The scoop on 'Munchkin Nursery and Gardens, LLC'

Over the past several years I've placed an average of two orders per year with Munchkin Nursery. Every plant I've received has been an extraordinary specimen that arrived in perfect health. Last year's Twinleafs (Jeffersonia diphylla) were amazing; they're now asserting themselves in my woodland garden. A Turk's Cap Lily (Lilium superbum) I purchased two years ago reached 8 ft tall last summer. It was great fun showing it off to astonished visitors.

Last year there was a mix-up and I received somebody else's order. When I contacted Gene, he told me to enjoy the "bonus" plants and quickly sent the plants I had ordered.

As others have noted, communication with Gene is a genuine pleasure. I enjoy reading his articles in Fine Gardening and eagerly anticipate his catalog's arrival in the dark days of winter.

Good source for unusual perennials. Owner is very helpful and communicative and plants arrived in good condition-very healthy. Would definitely order again from this vendor.

They went out of their way to accomadate my shipping needs. They sent plants way early when I requested and Trilliums way late when I decided I just had to have a few more. All were very well packaged and Gene even mailed me wanting to know if everything was ok and if I had any questions. They have some very nice specialty plants. Check them out.

Great service and shipping

I placed an order earlier this year and requested a ship date close to May 1. I received my order April 25. Well packaged with each plant's root ball enclosed in a plastic bag, then wrapped in newspaper and clearly identified by a plant label I could use in the garden immediately. In the case of one plant which had a good bit of leaves growing already, the packing material had also been placed inside the newspaper to further protect the stems and leaves. No "varmits" accompanied my plants. All plants, except for a fern were up and growing and the fern was thinking about it. My order was not charged to my credit card until just before shipping (I really like that!) An excellent experience all around! As a side note, Munchkin's web site includes a section called "Garden Clippin's" which contains more in depth info on plants and other gardening information.

My ideal nursery would have so much to offer: a print catalog worth reading and rereading as well as an up-to-date online catalog; a display garden worth visiting and revisiting; knowledgeable owners who are proud of their stock and of their service; unusual plants that are healthy and well established in their pots, not recently transplanted liners.

Munchkin Nursery is about as close to the ideal as is possible. I have ordered from the catalog and visited JoAn and Gene's woodland display garden frequently. I always leave with a lighter purse than I intended because there are so many temptations, but I am never disappointed.

This morning I counted perhaps a half dozen trilliums, a specialty of this nursery, that are blooming in my garden and resolved to make this garden the subject of my first post on this site.

Always Happy with this company, they are very good with communications. Great place to buy plants!

Today I received my order from Gene, a Paeonia tenuifolia [Fernleaf peony ]. When I ordered, he sent me an e-mail making sure I knew this Peony wasn't like the regular Peonies with 2 to 3 eyes and yes, they are so small. I really appreciate the honesty and quick, well packaged plants from them. I'll definately order again.

Last spring we visited Gene and JoAn's lovely garden and nursery, and bought several trees and woodland perennials. The variegated sweet gum, Silver King, grew over a foot before fall! Munchkin Nursery is well worth a special trip to pick up your plants in person. I can't say enough good things about the nursery, the plants, or Gene and JoAn.

I haven't yet received my order from Munchkin, but I already think a positive rating is warranted. I got some good advice already from Gene about my particular order, that I appreciated very much, and l which ikely saved me some grief.
Munchkin has one of the more interesting selections of shade plants that I have seen, and the website is an education in itself, with many excellent articles about various topics. They are also one of the few nurseries I have seen that gives serious attention to the winter garden. A quick look through their website will give gardeners in the colder growing regions some food for thought and something to look forward to.
I'll update, of course, when I receive my plants, but based on others' experiences and my experiences so far, I expect everything to be great.

I received part of my order (the rest to follow in the Fall), the plants were packaged very well and look great. I would order from them again.

I ordered several wildflowers from Munchkin Gardens. My flowers are thriving and beautiful. Very informative, and great packaging. Will definately order again from this company!

Can't say enough good things about this nursery! I ordered four plants that were delivered quickly and when I asked for them. All have very full and healthy roots, and the toad lily has several blooms. Very good packing, moist roots. Communication with Gene was exceptional and he was more than willing to answer questions about another plant he did not stock. Will definitely buy more from Munchins. Give them a try!!

I found Munchkin through the internet, and couldn't believe that he was only about 25 miles from me. The nursery is open only by appt. and it is worth a drive from just about anywhere. Gene and JoAn are very kind and know the plants they sell. The Web site is great source of info. Check it out and come to southern Indiana for a day. I was there recently, and the gentians were spectacular.

I have purchased several times from Munchkin and have been extremely pleased with both the quality of their products and their helpfulness.

Will definitely buy from them again.

Acknowledged my order by Email on same day ordered, 10/6, gave shipping date as 10/7 via priority mail. Oder arrived 10/9, complete. Shipping cost $12.
$8 Sanguinaria canadensis dormant 7/16" X 4"+ root in soil
in baggie, excellant condition.
$7 Tiarella cordifolia living plant in wet newspaper, roots in 3" diam. X 6" deep root - 7 leaves about 1.5" wide.
$7 Arisaema triphyllum, 1" diam bulb in soil in baggie
$7 Asarum canadense dormant plant in wet newspaper - root system in soil 3" diam X 6" deep. Excellant condition. Each plant identified on stake within wrapping.

Planting instructions neither requested nor included.

I ordered from them for the first time this year. I recieved large plants. The roots were great and covered with lots of soil. The packing was very good, the soil and paper covering it were still very damp when I opened the box. And it had been sitting all afternoon on my sunny porch while I was at work. I am very pleased with my experience with this company and am planning to purchase more plants from them this spring.

Just received my order from Muchkin and it was packed very well and the plants appear to be very healthy. This is the second year that I have ordered and will continue to do. Last years plants survived the drought here in VA which was amazing and I see them coming back this year.

Was quite surprised to get an email from the owner thanking me for coming back a second year. Fully intend to go back again.

A very helpful guy.

I ordered last spring and was impressed with the size and health of all the woodland plants I recieved.

Very responsive to email, helped hammer out details of my order and requests for varieties he did not have listed.

I will be ordering again this spring.

I've ordered 3 times from Munchkin Nursery and have been very pleased with the exceptional quality and service provided. I've tried Anemone ranunculoides from other suppliers in the past and received them in a dormant state that I had no luck with. This spring I received my order from Munchkin with a block of the anemone cut from the ground, already sprouting. Success is at hand. The owner carries all sorts of wonderful woodland natives and a nice selection of toadlilies. He is intimately familiar with all his plants and is quite kind in answering any questions. Quality is superb, shipping timely.

I recently received my first order from Munchkin Nursery about a week ago, having ordered some Athyrium Nipponicum 'Ursula's Red', actaea rubra and Anemone Hybrida Queen Charlotte. Charlotte is on back order, but the ferns were by far the biggest I have ever received. They were carefully packaged in recyclable materials and plenty of moist earth. In my personal experience this results in a healthier plants than those sent bareroot, and the ferns sprouted in three days. I have some four year old nipponicums in the ground, and they are still dormant. The actaea (at $8.00, far less expensive than the $15.95 wanted by the excellent but expensive White Flower Farm) commenced growth the day after planting. There is a $25.00 minimum order.I exchanged several e-mails with the very pleasant owner, Gene Bush. I requested that that he send the plants at the time that seemed best but that he e-mail me to alert me of their impending arrival. This he did, sending them via priority mail, timing it so that the plants arrived just before the weekend.This was a great experience, and I intend to order trilliums next spring (they have an incredible assortment.)

I have ordered once from munchkin. Unfortunately, the trillium species I much wanted and received was rotten when it arrived. I received a replacement with no problem. The owner was very friendly. I would order again.

Gene, the owner, has been very upfront and generous in his emails, answering in great detail all types of questions I have had about toad lilies and other unique shade plants. He really knows his plants and takes his company seriously. I look forward to ordering from him this spring. Great web site for information and photos of shade plants.

We drove from central Ohio to South Central Indiana to visit this nursery. The garden tour was delightful. The information about the plants we purchased was very helpful. The plants were very big healthy. The trip was well worth our time.

They specialize in native & non-native woodland wildflowers; rare or unusual species and hybrid shade perennials. We toured their garden and bought plants from them their at their nursery and have been quite pleased. The prices were reasonable and the plants healthy. For example, when buying the variegated Solomon's seal, there were 5 plants in the pot. At another local nursery, we would have paid the same price to get 1 plant in the pot. Their free catalog has excellent descriptions of the plants and their growth needs, but no pictures. I have no experience with their mail order, but I know they do have quality plants and a knowledgeable staff.

I must tell everyone about this wonderful source of native plants, located in Indiana. The web site is well constructed, the service is excellent and prompt, but the plants arrive in the best condition of all on-line companies I have used. A real find!

I haven't ordered from Munchkin, but their selection is very nice. They specialize in perennials for shady gardens.