MI wrote: I placed two orders this month- One to Big Dipper Farm and one to Lazys S Nursery- A few slight differences, but almost identical- They had both gotten good reviews here, had a great selection, so I thought I would compare the two- Regarding THIS feedback- I ordered the plants July 26th, they arrived today, Aug 10th - their Website DOES say that they are expecting orders to take 2-3 weeks. (1) I ordered some ground cover (Soapwart) ONLY because they were offering it at a discount and I have a new large bed that I just put in. I received ONE out of the three I ordered. I would not have ordered it at all if I had known this to be the case. I had only settled for Soapwart because of the deal- (2) This is MY FAULT, but they are offering Helleborus mix for $34.99- I ordered it thinking I would get a mix of plants/bulbs and I got one- One plant for $34.99 (quart size) - I could have gotten some nice heirloom irises for that! Once again, my fault- dumb me (3) They did not have another plant that I had ordered- It is missing and just says Unavailable on the invoice-- and REALLY needed this for my new bed- So- I am going back to Lazy S ---Which I did receive almost the same order from Lazy S over a week ago, all of the plants were there and in great shape-, however the order I placed with them was for my father-in-laws house and I have already planted those, so I need to order more from them now! I am not happy with the deletion of items from this nursery without any notice/chance for subtitutions- and I can say that I will not order again from them. When I layed out the plants that I spent $170 on I was really disappointed with myself.... but live and learn... On August 15th, 2007, foofranay changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following: OK- I was a little bit hasty with my negative feedback- Although I am still disappointed regarding plants being missing and dropped from my order, I have to say that the plants that I DID receive from Big Dipper Farms seem to be very nice. The root systems are really quite large and established, they seem to give great promise for being hardy enough to survive Michigan winter and will hopefully thrive next year. I guess that if I wanted plants and couldn't decide exactly which ones, I would place another order and then not be upset when some of them don't come... I still think I'll stick to Lazys though.. their shipping was MUCH shorter, the customer service is excellent and the plants were great too. I decided to change the rating to neutral because there are MUCH worse companies out there! Positive jrwbirds (7 reviews) On August 10, 2007, jrwbirds Elberfeld, IN (Zone 6a) wrote: very nice plants sent at the time that I had requested - plants arrived well hydrated due to the excellent packing, despite the extreme heat that we were experiencing. This is my second time to purchase from this company and I will definately be back. Positive kathypm (1 review) On July 27, 2007, kathypm East Aurora, NY wrote: I purchased 5 plants. All arrived wrapped extremely well, still well watered and in excellent condition. All are thriving. This company is a pleasure to buy from. Plants were in the best condition and the biggest specimens I have purchased from any on-line nursery or catelog. In addition they were very well priced. I will definitely purchase more perrenials here! Thank you! Neutral maye20 (2 reviews) On July 23, 2007, maye20 San Francisco, CA (Zone 9a) wrote: I am mostly satisfied with my first order from Big Dipper but am on the fence about ordering from them in the future. I placed a small order (13 plants, $76 including shipping) and received the plants a month later. Packaging was adequate (though not as careful and secure as Lazy S's). Plants were small but in my opinion, were priced accordingly. Two plants that I had ordered were out of stock and I wasn't given the opportunity to select alternates, but they included a free lemon thyme plant; in total, I received 11 plants. I emailed Big Dipper to let them know that I would have preferred to select alternates for the out of stock plants, and I received a courteous and prompt response that they used to do so, but many customers did not bother to respond. Two months later, 7 of 11 plants are thriving. The four that are not: three bare root raspberry plants have yet to show signs of life (the fourth is doing OK) and an asclepias tuberosa shed all of its leaves immediately and has not yet recovered. I am giving them the benefit of the doubt that this is due to my inexperience rather than the quality of the plants. Pros: Reasonable plant prices and shipping costs. Excellent selection and informative web site. Cons: Slightly longer-than-expected shipping time, no opportunity to select alternates when plants are out of stock. Positive vvesper (6 reviews) On July 13, 2007, vvesper Maryville, TN wrote: I received 5 asclepias tuberosa 'hello yellow' last night. I had just ordered them June 18, so they came relatively quickly for busy season - and I hadn't been able to find them elsewhere. The plants were well-packed, in moist soil mixture with healthy-looking roots. The tops had been trimmed for shipment but were green and healthy. The only oddity was that they sent an apple mint plant as a free gift--it was dry, rootbound, and not looking too well. I'm not complaining, since it was FREE, but it seemed odd to me since the other plants were so moist and healthy. On July 24th, 2007, vvesper added the following: Ok, well I'm happy to note that the free apple mint is doing very well. I wasn't sure it would, but it's coming along nicely and looking healthy. The milkweed are all showing new growth as well. Positive kkirschbaum (16 reviews) On June 20, 2007, kkirschbaum Brooklyn, NY (Zone 7a) wrote: I ordered a few items from them online. Their stock list is very interesteding and varied, so it's hard to resist. It is a bit frustrating though that once you press the button to order you more or less have to wait patiently for the plants to show up in their own good time - they clearly discourage too much customer pestering about 'when will my order ship'. Nevertheless, everything arrived in good shape at a time appropriate for planting, and a gift of lavender was included. One buddleia ended up never breaking dormancy, and once I emailed about this, I received a refund check promptly. Positive chickensrus (2 reviews) On June 18, 2007, chickensrus Hartland, WI (Zone 5a) wrote: I'd ordered a couple of plants, then decided to add a few more of a different variety and chose to send an email to convey this. The owner called me to clarify what I wanted and added it to my order right in the middle of what must be their busiest season. It did in fact take almost 3 weeks for the plants to come, but it's not like I'm not busy planting a bunch of other stuff anyway so it didn't matter (it's my busiest time, too.) The plants were little but really healthy and I expect them to do well. They were packed really well too - but shipping for 5 little plants was $15.00. Kinda steep. Positive CarpePacem (3 reviews) On June 18, 2007, CarpePacem wrote: I was so concerned about the Spanish lavender plants and buddleia I'd ordered from Big Dipper, as they arrived while I was out of town. That was a Thursday. On Saturday, I returned home and opened the package. What a relief to see how the careful packaging had kept the plants happy and moist. They're planted now, along with the graciously included freebie plant, and look strong and healthy. I'm very impressed with both the plants and the packaging! Positive dubhloaich (3 reviews) On June 16, 2007, dubhloaich Scappoose, OR wrote: I got wonderful plants, one was amazingly large. It was shipped promptly and I was very satisfied. So satisfied, I just became a repeat customer. Positive wmcgrann (1 review) On June 14, 2007, wmcgrann wrote: Placed my order online and picked up at the BIg Dipper. It took less than a week from ordering and putting my new plants in my garden. Plant quality was good. I will return next year for more plants. Thanks Big Dipper and a special thanks for the lady that helped me Kimberly. Positive rucereus (13 reviews) On June 2, 2007, rucereus Carpentersville, IL (Zone 5a) wrote: I'll start with a neutral rating as I haven't received my plants which I ordered on the 18th. Their website says don't bother to ask them when your plants will ship because they have no idea. So I will patiently wait to hear from them as to when they will ship my order.So far not real crazy about the lack of communication, although they did say orders placed at certain times can take two weeks to ship. When I receive my plants I'll re-evaluate my posting. On June 3rd, 2007, rucereus changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following: Well about 4pm central time I got a call from big dipper farms asking me if i would like to sustitute one of my plants for a different color as they were out of the color I ordered. Very helpful, told me my order will ship next week. I guess I jumped the gun with the poor communication posting. A personal phone call , in the age of e-mail was very nice! On June 6th, 2007, rucereus added the following: Received my order today. Everything looks great. I can hardly wait to plant them.I also received an English Thyme as a gift.Thank you Deidre!! On June 6th, 2007, rucereus added the following: Received my order today. Everything looks great. I can hardly wait to plant them.I also received an English Thyme as a gift.Thank you Deidre!! Positive Stanleysmother (1 review) On May 22, 2007, Stanleysmother Millrift, PA (Zone 5a) wrote: A large order came well packed and all the plants were is great shape. The plants were small, as described, but so was the price. Positive psychloman (12 reviews) On May 21, 2007, psychloman Brooklyn, NY (Zone 7a) wrote: This nursery is very caring and accomodating. They were very helpful in correcting a mishap that was not their fault. The plants I received were impressive. I will definitely order from them again. Positive zoeandbella (1 review) On May 17, 2007, zoeandbella Olathe, KS wrote: Excellent communication, Careful shipping and GREAT healthy plants! Positive phdler (6 reviews) On May 17, 2007, phdler Homer, NY wrote: I just received my first order from "Ursa Major" and was most pleased. Plants were well packed, healthy, and of good size, with the healthiest roots I've seen in any order I've ever placed for bareroot plants. Do not hesitate to order from Big Dipper Farm. Positive got2Bgreen (1 review) On May 11, 2007, got2Bgreen Coast range of, OR (Zone 8b) wrote: Placed a fairly large order on May 2 only to realize one of the plants wouldn't be available until July. Contacted them about a substitution and they got back to me right away. Received the order today beautifully packaged and with a bonus plant. I would definitely order from them again. Positive 46471988 (2 reviews) On May 8, 2007, 46471988 Rolling Prairie, IN wrote: prompt service, everything came when promised and quite quickly. Plants seem ok but just planted them so not yet sure. directions good Positive pattie29 (1 review) On May 8, 2007, pattie29 Rochester, NY wrote: I had plants taken (stolen) that they had sent out. Within the week they had reissued the plants to me to a more secure address. They were wonderful

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