| Rating | Author | Content |
| Positive | elfeik
Near Kansas City, MO (Zone 6a)
(26 reviews)
May 23, 2013 | Good selection at reasonable prices. Made a second order to them this year, both times I have received large healthy starts. |
| Positive | JetGal
Sugar Grove, IL
(12 reviews)
May 23, 2013 | Shame on me for not posting after receipt of my 1st order with Made In The Shade last September, but, "better late than never." Was so very happy with the plants I received last year + the awesome customer service provided by Rob that I knew I would be placing more orders with him going forward, which I did this past Monday.
In addition to all of the hosta varieties Rob offers, I couldn't believe how many more he added for 2013! How's a girl to choose??? Whew ... that was difficult, but I some how managed to maintain some level of self-control!
Thanks Rob & Made In The Shade for the beautiful plants you sent me last year [which are growing wonderfully] & I can't wait to receive my new plants next week :)
|
| Positive | veryblessed
Morehead, KY
(17 reviews)
May 23, 2013 | Posted on October 22, 2010, updated May 23, 2013
We received our first order from Rob. He kept me up to date from the day they were shipped until I received them! The hosta's are beautiful and very well packaged. I am already planning my spring order from Made in the Shade Gardens! Its a beautifu morning here in Kentucky, I cant wait to get them in the ground!
On May 23rd, 2013, veryblessed added the following:
I just received my second order from Rob at Made in the Shade. What can I say, the hostas were beautiful and the packaging was great. Rob always has a great selection of newer varieties at prices that can’t be beat. I have purchased many hostas from Rob over the last 3 years or so and I don’t think I have lost one. I highly recommend Made in the Shade! |
| Positive | Irod
Danbury, WI
(1 review)
May 21, 2013 | As a new customer I was concerned about the quality of the ordered hostas. The plants were in great condition, ready to plant. Rob has a returning customer because of his "customer service" and a great product! |
| Positive | ZBestGal
Biddeford, ME
(5 reviews)
May 20, 2013 | Oh it must be Christmas. Four large boxes of hostas arrived today from Made in the Shade. I am very impressed with the size and health of the plants! Thank you Rob Mortko these plants are great. |
| Positive | SueOklaHoward
Fort Lauderdale, FL
(1 review)
May 20, 2013 | On April 3,2013 I received 31 Hostas that I had been ordering since Nov.2012. I ordered 6 each month and sent a check with each order so in April all I would have to pay was the shipping. Rob thought that was a great idea because I'm on SS now. The plants arrived and the packing was actually pretty, I felt I should pay extra but Rob said "thats the way we do it'. The root systems were huge,every plant had 3 to 7 eyes they were all already leafing out, I mean beautiful healthy plants. April I odered another 6 plants same thing, I get an email that my order arrived and 3 days later I have my beautiful Hostas. In11/2 months they have doubled and some tripled in size. I will keep ordering each month because I"m just up to the L's . And the say Hostas won't grow in Florida. |
| Positive | Cheryl8
Monroe Township, NJ (Zone 7a)
(10 reviews)
May 9, 2013 | Posted on August 20, 2009, updated May 9, 2013
I ordered hosta "Blue Ivory" which arrived three days after I placed my order. The hosta I received was just beautiful, very healthy and in perfect condition. Rob is just a great guy to do business with. Communication is excellent as is all his plants. Thanks again!
On May 9th, 2013, Cheryl8 added the following:
I purchased hosta "Clovelly", as always hosta arrived in perfect condition and very healthy. Communication with Rob is excellent. I am always happy with all my purchases and
I highly recommended this company to all hosta lovers. |
| Positive | Maceyboy
Westfield Center, OH (Zone 6a)
(2 reviews)
May 3, 2013 | I received my shipment of Hosta's on time and in great condition. These are nice sized plants and I plan to give Rob more orders as our planting room permits. I am a long time member of the American Hosta Society and appreciate the quality of the plants they offer. |
| Positive | Grinchie
Mineral Wells
United States
(1 review)
April 25, 2013 | Would I buy from this company again? You bet!! I received good service, plants were healthy and had good a root system, they were packaged well, and they provided good communication.
1. They emailed me when my order shipped and provided
me a tracking number.
2. They tracked my order, and emailed me to let me know
what day to expect my order.
3. They wanted me to email them once I received my hosta order and inspected my plants.
How many companies do this for their customers? This shows me they care about their customers and their company's reputation. I'd highly recommend this company to anyone who wants to buy hostas. |
| Positive | jackeezfarm
Port Orchard, WA (Zone 8b)
(1 review)
April 12, 2013 | I have been a very happy repeat customer. The service is excellent, and the plant's root systems are excellent. They arrived fresh and moist and ready to plant. |
| Positive | lannyt
Harbor Springs, MI
(1 review)
October 1, 2012 | I was looking for fragrant hostas and they e-mailed me information that was very helpful. I order 2 different type and they inform me that a third kind was a better selection for one kind. I followed their advice and I am very happy with their choice. The plants arrived promtly and in great shape.
I will order for them agin.
lannyt |
| Positive | alheline
Dundee, IL
(7 reviews)
July 31, 2012 | Posted on June 20, 2011, updated July 31, 2012
Posted on May 8, 2008, updated June 20, 2011
By far, this has been a fantastic transaction. I recently lost two mail-ordered Fujibotan Hosta to an insane squirrel. Looking to replace them, I found Rob and his 'Made in the Shade Gardens'. I took 'that chance' and ordered replacement Fujibotans from Rob. First of all, the communications relative to the order were great. Rob and/or his staff were right atop the order. Further, they did exactly what they said they would do, when they said they would do it; not exactly the 'norm' in mail-order nurseries.
The Hosta arrived USPS Priority mail today (along with the rainstorm that Rob was so kind to supply) and were in perfect condition, well packed, mature, and ready to go into the ground (when the rain quits). I have told Rob and will tell anybody, this order has been a pleasant surprise, actually, beyond expectations and Rob has gained a new customer.
I have not been into gardening that long but, I spent over 40 years of my life as a Service Manager in the computer hardware business. Rated on a scale of 1-10, Made in the Shade Gardens gets a 12+++ in my book. He/they understand how to satisfy a customers needs.
On September 17th, 2009, alheline added the following:
Two or three orders later - - - I came upon a 'SPECIAL NEED' for a particular hosta, actually two of them, one for myself and one as a gift for a life-long friend that was undergoing a very serious medical situation. I e-mailed Rob with a question about the hosta and was surprised when he responded within minutes. He was not at home/nursery and said he would get back to by around 6PM. His response was early, which caught me off guard again. He had what I asked for, which in itself was a special request. He invoiced me so that I could pay by Pay-Pal (correctly) but I needed to talk to him. When I called, he was already (physically) packing my hosta for shipment the next morning. Both arrived today, one in Illinois, one in Pennsylvania. Both (and the one in PA was going to a Big-Time gardener) were both in perfect condition. She will not be able to plant it - so she 'drafted' her husband and will supervise the planting.
Rob and 'Made in the Shade Gardens' has raised the bar again. There is a reason that there are no Neutral or Negative reports for this company - They are GREAT and care for their customers as well as they do their hosta.
On June 20th, 2011, alheline added the following:
June 17th, 2011 - 10 more of Rob's hosta arrived in perfect condition and were planted. Eight of the ten were for a small project and were of a lesser expensive variety, but were packed with extra special care because some are already in bloom. Only one of the scapes got broken but there is another spike ready to bloom on the same plant. Yes, it was a multi-eye plant, yet another thing you don't expect to see in mail order plants. The quality of plants received from Made In The Shade continues to be great and every plant has been healthy. Thanks Rob.
On July 31st, 2012, alheline added the following:
Yet another 10 plants (Rainbow's End hosta) arrived USPS Express Mail in perfect condition this past week. Rob advised me via email that the plants were enroute and the mailman delivered them as expected. They were removed from their shipping box immediately and found to be in excellent condition. I lost one leaf out of the 10 plants. The route networks were fantastic, as usual. In this week of Olympic competition in the UK, if there was a Gold medal for 'Hosta Mail Order Companies' there would be nobody even close. 'Made In The Shade Gardens' wins again. |
| Positive | steamrocket1
Middleton, WI
(8 reviews)
July 6, 2012 | I got a lot of personal attention from Made in the Shade. They have a great selection of plants, fast shipping, and very reasonable prices. The hostas I ordered arrived very quickly and were in great shape. The both had extensive root systems. I will definitely order from Made in the Shade again and give them a very strong recommendation. You won't be disappointed. |
| Positive | stingrays1
Montecito, CA
(1 review)
June 20, 2012 | Prompt confirmation of order, notification of shipping, and quick arrival. Plants were in excellent condition, well packed, and exceeded my expectations. I will order again for sure. |
| Positive | lovelljl
Ellsworth, IA
(1 review)
June 15, 2012 | Prompt and complete customer service, with a great product. What a bonus! This is the first time I ordered from Made In The Shade Gardens, but it will not be the last time, by any means. I received a timely reply to my email questions and had no trouble ordering or paying for the order. I was surprised to receive the hostas so quickly and in such great shape. |
| Positive | cattjovi
Richmond Hill, GA
(15 reviews)
June 7, 2012 | My first time ordering from Made in the Shade and I was very pleased. My hosta arrived fast and in excellent condition. Healthy plant and great root system. I'll be ordering again from this fine company. Thanks Rob!
|
| Positive | ibwhoz
Waukesha, WI
(2 reviews)
May 31, 2012 | I just received my two hostas in the Mouse series and they were just BEAUTIFUL. I was so happy to see them. They had wonderful leaves, super healthy roots and were wrapped so well and tagged. They arrived so fresh and ready to plant that you wouldn't think they came through the mail. I will certainly buy from this excellent seller again. Buy from them with total confidence-you won't be disappointed. |
| Positive | fjordhorse
Prior Lake, MN
(1 review)
May 31, 2012 | Beautiful plants, well packed, prompt delivery all at a fair price. |
| Positive | bryana
Albany, NY
(59 reviews)
May 6, 2012 | Ordered three blue hostas - they arrived very well wrapped and all appear to be very healthy. I won't know if they match the pictures until a few more years but I am hopeful |
| Positive | Lizabet99
Beach Park, IL (Zone 5a)
(2 reviews)
May 3, 2012 | Thanks for the excellent packaging hostas arrived without any damages. Plants are large already, verry healthy, strong and beautiful. Because the large size, youll see all the charecteristic of the plant. The seller's hosta selection is large, plants are beautiful. Great website.
Highly reccomended seller. |
| Positive | PlantinPatti
Dayton, OH
(5 reviews)
May 3, 2012 | Beautiful plants, packed well, fantastic selection, fast delivery. What more could I ask for? Thanks. |
| Positive | GardenerGreg
(Zone 6b)
(1 review)
May 3, 2012 | Posted on October 6, 2011, updated May 3, 2012
Just recived an order from the folks at Made in the Shade and couldn't be happier. Huge selection, fast shipping, excellent packaging, and superb customer service. Highly recommended.
On May 3rd, 2012, GardenerGreg added the following:
Just received another fantastic order from Made in the Shade. Its worth shopping here for the customer service alone, not to mention their wide selection of hard-to-find hosta, impeccable packaging, and reasonable prices. Keep up the great work Rob! |
| Positive | CadetsBD
Fort Wayne, IN
(1 review)
May 2, 2012 | We just received a shipment of hostas and they are beautiful healthy plants! I am so impressed. I also appreciate the clear labelling of which was which in the box! Ordering was easy. Paying was painless. And the whole process was fast! It is much appreciated. I'll be back! |
| Positive | willow314
Lamar, CO
(2 reviews)
April 26, 2012 | Pleased to say I will be ordering again from Made in the Shade. I first looked for a hosta supplier that was close to our physical location (SE Colo) and thus had some knowledge of our strange climate and soils. I made my selection and notified them of the plants I wanted. I received a call on Sunday afternoon from Rob checking for my shipping information. The order was out on Monday and arrived quickly (USPS was a bit slow). The plants were neatly and safely packed in a triangular tube. The bare roots were moist and all leaves were intact and healthy. I have planted them and they are fluffing out quite well! The order was followed by Rob who made sure they arrived intact and in a timely manner. The company did an excellent job (and the prices were quite reasonable!) |
| Positive | Verguenza
Covington, GA (Zone 7b)
(2 reviews)
April 26, 2012 | I just received an Empress Wu hosta from Made in the Shade Gardens and I must say that I was truly impress with the quality of the plant. It got to me healthy with amazingly huge leaves. Rob Mortko emailed to let me know that my plant was forthcoming and supplied tracking information. I will definitely shop at Made in the Shade Gardens again!! |
| Positive | pee15wee
East Meadow, NY
(1 review)
April 25, 2012 | I've ordered from Rob before and I just keep coming back.
The quality of his hostas are A+. The customer service is impeccable. Notification of shipping times, followup emails after shipping, quickness and condition of plants on delivery are the best in the business.
Can't go wrong with MADE IN THE SHADE!!! |
| Positive | LG7
Union City, TN
(3 reviews)
April 24, 2012 | I am extremely impressed with this vendor. I have been buying plants through mail order for years and no other vendor has ever shown the interest in customers that Made in the Shade Gardens does. I received an email when the plants were shipped and a follow up email to make sure I had received the plants, that they were in good shape, and that I was pleased with the order. The plants were very nice and healthy. It was a real pleasure dealing with this vendor. |
| Positive | bueford
Linden, MI
(2 reviews)
April 19, 2012 | Posted on June 3, 2009, updated April 19, 2012
Wonderful people. Fast order and wonderful time and the plants are packaged great can't wait to see them take off.
Thanks hostaguy linden, mi.
On April 19th, 2012, bueford added the following:
Very nice plants large and healthy!! will be back for more!! |
| Positive | mikencarol
Woodstown, NJ (Zone 7a)
(7 reviews)
April 19, 2012 | This was our first time ordering from Made in the Shade and we were very happy. They had a great selection, including some older varieties I've had trouble finding lately, at very reasonable prices. Nice size hostas with good roots. Enjoyed exchanging e-mails with Rob; he checks to make sure you are satisfied with the order. |
| Positive | MoccasinLanding
Mobile, AL
(2 reviews)
March 30, 2012 | As a new hosta fan in the deep south, I can appreciate having early delivery of an order before it gets too hot. My order came two days ago now, and all four hosta were in good shape. Well packed to keep the bare roots from drying out, and the already-growing leaves from damage in the USPS Priority Mail shipping box. Then yesterday, I got a followup email from Rob to see if all was well with the shipment. Yes it is, and the lovely hosta are already in pots.
It's nice to have a seller making the effort to follow the product to its final destination, and care what happens to the plants. I get that impression from Rob. He also suggested membership in the AHS/American Hosta Society, which I joined around the time I placed my hosta order with him. Lots to like about hostas, and the growers/sellers who care make it much nicer for us home gardeners. I expect to be ordering again because he has good prices and a good selection of hosta varieties. That's something I cannot find at any nursery locally, and do not want to buy from big box stores with no thought of HVX issues. Way to go, Made In The Shade! |
| Positive | bluntforcemama
Bothell, WA (Zone 8a)
(4 reviews)
March 29, 2012 | I ordered a little over $100 in hostas from Made in the Shade Gardens, and they arrived healthy, well packed, vigorously growing, and ready to plant in the mail yesterday. They have an incredible selection, and I was contacted personally by Rob as he checked to see if I received my order. Thank you! |
| Positive | dmrgardener
Lincoln Park, MI
(1 review)
September 10, 2011 | My hostas arrived within days of my order. They were healthy
and beautiful. Can't wait for next year to add more hostas to
my already filled yard. I'll definitely order from here first. |
| Positive | tobydog60
Omro, WI (Zone 4b)
(10 reviews)
August 17, 2011 | Posted on April 29, 2010, updated August 17, 2011
I ordered 10 hostas from Made In The Shade this season and I am so pleased with everything about the company. The selection is wonderful as is the pricing. Shipping is very well priced and super-fast! I live in Wisconsin and the hostas arrived within 2 days via priority mail.
The hostas are shipped bareroot but I would be extremely hard-pressed to find nicer hostas in pots. The root systems are tremendous, the leaves are perfect - I've never seen such healthy hostas. They were very well packaged and the plants were well hydrated.
Rob is very nice to deal with - it's very obvious that he loves hostas and takes very good care to ensure that they arrive at their destination safely and quickly.
I wish all mail-order companies were as wonderful as Rob's Made In The Shade! I put this company at the very top of my list!
On August 17th, 2011, tobydog60 added the following:
I just received my 2011 order from Made In The Shade - and, once again I'm very pleased both with the quality of the plants and the very quick shipping.
I'm a little late in ordering this year, so I was prepared to receive hostas with a little wear-and-tear, but they are perfect! Great company to do business with! |
| Positive | suefranpat
Rochester, MN (Zone 3b)
(1 review)
July 22, 2011 | The hostas arrived relatively quickly (they didn't ship immediately as they would have sat around with USPS over the hot weekend, so I appreciate that) and have an incredibly healthy root system. The prices are reasonable and the shipping charges are exceptional. I will definitely buy from them again! |
| Positive | GSHP
LABADIE, MO
(1 review)
July 16, 2011 | When someone does a great job, credit is due!
Last week, after perusing their awesome website, I decided to purchase 3 hostas from Made In The Shade Gardens. They provided friendly and exceptional service. The hostas were packed so they arrived fresh as if they had just been harvested despite soaring summer temperatures.
I highly recommend this company. |
| Positive | daboud
Algona, IA
(1 review)
July 13, 2011 | We were able to tour the gardens and see the hostas growing. They were extremely helpful in all areas of knowledge and customer service. The plants were robust,healthy, and well packaged. I will order from them next year, and the next..... |
| Positive | hostacouple
Neosho, MO
(1 review)
July 4, 2011 | The package of hostas arrived quickly and in great shape, two of the three even in bloom. Rob answered our question quickly by email. We followed the thorough directions and are enjoying the blooming and planning our next orders. |
| Positive | Shanafaithrn
Charleston, WV (Zone 6b)
(2 reviews)
June 25, 2011 | Posted on May 1, 2008, updated June 25, 2011
As a new gardener and a first time hosta planter, I could not have asked for a better experience. Rob was wonderful to deal with. He gave suggestions on which hostas to use and his emails were always prompt. This is the first time I have ever bought plants by mailorder and the entire experience was pleasant. My beautiful hostas were sent out on the exact ship date that we had agreed upon and I received them within 3 days of being shipped. They arrived in excellent condition (wrapped with care) and are now perking up and look wonderful. I will DEFINITELY order from Made in the Shade again.
On June 25th, 2011, Shanafaithrn added the following:
Ordered from Made in the Shade again this year and, as before, the entire experience was wonderful. Rob replied to my emails promptly and my hostas were shipped on the exact date we agreed upon. My hostas arrived beautiful, healthy and are already doing very well. I'm positive I will order from them again. |
| Positive | hotmama
Willow Springs, IL
(20 reviews)
June 17, 2011 | I wanted something different in a hosta so came to Dave's Garden to check things out. I decided on "Made in the Shade," because of it's fine rating. I was not disappointed.
I ordered 3 Hosta, they arrived well packaged, healthy and clean. Couldn't find any instructions with the plants to indicate how to handle bare root but, I am not a plant novice so worked it out.
Will certainly order from them again and tell my hosta loving neighbors. |
| Positive | poorpip
Millington, TN
(3 reviews)
June 12, 2011 | This company deserves all of the credit they are getting.they sent plants that were in great condition,were well packaged for shipping,and the customer service was extra ordinarily well handled. |
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