The scoop on 'Top Tropicals LLC'

Company Profile   Top Tropicals LLC Mailing Address: 11351 Orange Drive Davie, Florida 33330 (United States) Phone: (954) 236-5118 Fax: (208) 567-3919 » E-Mail them » Visit their website Recent reviews: Past month Past 6 Months Past 12 Months Positive 0 2 6 Neutral 0 0 1 Negative 1 2 6 This company offers a variety of plants and seeds. This company specializes in: Plants: Tropical & Tender Perennials Other helpful information: Accepts retail and wholesale orders

Feedback History and Summary   71 positives 10 neutrals 32 negatives

Comments:

Rating Author Content Negative bellehobbs Tempe, AZ (2 reviews) May 5, 2013 I was aware of the negative reviews for this company before I placed my recent order. I had ordered from them several years ago and had received dead plants which were never replaced and had pretty much taken a loss on that purchase. However, for my current order, they had a type of bauhinia I was looking for and could not find anywhere else so I held my breath and ordered it from them. The entire purchase was expensive. When I received the tree, the leaves were dead and dry and the tree looked pretty much uncared for. I followed the instructions and planted it in a pot. This was 2 or 3 weeks ago and there is still no sign of life on the poor tree. I am hoping it will make it but will not be surprised if it dies (or is already dead). I didn't bother to contact the company since I had gotten no help from them for my previous order, years ago. This company has some real problems. Positive sd915 York, SC (Zone 8a) (6 reviews) March 13, 2013 I ordered 4 items recently and they all came in great shape, well packaged and lush. It is disappointing to hear all the negatives, since my experiences (1 order per year over the last 5 years) have all been good. Negative DSwaim Altamonte Springs, FL (1 review) December 27, 2012 I ordered 6 bougainvilleas from Top Tropicals in August 2012. The web site described the plants as "large" and "3 gallon" size. The plants were small and spindly. The trunk diameter was less than 1 inch on each of them. The manager forwarded my complaint to the owner. The email I received included the following: "On Sun, Aug 12, 2012 at 5:52 PM, Top Tropicals LLC wrote: Send him picture of plants in pot along with tape measure. Or simply ignore him." The manager wrote, "they are all 3 gallon plants." I bought a camera just to take photos of those plants. Three of them still bear the "TopTropicals" labels. Positive gardenpom Melbourne, FL (5 reviews) December 7, 2012 I have ordered several times from this company. Most of the time seeds, but a few plants. One time I ordered a plant that took a long time, with no updates on delivery. But when they finally sent the plant, they also sent a bonus plant to make up for the delay. I mostly order seeds, and last order was missing a pack. I notified them and they quickly sent out another pack. This company has a wide selection of tropicals, and is a pleasure to deal with. Negative TrumpetFlowerz Ft Myers, FL (Zone 10a) (1 review) November 13, 2012 Posted on October 7, 2012, updated November 13, 2012 I actually went there guys, right to the nursery itself! Here's how it went down.... Day before yesterday they emailed me with a bauhinia I have wanted forever, it was finally in stock. Since I am merely about 20 miles from them, I paid for the plant online in advance, lest they run out of this hard to find species. This morning I drove down to the actual nursery, for the first time. Pitifully cared for plants and trees. Although they have moved twice in the last year (first move from Punta Gorda to off of Daniels prkwy in Ft Myers, and now north again to N. Ft Myers. I could tell they were still setting up, as the guy who does irrigation was checking in with one of the owners as I waited for her to look up my prepaid order. But even with the move, you could see the plants were cared for only minimally. The divaricata I chose was the tallest of all 6, and had been ravaged by time and lack of care, fertilizer. But I took it anyway, as you just can't find them. The other 5 were no more than 2 feet tall, and all 6 were stunted. I grow several species of bauhinia, and they usually flower the first year or at least in 18 months, seed grown. This plant appeared to be several years old, and was clearly too weak to have borne flowers. What should have been a trunk of over an inch in diameter, was instead about 1/4 inch. I repotted within an hour of getting it home. It did have brand new root growth, but no thick, strong roots that bauhinia always have at this height. The leaves are not even half the size they should be, very small. stunted and in need of micronutrients. They are very resilient, and I know mine will be fine, even if it is stunted, but I suggest my friends here beware when looking for plants from them. I looked across the fields at all they had growing, and none of their holdings were what I considered loved. They were neglected. The lovely photos on their website must be taken when they first get them in from mass nurseries in Homestead, and wait for them to flower and take snapshots quickly. On November 13th, 2012, TrumpetFlowerz added the following: ***Update: Through constant care, I finally got one flower to open this morning. Guess what? Not only did they sell me an unhealthy bauhinia, but it IS NOT THE SPECIES I PAID FOR. CONSUMER-BEWARE! Positive Aslan89 Harlingen, TX (2 reviews) October 11, 2012 Just received my Cordia sebestena tree today (10-11-2012) and it is in perfect health. I ordered the 3 gallon pot size plant and the tree is nearly 5 feet tall which was unexpected. Nice healthy green plant with a sturdy trunk. The tree arrived in a tall slender box, root ball was sealed in clear plastic and still moist, the tree was supported in the box by a bamboo stake, the upper portion of the tree was wrapped in tube mess to protect the leaves and branches which was really a nice touch, and the box was full of packing peanuts as well. No other company I have ordered from has ever taken this much care when shipping me a plant. Will definitely order from them again! -Michael King Negative ApplePie23 (1 review) September 14, 2012 Ordered a handful of tropical fruit trees which were shipped promptly. However, they arrived in terrible condition and not what we had ordered.. As with experiences from other members, trees arrived with wilted stems and dried up leaves... But the worst concern was we did not receive what we had ordered. Wary of the negative reviews from other members, we e-mailed the nursery before ordering to find out whether the trees were grafted or not and the approximate sizes. What we received were seedling trees instead of grafted trees and trees that were less than half the size we were told. When we contacted customer service to let them know of the error, no apology or explanation was made for the error. We had no choice but to return the trees and request for a full refund. Customer service had surprisingly agreed and even offered to give us a discount if we wished to re-order the trees that we initially wanted. It took nearly a month for the entire process and after returning the trees, we only received a partial refund and they refused to honor the discount for us to re-order the trees we had initially wanted. Very disappointed. We would recommend purchasing from another nursery even if the item is difficult to find elsewhere. Negative dahaase Peoria, AZ (1 review) August 10, 2012 Ordered 2 sausage trees. Were shipped promptly and I picked them up promptly at the post office. One was received dead and leaves crisp. The other was in okay shape except that it was totally root bound. Did some root pruning before putting it into a container so far it is okay, but would expect better quality merchandise. Neutral gandyman33 Saint Louis, MO (9 reviews) August 6, 2012 I wish I could give Top Tropicals (TT) a positive review because after reading some of the other reviews I believe their customer service has improved. In July 2012, I purchased a "Florida Hass Avocado" to improve the pollination success with my "Day Avocado" - Type A and Type B. The tree arrived in a timely manner unpotted in a plastic bag with a protective sleeve around the truck of the tree. I was ready for delivery and planted the tree in large planter with new potting soil and perlite. After a couple of days the leaves began to wilt and fall off. I immediately sent an email to TT to notify them of the situation and to inquire about a replacement if the tree failed to live. I received a next day response asking about how the tree was planted. I responded with this information and asked for any advice to help ensure the tree survived. I did not receive a follow-up email and in the meantime the tree lost all of its leaves. I sent another email and this time I received a reply stating that I didn't follow the planting instructions and the plant could be suffering from root rot. Implied was that I had voided any replacement/warranty since I didn't following instructions. Well it wasn't root rot but what I believe to be a bad case of shock/stress. The tree is not out of the woods completely but I have noticed signs of new growth. Although I'd asked about a replacement if the plant died I never received a direct answer. I would hope they would stand by their plants/trees and would caution any future buyers to following any written instructions precisely. Positive rqhansen Louisville, KY (Zone 6b) (2 reviews) August 3, 2012 I must concur with the other positive reviews. I have placed at least 8 orders to them over a 3 year period and not once was I disappointed! I just received a passiflora and a dwarf brazilian banana. Both were the largest plants I have ever received, in fact, MUCH larger and in perfect shape. A month before, I received 2 mangos, also in perfect shape. To be fair, I have never e-mailed or called for customer service, I found their website to have a lot of good cultural information. I know their prices are more expensive, but the plants are so much larger, at least based on my experience, that they are worth it. Based on my experience, I personally cannot say enough good things about this company. Positive bmanges Petoskey, MI (1 review) August 3, 2012 I've recieved 3 orders from TT this spring and summer. a "3 gallon" brugmansia "super Nova" huge, branched plant with a 2 inch stem. It's blooming twice a week after a month in it's new pot. Thai adenium, perfect caudex, budding out now. Huge Condo Mango, no flowers yet, but next year? All were underpriced specimens, well pruned and grown hard. Perfect shipping, fast delivery to Northern Michigan. Positive jedoody Las Vegas, NV (22 reviews) August 2, 2012 Posted on June 21, 2012, updated August 2, 2012 Posted on June 6, 2012, updated June 21, 2012 Posted on March 23, 2012, updated June 6, 2012 Posted on March 23, 2012, updated March 23, 2012 Posted on June 27, 2009, updated March 23, 2012 I have always been happy with the plants I ordered from TT. They arrive 3 days from the shipping date in good condition with planting instructions, and they are always larger than I expected. Also, their website is great. Green Thumbs Up to Top Tropicals On March 23rd, 2012, jedoody added the following: I order during one week and they ship the following week on Monday. They always e-mail when they ship and the plants always arrive here on Wednesday. The plants are always very large and well packed (sometimes too well). I follow their instructions to keep in the same size pot until I see new growth and the plants all do very well. They even sent me an extra desert rose when they felt one of the ones I ordered did not have a large enough caudex. I have ordered a lot of plants from them and have never had a problem. Thanks Top Tropicals. On March 23rd, 2012, jedoody added the following: I order during one week and they ship the following week on Monday. They always e-mail when they ship and the plants always arrive here on Wednesday. The plants are always very large and well packed (sometimes too well). I follow their instructions to keep in the same size pot until I see new growth and the plants all do very well. They even sent me an extra desert rose when they felt one of the ones I ordered did not have a large enough caudex. I have ordered a lot of plants from them and have never had a problem. Thanks Top Tropicals. On June 6th, 2012, jedoody added the following: In the past two months I have ordered a Michelia figo, Michelia Alba, Little Gem Magnolia, and an Osmanthus, and all have been in excellent condition, large, and leafy. I have ordered many plants from Top Tropicals and have never had a problem with the plant or the vendor. All have survived and flourished in this desert environment. On June 21st, 2012, jedoody added the following: I just received an Osmanthus Aurantiacus from Top Tropicals, and, as always, the plant is very healthy. The packaging always keeps the plant very moist upon arrival, and I have never had a problem with customer service. On August 2nd, 2012, jedoody added the following: Another successful transaction with Top Tropicals. They always notify when the plant is shipped, plant always arrives two days later, and is always very healthy. Negative zpy Belmont, MA (2 reviews) July 10, 2012 I ordered an one gallon Jasmine maid of Orleans from them. When it arrived, the leaves are all yellowish, many of have brown spots. I took photos and emailed them for advice (didn't even mention whose responsibility is). No response from them. Never buy from them again. Neutral evantorch Atlanta, GA (1 review) April 14, 2012 I am planting two trees which will only survive if this climate change continues (we essentially have no winters in Atlanta any longer) , a ceiba and a jacaranda. Since they are new, my experiment is just starting; nevertheless, I can attest to this fact: once you order anything from them you are completely on your own/. They WILL NOT answer any e-mail or questions on propagation, planting or anything else. They WILL NOT ship ANY guides or instructions whatsoever, so be prepared to use references. BTW---I would say conservatively the trees I received had 2000 plastic peanuts, all nicely electrostatically charged. Negative dcusseaux Spring, TX (2 reviews) March 8, 2012 I ordered from Top Tropicals back in March of 2011; why am I just posting a review? Let me explain. Top Tropicals delivered a cashew tree to my house I was aware that they are difficult plants to maintain but when you recieve a dead cashew tree from the onset, the chances of the plant living is nearly impossible. I emailed and called the nursery the following day and explained my delimma and as I expected the owner quoted the disclaimer clearly seen on his page without noting that they "guarantee" to ship healthy plants. At the prices and the cost of shipping charged Top Tropicals could afford to be more courteous and customer driven. I will not be ordering or patronizing anymore of their products to say the least. Thanks for the lesson TopTropicals I now know what the worst in mail orders look like. Negative elfgarden Key West, FL (1 review) November 19, 2011 I ordered some Joy perfume tree seeds from this company. They charged about $5 for shipping for an envelope that contained about 6 tiny seeds with a 42c stamp.The seeds were sown according to tropical seed planting instructions for a humid climate. None sprouted which makes me think they were not fresh seeds. Whenever I've called the company to enquire about different plants, the Russian couple that run Top Tropicals are arrogant and abrasive. Also their plants are overpriced and many can be found in Home Depot at less than half the price. I would only consider buying here if I couldnt find the plant anywhere else but otherwise avoid. Negative lladonna27 Golden Gate, FL (1 review) August 9, 2011 I placed an order for a pineapple plant to be sent to a friend in CA. I made the mistake of not reading the disclaimer that they don't ship pineapples to CA. My complaint comes from their next action that they chose to cancel the order AND charge me a 6% cancellation fee for an order that was never filled. They informed me of the charge via email 7 days after the order was placed and not filled. I recognized my error of ordering a plant they could not ship to CA and requested that instead of cancelling the order and charging a 6% fee, they ship it my address in FL. They have yet to respond (over a week ago) to that request even after a follow up email was sent. I contacted AMEX and disputed the 6% fee and AMEX removed the charge. Charging cancelling fee's for responding to an email is a horrible business practice that I wanted others to be aware of. Negative JamieClaudia Lafayette, LA (1 review) August 6, 2011 I called, he didn't seem very nice at all. Then I read these and I wanted to say thanks to everyone... I was going to order a bunch of things that I really didn't know about and really wanted to buy them from someone helpful,that is obviously not this man. I wont buy anything from this company. Sorry to all of you who had bad experiences with him, and thanks for warning me. Jamie Positive Gulfstream17 Ormond Beach, FL (1 review) July 14, 2011 My own experience with TopTropicals extends over about 3 years and probably north of a dozen orders worth many hundreds of dollars. My experience with this company has been uniformly positive. Plants typically arrive within 24 hours of ship-notification given my location in central Florida. They have without exception arrived well-packed and healthy. My only encounter with customer service involved double mailing of their magazine and was easily resolved to my satisfaction when I explained the situation by email. I consistently buy from TT for two reasons. First, although I'm no botanist and I have no authority to judge, the TT website seems to be science-based and to contain a really astonishing amount of information that is convenient to use. Second, TT sells plants that tend to be larger and more mature than those sold by other sellers. Naturally these are more expensive to buy and ship than smaller plants. Logee's for instance sells smaller, younger plants. (I order from Logee's as well as TT and have had nothing but positive transactions with them too, including customer service.) I'm not a shill for Top Tropicals nor do I suggest that critical comments aren't warranted. I'm just relaying my personal experience and it's been very good. Now, lots of my plants don't survive, but that's because of my relatively salty location 600 feet from the Atlantic and because I tend to have a brown thumb. With respect to salt-tolerance, I've concluded that guides and lists only take you so far. You have to try the plant exactly where you live. If it dies, well, one reason is you're too close to salt water. But you'd be surprised what works that's not supposed to. On the second issue, brown thumb, you just have to keep trying. Neutral islandgirl37 Marathon, FL (Zone 11) (6 reviews) July 1, 2011 Posted on June 9, 2011, updated July 1, 2011 I giving top Tropicals a negative for several reasons. Their customer service is for the most part, POOR! I did speak with one woman named Lynn that was nice.... ONE time. The other time, not so nice. Madelyn was helpful regarding the care of some plants. I never spoke with Mike but apparently he is the head honcho there and they can't do anything without his permission including refunds. My plants were shipped promptly and arrived in a timely manner, 2 days. Their packing was fairly well done.. One plant had the soft growth on the tips bent over or broken. I had to trim about 4" off. I ordered several of the same genus. These were all in 3 gallon pots, advertised as bushy plants. 1 was nice, the other was a little twig with a few leaves on it and almost no roots. It looked like a cutting that they had started about a month ago. The other was full but the growth was all soft, as if it had been pushed to the limit with fertilizer. Another was infested with scale, sooty looking mold, disgusting. I removed all of the leaves and cut it back. It was nice size, good roots, but I didn't want my other plants infested. I defoliated it, put the leaves in a ziplock bag and threw them away. The other was healthy but not a pretty plant. Leaves only on the tips. 2 plants were on backorder, even though they said they were in stock and it allowed me to order. 1 item they forgot to ship but did not charge me for it. They do NOT like to give a refund under any circumstances. Be prepared that if the items are on back order, they want to use your money until it comes in. That is NOT how it works. Use a credit card. If they try this, send them an email and a letter and tell them to credit your account and cancel the item that was supposed to be in stock if you don't want to wait on it. If they don't do it, contest the charges on your credit card. They don't fight that, they know they will lose that battle and it's too time consuming. Their shipping charges are ridiculously high. It cost them about half of what they charged. Boxes are free. I realize they have to pay someone to pack them, still, way too high. To summarize: I do not like their customer service, their prices are too high for the plants they send. The plants they send look nothing like the ones in the photos on their website. I think they like to deal in quantity, not quality. Maybe their plants look good to people in the Northern states that never see really lush, healthy, tropical specimens. Shipping is too high. If you place an order and cancel it, even if it's 10 minutes after you place the order they charge you a cancellation fee. I would never order from them again. On July 1st, 2011, islandgirl37 changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following: I'm changing my rating to a neutral due to the fact that I was issued a full refund for the back ordered items. I don't feel a negative is warranted due to the fact that they did issue the refund and the infested plant, that I had to defoliate and cut back, is coming back nicely and the size is very nice, twice as big as ones I ordered from another place. I still would probably not order from them again unless it was something I couldn't find anywhere else, but with Homestead close to me, I can probably find there almost anything TT's has. Granted I have to drive there, but the gas is about the same or less as TT's shipping and I can pick out the plants myself. Negative phdbot1 Gainesville, GA (11 reviews) May 28, 2011 I just ordered from Top Tropicals, well-knowing what a bad reputation they have. But they had two plants that were unavailable anywhere else. They were overpriced but I ordered them anyway. I received them yesterday afternoon. These were supposed to be 3-gallon plants and they'd shaved off two-thirds of the root balls and wrapped them in plastic, I suppose to save money on shipping (which I would have gladly paid for intact plants). Moreover the plants were under-watered. Because of the water-stress and the root stress, the plants are logically, now wilting. Frankly, I doubt they'll survive even when planted and well-watered. Garden Watchdog is oh-so-reliable and I should have listened to the advice here! Top Tropicals is a rip-off and I don't recommend buying from them under ANY circumstances! I can see why they're an LLC outfit! They would have lots of liabilities otherwise! This place is a disaster! Negative steveferg Estes Park, CO (1 review) May 15, 2011 For the most part their plants are good sized even if a little over priced compared to other vendors. However, if you have a problem with an order. In my case having a dead cashew tree among other items that were ok, customer service IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN. They ignore phone calls and emails to resolve the issue. as always, BUYER BEWARE. Positive zendude98 Orlando, FL (1 review) April 7, 2011 I ordered "Brunfelsia americana - Lady of the night"...arrived perfectly packaged & undamaged. I would highly recommend this company not only for the extra care taken in the packaging, but the large size/fullness/health of the plant. Regarding the ordering process…When I ordered Brunfelsia seeds/shipped out the same day/received them in about 3 days. When I ordered plants, it took about a week for the order to be ready to send out…but once it was picked up by UPS, it only took 1 day for the delivery. Positive ransom3 Zephyrhills, FL (9 reviews) April 1, 2011 I've only ordered seeds, mostly Ipomoeas, from Top Tropicals thus far.They were a little slow in arriving,about two weeks, but they germinated readily and are now vigorous plants.I certainly would do more business with this company. They sell good, viable seeds. Negative floridaheat Miami Dade, FL (Zone 11) (7 reviews) November 9, 2010 I ordered a rare vine that had been uprooted and was told when I got it not to water it. When it arrived it was rather slushy and crawling with centipeds, I could not possibly put this in my green house knowing I would infect my entire greenhouse with that massive amount of bugs. I e-mailed a few times and he said it was normal for all those bugs, needless to say the vine died due to root rot on a disturbed rootball all the leaves were in the bottom of the box when it arrived. As for his attitude if you have ever been to a plant show and seen him he is by nature cocky and arrogant intentionally. He means to be and makes no bones about it, he even posts a sign pertaining to his rules at the plant show. After reading his obnoxous list of rules that basicly says "if you don't have money in your hand thrusting at me don't talk to me, because I am not interested" so I didn't bother asking him while he was hiding behind his obnoxous sign if he had a specific tree, I found it some where else in the show...and that person was happy to answer my questions about the tree I purchased. There are other vendors with far better demeanors. If he has it so does someone else search for it. Positive RHODRIDGEBACK Lexington, KY (Zone 6b) (5 reviews) November 8, 2010 Posted on October 15, 2010, updated November 8, 2010 I ordered a Jade vine and a Red Jade Vine from top tropicals and I received the plants less than a week later. The plants arrived in decent condition, the leaves were perfect, the roots less so. I'll keep everyone updated on the progress. On November 8th, 2010, RHODRIDGEBACK added the following: It has been about 5 weeks since I recieved the plants. At first it was a bit touch and go, but with a little humitity and a little superthrive the Jade vines are doing amazing. Health and green, already climing up a large trellis. What a pretty plant! Negative FishMang Valkaria, FL (Zone 9b) (3 reviews) September 5, 2010 BUYER BEWARE - TOPTROPICALS OF PUNTA GORDA!!! Ordered one plant received a similar but different latin named plant. Plant ordered very expensive, substituted plant inexpensive. Wrong plant confirmed by tissue sample from U of Florida. Multiple emails go unanswered. I believe they knew they were offering a rare plant, substituting a common plant and hoping no one would know the difference. Positive anton1 Skokie, IL (4 reviews) August 25, 2010 Mike gave a complete refund for an order that was not acceptable to our condo board and did so promptly. I was appaled and abhorred at the decision to disgard and trash the order with out my knowledge or approval. Mid winter at 34 degrees I was in an angry rage in a huge dumpster searching for the plants. They were in bad shape but all are exquisite now. Order from this company if you need a rare plant or something unusual you can be assured the material is worth it in the end!!! People Mike is a GREAT person professionally and if you give him respect and dignity you will have your plant king and dom. Negative junett Cypress, TX (1 review) August 14, 2010 I emailed them after seeing my order hadn't been shipped in 10 days. The owner emailed me stating they have to give priority to mailing out their live plants (mine were several packets of seeds and magazines). When I told him how inconsiderate his answer was, he canceled my order without warning. Apparently from the gardening forums I visit, I am not the first person to experience this. He (Mike) must be overworked and think that a customer should wait on him, instead of vice versa. But I'm glad he canceled my order, I've found other nurseries that have much more quality rare plants and they're a lot cheaper! like Pine Island nursery, ediblelandscaping.com. So that is my silver lining to this horrible experience! Negative kdkral Glendale, AZ (Zone 9b) (3 reviews) July 15, 2010 Beware when ordering from this company. I ordered two plants (trees). Both came without the trees in the pots they were grown in. Instead the root balls were wrapped in plastic bags. The plants were clearly in distress. Their instructions are put the plant in a pot the same size as the root ball, water, keep at 75 degrees and out of the sun until the plant show new growth before planting. In other words nurse the plants back to health since we disturbed the root ball before planting. I don't know why they can't leave the plant in $3 dollar pot it was grown in. They certainly charge enough. Positive alimnassar Ames, IA (12 reviews) June 17, 2010 Ordered a Mangosteen. Received a good quality product. Positive Ojala (4 reviews) June 4, 2010 I've ordered couple of rare flowering plants from them, which i've been looking up in their site for long time. Couple of days since i placed the order, it was shipped and we received very healthy plants in another two days. The packaging was so great and not even one single leaf was damaged. We are very happy with the order. We were so benefitted by the reviews in this site about various online nurseries and felt i should contribute about my experience too. Thanks for all the contributors. Positive ssssssss Kechi, KS (8 reviews) April 23, 2010 Great company and lovely healthy plants. Only "negative" is all the wonderful plants that I keep finding in the info section but can't find anywhere online. It is very tempting to want just about every thing on the site info only or the merchandise. This year I am going to use the wish list and hope to get lucky. Their plants are always well packed and delivery is prompt. Positive dannygates58 Jefferson, NH (17 reviews) April 17, 2010 I found Top Tropicals using a web search for a particular plant. Sure enough they had it plus another I had been looking for. I immediately checked Garden Watchdog ( as I always do! ) and found that though there were a couple negatives mostly they seemed pretty petty so I ordered. My plants arrived within a week. I have to say the packaging was some of the best I have ever received. The plants themseves were beautiful and healthy. Living in a very remote area I depend on mail order and Garden Watchdog and I would most certainly order from Top Tropicals again. Positive plantfreek (5 reviews) January 15, 2010 So far I've only ordered from this company a couple of times, but have been very pleased with the results, Positive ptooming Titusville, FL (Zone 9a) (6 reviews) December 14, 2009 I ordered a hard to find vine from TT I had actually ordered the same vine from a different source 2 different times and both came delivered dead in 2.5 inch pots. I found that TT had the same vine so I went ahead and tried ordering it hoping for a better outcome ( a living plant that is ) I spoke to Mike who inquired on weather I was able to accomodate this finicky pet so I didn't waste my time or money. He recommended an alternitive if I couldn't. I assured him I could and the phone order was placed. I received a confirmation the next day that it was sent and it arrived the following day, less than 24 hours from being sent. The plant I received was indeed alive...very alive!!! Well rooted and a good size (far bigger than aloha tropicals dead 2.5 inch pot) plus well packed!! I live within 100 miles of this nursery and hope to visit and see all he has to offer, his website makes for a great wish list. Thanks Mike Negative slickone Van Nuys, CA (1 review) October 31, 2009 I ordered two plants. One was a Jackfruit the other a Carrie Mango. After sending several emails, no response however they did send me an email on their mailing list of exotics. The Jackfruit seedling and Carrie Mango both came in a single order box. The Jackfruit was fine, no issues. But the Carrie Mango seems to have been infested with caterpillars inside the shrinkwrap and on or in the rootball. I emailed them to inform them and ask how to handle these very thing inch long green caterpillars as there are many. TopTropicals other then their phone maze never returned my emails. It seems they are setup strictly to do business over the net and even then they did not respond. Sad cause I would have purchased other exotics I could legally get here from them if they had just responded. Needless to say Green Arrow nursery sold me a mixture called 7 and I used the soil mixture with water to try and kill the infestation of bugs. Positive MarieThomas Coos Bay, OR (1 review) August 14, 2009 I ordered a Jasminum sambac Grand Duke from Top Tropicals. It was my first order from them and I was very impressed. The plant was on sale, it arrived promptly and was in excellent shape. The root was wrapped and the plant was wrapped in mesh surrounded by popcorn. It was packed to perfection and arrived that way. The plant is huge and has many new starts with buds on them. I am very pleased with Top Tropicals and would not hesitate to order again from them. I would recommend them to anyone. I hope someday to be lucky enough to get the Jasminum sambac Grand Duke - Supreme from them. Negative aruzinsky Cicero, IL (1 review) August 14, 2009 On 6/7/09 I ordered Epin and Cirkon plant growth regulators. I had previously purchased those products from TopTropicals with satisfaction. These normally come as liquids inside vials inside hermetically sealed plastic envelopes. This time, I received the merchandise with all of the envelopes cut open. Judging from the odor, I suspected that the vial contents were replaced with water. I emailed TopTropicals and they said that the cut the envelopes open to check for leaking vials and that I could return for a refund if I didn't like it. I successfully did so at the loss of postage cost. Since the Epin envelope has a clear window so that the inside can be seen without opening the envelope, I have no doubt that TopTropicals explanation was a lie. Negative Plantgazer San Diego, CA (1 review) June 26, 2009 We just received our first order today from Top Tropicals. It was disapointing to open the packaging only to discover the cactus we had looked forward to receiving (lophocereus schottii monstrosus) was nearly cut in half! Upon reading several of the reviews on this site, we took the immediate action of emailing and sent photos to Mike to report our findings. We will update the experience once a conclusion is reached with Top Tropicals, stay tuned! On July 6th, 2009, Plantgazer changed the rating from neutral to negative and added the following: I would be suspicious of "positive" feedbacks on this outfit since no one knows who's making those comments (remarkably similar in tone if you notice!) I'm here to report that we never received a single acknowledgement from this company about the the plant that showed up almost half broken and was covered in unsightly scabs. Not to mention, a good number of ants also came with the package! Anyway judging from the reviews we've read on this site, we elected not to waste more time on Top Tropics. It's simply not worth my while. For those that are astute, you will do yourself a favor (save money and energy) by avoid doing business with Top Tropics LLC

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