The scoop on 'Asiatica Int'l Rare Plant Resource'

Positive doesn't catch it at all, generous (overly), awesome (totally) and of the two best mail order transactions I have ever been involved in. I had made the mistake of wasting time and money ordering my Arisaemas from Wayside (stupid, stupid,stupid) and after three weeks they tell me they are out of stock so I e-mail Barry. He not only sent my plants on the next business day, he sent me three 25 dollar plants, I had only paid for one. I think Barry did this as an act of kindness, sensing how frustrated I was with Wayside and hooked me up. The two extras were not of blooming size, but they will be next year, besides I ordered it after blooming season. The plants arrived promptly as promised, well packed (very carefully, one of the best jobs I've seen) as promised and very much Arisaema Sikokianum as promised. Hey Barry I really appreciate it, you rock man, can't wait to put in another order.

Just received my 1st order of 4 new varieties of Thai Caladium bulbs and was pleased. The shipping and handling charge was a little hefty as they did not combine for quantity, ($40.00 for 8 - 4" potted bulbs), but I suppose this was due to the extensive care they put into packing the order.
Everything was very moist and received quickly. Bulbs were starting to sprout when I opened the order and are doing well.

I ordered from Asiatica for the first time last week. I was excited to obtain some corms of the new Thai caladiums. My online order was confirmed by email almost immediately, I was notified of the shipping of my order within two days, and received the order (wonderfully packaged) two days later (today). The corms were individually bagged and labeled, look to be fine, and with complete instructions for planting and subsequent care. I thought the prices for these corms very reasonable; shipping charges were actually not bad either. I plan to oder again from this company as their selection of hard-to-find plants is fantastic.

In the Spring of 2006, I sent my first (and last) order to this nursery. The order included a Helwingia jap. 'Gold Boat' shrub for which I paid $36.00 plus shipping. When the order arrived, I was stunned to find my $36 got me a 3" rooted cutting - which immediately died when planted out. Several of the other plants I received were also very small and died within weeks. I emailed Barry and he suggested I should send the Helwingia back (at my expense, of course) but it had already been planted out. I believe, NO MATTER HOW RARE THE PLANT MAY BE, if you are selling 3" plants for $36 by mail order you should so state their size in your catalog. I used to mail order a lot of plants but I have now almost stopped completely in large part because sending tiny plants (I don't care what size the container is, folks) at inflated prices has become way too common.

I have reviewed Mr. Mitckes’ order of March 12, 2006. Mr. Mitckes ordered a plant in its first year of introduction (Helwingia japonica ‘Gold Boat’), so it was not reasonable to expect a large plant. He received a one year old plant from a rooted cutting. I offered him a refund for the plant, but he would not return it. Because the plant was not defective, it was his responsibility to return it if he did not want it. I also shop on line, and that is what I do if I receive an item that is not what I expected. I also recommended to him some excellent nurseries that sell large plants, but that did not suit him either.

There were five other plants on his order, all shade perennials. All were shipped as blooming size plants, so if he thinks they were too small, he does not understand the plants that he ordered. He has never complained about those plants, although he now says that he finds them unsatisfactory.

We work hard to provide the newest and rarest plants and good service, and nearly all of our customers are extremely pleased. I think that Mr. Mitckes should think about why he is still obsessed about this plant two years after the transaction. In any case, I think it is better for both him and Asiatica that he has found other sources for his plants.

A customer has some responsibilities, including the responsibility to understand the terms of business of the company he is ordering from, and to inform the company of problems before posting complaints publicly two years after a transaction about matters that were not discussed with the company. To expand on his "short email" to us in this forum without having bothered to present his complaints to the company is vindictive, and to me, more than a little obsessive. I think he
should try to get on with his life.

I received my order yesterday and I am very happy. The plants were packed with great care. They were all very healthy looking and a good size. Asiatica offers a fantastic selection of plants - many that I have not seen anywhere else. I thought the communication with the staff was great - they responded to my email right away. I am a happy customer and will be ordering from Asiatica again in the future.

This company sells many plants that you can't find elsewhere. I have ordered from them twice and on both orders received healthy, mature plants. Of great importance to me is their ability to ship the plants correctly. It breaks my heart to receive a box of plants that are battered and stressed from banging around in their container. On both my orders the communication was first rate. I don't like giving money to plant companies that won't talk to me. I needed some info on planting depth on one of the plants I received today and I got a mailing back in about an hour. Other companies sometimes take days or don't reply at all. Garden on Asiatica, the Hostafarian gots lots of big dollars to spend at your place.

I recently ordered two hard to find ferns from Asiatica Nursery. The plants arrived proptly, well packed, and in great shape.

Rec'd my order today, this was the first time I had ordered from them. They keep you informed of order status, plants were packed well, and plants were mature specimens. I had hesitated in the past to order, due to the cost of the plants with shipping. But after seeing the quality I think they are worth it. I ordered Arisaema which was actually in bloom. Two orchids were also in bloom. Will be happy to order again.

Awesome Nursery. The best Rare Plant Source in the US!Many can be found no where else in the US.
I ordered 2 orchids and a Asarum. All arrived in excellent condition. I was impressed with the way they pack thier plants as well. They are worth every penny. I have ordered before and have yet to be dissapointed. I do beleive other Nurseries selling rarer plants get their plants here as well.

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i ordered 2 each of 2 different bulbs 12/20/06. they arrived 12/26/06 in great shape, are planted, and ready to do their thing. communication COULD be improved........
* * * * * (5 star)

I've bought plants from this nursery for a few years now and have always been very happy. Definately not for the person who is used to paying ten bucks for a perennial in a gallon container overflowing with leaves, but for the rare plant collector it is a dream come true. Mostly dealing in shade and tropical plants they have a wide variety of hardy orchids, rare variegated plants, and probably the largest selection of Asarums offered by any nursery.

This year I had the pleasure of going to their spring open house. Barry Yinger and Andy are very friendly and offer not only excellent plants but excellent conversation, and upon hearing that I was a collector of Viola species and hybrids gave me a few Viola eizanensis he'd collected from Japan that had seeded themselves around in his garden. Definately one of my favorite nurseries.

Bought a variegated Rhapis excelsa (Lady Palm) from them and a Hoya.. Shipping was prompt and both plants looked great upon arrival.

I had the good fortune of meeting Mr. Yinger at the 2005 GardenFair at Winterthur Museum, Wilmington, Delaware; what a nice man and so knowledgeable.

I bought 3 species at that occasion: Salvia yunnanensis, Salvia glabrescens 'Shi Ho', and Caryopteris divaricata 'Blue Butterflies'. I am happy to report winter survival of all but S. yunnanensis which I probably did not plant early enough in the year to get it established. The other species are coming up nice and strong, and I await the first flowers this year.

I have bought by mail order from this fine company this spring more Salvia yunnanensis, Salvia glabrescens 'Momobana', and they had huge root systems, were perfectly packed.

I can't rave enough about this company. Their products are an extreme value considering how rare many of them are in the USA.

Joseph

I just received two Jeffersonia dubyi plants from Asiatica. I couldn't be happier. The plants were shipped quickly and arrived beautifully packed and healthy. I also found them very good size, especially for this species. Yes, they were expensive but you get what you pay for. I planted them a few days ago and they are thriving and even beginning to bloom. I highly recommend Asiatica to others, especially for hard to find species.

Plants were very,very small. plus we have found them most rude, we ( a group of people) were going to order from this nursery again, but because of the rude attitude from the owner, we got our plants for somewhere else. $6,000 usa worth.
gardening is meant to be fun and give us pleasure not pain.

I agree that gardening should be fun, which is why I suggested to this customer that she should patronize another nursery. This customer did not accept our policy that plants cannot be reserved without payment. I explained our policy, but received several argumentive emails with the implied threat that she would shop elsewhere if I did not give her special treatment. I responded as I always do to such demands: I suggested that we would both be happier if she dealt with another nursery. I do not reject business lightly, but her current comments only reaffirm to me that I made the right decision. This exchange happened at least a year ago. I have moved on, and I hope that "cloverhill" can do the same. She should be grateful that I have saved her from wasting $6000 on any more "very very small" plants, plants that once delighted her but, strangely enough, she still resents not being able to buy again. To be fair to the rest of the staff, I am the only rude person here. Barry Yinger

I just received my first order with Asiatica and I am very pleased with my hoyas. Shipping was fast and packaging was great! I will definitely be a repeat customer!!

I received my rare orchid bulbs and they were the best plants I have ever received. I have been gardening for 40 years.

Plant arrived extremely healthy...Shipping was quick..There are so many varieties of tropicals to shop for.

I placed an order two days ago and have my super rare bulbs resting in my lab today.
This is an awesome plant resource. The staff is helpful and concerned. Shipping is lightspeed. Packaging is intelligent and careful.
Plant selection is vast with emphasis on the unusual and rare.
I will return again, and HIGHLY recommend this company.

I just received my first order from this awesome company. The Hostas were packaged very well in their pots with foam covering the dirt, nice and damp and in really healthy looking condition. I was really relieved because this was a splurge for me. I will definitely be buying from them again! I thank them for their first class operation, Kelly

I received my first order from Asiatica. The plants were somewhat small, but rare plants growing nicely. I appreciate the notice when plants are being shipped. I will order from them again.

I have been dealing with Asiatica for several years now.
Their plants are top quality as well as their customer service.
Everything I have purchased from them has been true to from and growing well. I can't recomend these people highly enough.

I must say I am overwhelmingly pleased with my experience with Asiatica. I placed an order on Friday, within hours had an email telling me the order had been processed and asking when I would like it shipped. By Monday another email telling me that it would be shipped the next day. My plants arrived extremely two days later well packed in a styrofoam box. All were healthy and average to very well sized (the variegated Rhapis palm billed as a single cane not yet clumping actually has 5 pups sprouting). Excellent communication, exotic and rare - as the name says - selections, fast shipping, great packaging - all perfect. They are pricey, but you won't find most of their selection elsewhere. They are high on shipping, but I did get a partial refund when actual came out less then they figured.

Overall, I will order from them again without hesitation.

Good plants (variegated lady palm)
Good price (compares to others)
Good communication (response in time, good follow up, you know where you stand)

Got 3 Hoyas from Asiatica. They are the best! They may be on the pricey side, but you really get what you pay for. It has been 3 weeks since my hoyas arrived and already they are taking off. Well packaged. Plants were incredibly healthy. Awesome! Will be back for more. Their selection is great. Email communication is superb!
You want cheap? Go somewhere else and roll the dice. You want the best? Asiatica is the one!

I ordered a number of plants this spring from Asiatica. I was very pleased with the quick response to my order. The plants arrived via Fed-ex, they were extremely well packed. The plants were clean, healthy, and rather large (compared to orders from other companies) I can't say enough about the quality of these plants. The prices are hard to beat too. It is very difficult to find some of the Japanese variegated varieties of some plants, especially the orchids. And when I have the seen them at orchid shows the prices were many times more than what Asiatica is asking.

I placed an order with them to get several beautiful aspidistra. They let me know that they were out. I was then upset because I had found the plants I was searching for and lost them. I was told that they would ship out when the next batch was available. So I figured I would probably get very small plants and was prepared. I did not and they were the best plants I have yet to recieve from a mail order place. Thankyou asiatica

Really a superb selection of plants catered to collectors of the rare, unique and very unusual. Prices are sky rocket high (especially the shipping charges), but do keep in mind the costs and work involved in providing these plants to gardeners. A lot of their plants are Japanese imports of nursery grown and propagated species available nowhere else! If you really want something from their selection really badly, it's worth saving about $200 for an order with Asiatica. Service was great with several e-mails about the status of your order, cultural tips and answers to any questions you may have. Plants arrived in great shape; barerooted, unfortunately (would have preferred potted, but regulations state that they must bareroot to enter WA state). You gotta do your homework, however, to insure that the plants you select will receive proper care once they arrive. As always, their nurseryman will assist you as best as he can!

Thank you for making the Plants By Mail FAQ available. I've recently had two good experiences ordering from one of the nurseries that you have listed in the FAQ. I ordered several plants from Asiatica Nursery last spring, including a Panda ginger (Asarum maximum). The plants arrived nice and fresh, and the ginger was actually blooming. Also, I just received some variegated (spots and stripes) Cast Iron plants (Aspidistra lurida 'Amanogawa') that I ordered from them. The plants look great. With this order, Asiatica Nursery sent me two e-mails in advance of shipment, first to say that they were holding my order until there was a break in the heat wave that we were having, and then about a week later to let me know that they had shipped my order. Really nice service.

Asiatica is a micro-nursery specializing in exclusive and rarely offered plants, mostly for the shade garden, and mostly from Asia.