| Rating | Author | Content |
| Positive | bryana
Albany, NY
(50 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)
(3 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 | alheline
Dundee, IL
(7 reviews)
June 20, 2011 | 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. |
| 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. |
| Positive | JKSjr
Galena, IL
(Zone 4b)
(1 review)
June 7, 2011 | Extremely hard to add anything new to existing feedback. With that said, this is the first time I ordered any living green things online. One of the most amazing parts of the transaction was Rob's "approachability" via email. I felt like I was dealing with my favorite uncle just down the street. Questions were answered immediately and info was clear and concise. "Empress Wu" and three others arrived in perfect shape and are growing like the proverbial "weed"! My only regret is that on a recent trip to Leawood, KS, my wife and I were unable to visit Rob's gardens. Next time for SURE! Just looked out the back window and I'm pretty sure "Wu" grew about 1/4 inch in the time it took me to type this feedback! KUDOS! |
| Positive | annu7
Hartley, IA
(Zone 4b)
(1 review)
May 30, 2011 | This was my first time to order from this company. Rob kept me informed during the shipping process and asked me to let him know the condition of the plant when it arrived. It arrived in excellent condition, packaged very well. It was bare root , clean and moist. I would definately order from them again! |
| Positive | luvtosharedivs
Sturtevant, WI
(Zone 5a)
(1 review)
May 25, 2011 | Received my first-time order today and was very pleased.
Plants were wrapped with care and neatly packed as to avoid any possible damage to the healthy foliage. Great communication and would order from again! |
| Positive | 13FlowerGirl
Le Roy, NY
(1 review)
May 20, 2011 | Received my order today. The Hosta were so much more that what I was expecting. They were absolutely beautiful! I have never had Hosta arrive in the mail looking so pristine. They way they were wrapped for shipping is so simple, yet so effective!
I will definitely be spreading the word to all my gardening friends who love Hostas--order from "Made In The Shade" Gardens & Rob the Hosta Guy!
Thank you. I look forward to doing future business with you!
Sincerely,
SDM |
| Positive | debob
Crossville, TN
(Zone 6b)
(1 review)
May 19, 2011 | Fast shipping, excellent packaging, beautiful, large and healthy divisions. Made in the Shade Gardens rock! |
| Positive | gardenradisson
Baldwinsville, NY
(1 review)
May 17, 2011 | Just received my first order from these guys and the quality is excellent. Wrapped simply and neatly, a cinch to slip into the ground with some peat moss. Very healthy looking. |
| Positive | jlamberg
Hopkins, MN
(1 review)
May 12, 2011 | First time mail order from Made in the Shade Gardens and couldn't be more satisfied. Excellent communication: I was notified when the plants shipped giving me time to prepare for their arrival. Bare root hostas arrived in excellent condition: obviously freshly dug, roots were clean, healthy, and moist. Would order again from this company. |
| Positive | RedClay007
Richmond, VA
(Zone 7a)
(7 reviews)
May 5, 2011 | Plants were shipped on time, well packaged, and in good condition. I like their guarantee of virus free stock. Will order from them again. |
| Positive | Purplemom1
Cincinnati, OH
(1 review)
May 5, 2011 | I was looking for a specific hosta and found this site. Service was prompt and plants arrived in excellent conditionwith e-mail followups to be sure I was satisfied. I would highly recommend this company. |
| Positive | Lexlan
Geneva, NY
(1 review)
April 27, 2011 | Hostas came in a large box in beautiful conditioin. Rob was always very prompt and helpful answering my questions. |
| Positive | maconmo
Florissant, MO
(Zone 5a)
(1 review)
April 25, 2011 | The hostas I ordered came in great shape and I was very impressed with the size. This has been by far the best experience I have had with ordering plants online. The packaging was very protective. I had a followup question that was answered very promptly. |
| Positive | mperlmutter
Franklin, TN
(1 review)
April 22, 2011 | Excellent plants and service. |
| Positive | Marymame
Butler, PA
(Zone 5b)
(3 reviews)
April 21, 2011 | Order was acknowledged. Company let me know when items were shipped and sent me an e-mail verifying shipment and asking me to let them know the condition of the plants when they arrived. Great service! |
| Positive | etperez
Falls Church, VA
(2 reviews)
April 16, 2011 | Very positive experience. Will buy from them again. Personable and prompt service, good quality plants. |
| Positive | Edgar1889
Richmond, VA
(1 review)
April 8, 2011 | This company really cares about its customers. Rob notified me by email when my order would be shipped and then checked to make sure I was satisfied. My hosta was packed very well and arrived in perfect condition. I chose them because of their prices, and was also very pleased by their service. |
| Positive | trollfarmer
Greensboro, NC
(2 reviews)
March 31, 2011 | I made my first order of 6 hosta from Rob and they arrived so fast and in great condition! He was so kind to give me advice on fast growing selections and letting me know by e-mail when my order would arrive. I'll be sending another order this week! Rob IS the hosta man! |
| Positive | veryblessed
Morehead, KY
(17 reviews)
October 22, 2010 | 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! |
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