The scoop on 'Brewery Creek Garden Center'

I ordered tomato plants from this company on April 19 and the website indicated that plants would be shipped on May 1. By May 7, I still had not received my order and called the company. I was told someone would return my call. On May 8, I called again, as I still hadn't received my plants and no one had returned my call or emailed me. I was again told that someone would contact me.

I received the plants on May 9 with no call or email to let me know they were coming. They were extremely poorly wrapped - just a single sheet of newspaper wrapped around them and shoved into a post office cardboard box with no other padding - and completely dry. This shipping cost me $11 for 6 plants (which is their minimum order). The plants were crushed and wilted, and some of the branches were broken.

I called the company to complain about the poor wrapping and finally spoke with someone who could answer questions. We agreed that I would water the plants and he would call back the next morning to see how they were doing. I watered them and placed them in the shade, which I would have done anyway, and left them until this morning. They were still pretty droopy and showing signs of stress. When I received the phone call - he actually did finally keep his word about that - I told him what the plants looked like. He didn't seem to believe me and kept saying that the plants were appropriately wrapped. Finally, although I only asked to have my $11 shipping charge refunded, as I thought I could probably nurse the plants back to health, he stated that he would refund all the money.

Unfortunately, it's too late in the season to order plants from anywhere else, so if these don't make it, I won't have tomatoes this year. In addition, the defensiveness and refusal to listen to WHY the packaging wasn't enough to protect the plants during shipping have convinced me never to order from this company again.

Brewery Creek has been a terrific garden center for me! I have found the variety of plants, flowers, veggies, etc. give me ideas for plantings that don't look just like my neighbors. It's fun to try new things. The selection of heirloom tomatoes has me constantly expanding my garden. This has been my garden destination for over 20 years; I look at other places, but always buy here.