The scoop on 'American Meadows'

Company Comment, posted on April 20, 2006:   American Meadows was founded in 1981 as The Vermont Wildflower Farm. The company changed its name to American Meadows as it launched on the internet in 1997 and later sold the retail operation. The original 6-acre "farm" in Charlotte VT, open Apr-Oct, is still operating and owned by another company. Today, from headquarters in Williston, VT, American Meadows operates a complete online catalog (There is no print catalog.) featuring long-proven wildflower mixes for all regions, an 80-Species Wildflower Encyclopedia, wide selections of spring and fall bulbs plus perennial plants. The company, now celebrating its 25th Anniversary, is dedicated to helping today's busy gardeners toward high-impact, low-maintenance gardening, or "More beauty with less work." The fast-growing AmericanMeadows.com website is known for detailed "How-To" info for wildflower meadow gardening, bulbs and plants. All seed is guaranteed, and the firm is dedicated to excellent customer service. The same family ownership for over two decades assures high quality in both products and customer care. AmericanMeadows.com and its roots in low-maintenance wildflower gardening, has been featured in over 200 newspaper and magazine articles in recent years, and is highlighted as one of the internet's success stories at Google.com.

Feedback History and Summary   56 positives 10 neutrals 6 negatives

Comments:

Rating Author Content Positive figaro52 (18 reviews) On May 15, 2008, figaro52 Oak Lawn, IL (Zone 5a) wrote: I have nothing but great things to say about American Meadows. I placed my first order less than a week ago. I ordered the old orange daylily Hemerocallis Fulva, aka "Ditch Lily." American Meadows included a free dwarf bearded iris, Baby Blessed. Such a pleasant surprise! The daylily and iris are in excellent condition and arrived so quickly. I'll certainly order from American Meadows again! Positive Raisa (1 review) On May 13, 2008, Raisa wrote: I have not ordered anything from American Meadows this year. I haven't needed to. ..However, I have ordered from them in the past (seeds and bulbs only) and have always been quite pleased. Positive bobbi_s (14 reviews) On May 4, 2008, bobbi_s Richland, WA (Zone 7a) wrote: This was the first time that I ordered from American Meadows, and was pleased with the purchases. I ordered the following items: Polianthes tuberosa , Zephyranthes, and some Oxalis Deppei. The sales were very good at 50% off at the time, and they have a large amount of items on their website both in perennials, and bulbs. I will order from them again in the future, and have been looking at their 50% off sales for the fall. Thanks! Negative heidicote (1 review) On April 27, 2008, heidicote Cary, NC wrote: We ordered several varieties of irises. The specimens were some of the worst I've ever seen. Extremely small and absolutely dried out -- about the quality you'd see at a "bulb clearance" in your typical Walmart store. A waste of money - I would NEVER order from this company again. Company representative comment on May 8, 2008: On May 8, 2008 1:23 PM, American Meadows added: So sorry your irises were unsatisfactory. This is rare for our irises, but we are anxious to replace them for you or issue a complete refund including shipping. Please let us know which type of iris you ordered.....Ray Allen, Pres. of AmericanMeadows.com. Positive hdmonster (2 reviews) On April 21, 2008, hdmonster Portland, OR wrote: This is my second order (primarily of lily bulbs) from American Meadows. I'm consistently impressed at the sheer size of the bulbs, and the number of roots already on the bulbs when they're received. They're also practically indestructible. I just planted my latest order, but as of April, last years lilys are already 6-10 inches tall with stalks at least the diameter of a quarter. While most have doubled, one has quadrupled. Last year, even with my limited gardening experience the bulbs produced 5ft tall wild lilies. I even accidentally struck one of my favorite rare lilies with a spade while it was dormant and shaved off a 3rd of the bulb. I expected it to be a lesson learned in being more careful where I dig, but 3 months later it has rallied and is only slightly smaller than the ones I haven't abused. Prices are very reasonable and they have many wild lilies which, in my experience, have been hard to find at all, and even harder to find under 10 dollars a bulb for the more rare wild lilies. I usually wait for the spring sale when the more common wild lilies like tiger lilies drop to around 3 bucks a bulb. For a novice gardener like myself, indestructible but spectacular lilies have been a lifesaver. I've also had better luck with their bareroot plants than with those from a couple of other companies, but I'm most likely not qualified to speak to the bareroot plant quality. I can only say they survived my particular brand of digging a hole, roughing up the soil a bit, then hoping for the best. Neutral blueeyeskms (11 reviews) On February 16, 2008, blueeyeskms Waverly, KS wrote: I ordered eight items from American Meadows last spring. Only two of the eight items grew and bloomed. These were the Anneke Calla Lily and the Biltmore Estates Glads and they were both absolutely gorgeous! I contacted the company and they credited me for the remaining items that did not grow. While I do feel that the company is to be commended for standing behind their 100% guarantee, I do not feel that the product is worthy of a positive rating at this point since money is still lost on shipping charges. I am going to place a small order with them because I really would like to have a few of their unique items and will change my rating accordingly after receipt of that order. Positive ValleyViewRtrt (4 reviews) On November 14, 2007, ValleyViewRtrt Bland, VA wrote: Our experience with your company has been terrific!!! We started out with an old grass field which had never been farmed, plowed or tilled. We wanted to grow wild flowers on approx. one acre of the field and had no idea how to go about doing that. We called your experts and recieved the advice we needed to get the project started. We were given the proper directions, and seedmix to use and I have to tell you the guests at Valley View Retreat B&B had wonderful flowers to pick fresh for their rooms the first year....not to mention the Birds, Butterflies,and Honybees that showed up to enjoy the flowers too!!! We have ordered more individual flower seeds this year to build up numbers of our favorite flowers in the mix.This was a very dry year in Southwest Virginia and our flowers still did really well........I can't wait untill spring to see next years bloom.........Thank you guys, we are sold on your quality and reliability......WE WILL BE RETURNING CUSTOMERS!!!.... Nancy Pasqualini Neutral jesskougl (2 reviews) On August 16, 2007, jesskougl Sunland, CA wrote: All these comments of long-time American Meadows customers boosts my faith in their product, but I unfortunately had a bad first experience. I ordered three types of bare root plants, and when the box arrived I was informed by a small note on the invoice (that I barely noticed until I searched every inch for indication of why I was missing roots) that one type had not met their standards this year so they weren't shipping them and I would be refunded. As for the other two, one had roots so small and indiscernible that I couldn't tell if I even was planting the roots or if it was debris in the included soil. The other type had larger roots but still didn't look in the best of shape, even to an amateur gardener. Neither of the two root types ever produced any growth, so around a month after planting I e-mailed the company for advice. They recommended waiting a little while longer, so I did and then e-mailed them again when there was still no growth, and they refunded me for the roots. I much appreciated getting my money back and will do business with American Meadows again since they so stand behind their product, but I have made it a point to avoid even considering bareroot plants from that or any other site. Positive morgen (3 reviews) On July 30, 2007, morgen San Luis Obispo, CA wrote: I ordered two bags of white glads, two bags of Biltmore Estate glads and 4 Akita dahlias. All are up and doing well. I tracked my shipment all the way from VT to CA via UPS website. All items were shipped the day after I ordered them. I can only say good things about American Meadows- + they gave me some bonus seed packets! On October 6th, 2007, morgen added the following: My 4 Akita dahlias are blooming and they are simply stunning! I never knew anything could be so beautiful. I am hooked on dahlias now and can't wait to get some more in the ground. 100% of the glads are ready to start opening. I can't wait! Negative wildflower8143 (7 reviews) On July 7, 2007, wildflower8143 Norwalk, CT wrote: I ordered three lily bulbs and one Dahlia (2-pack) from American Meadows. Of the four items only one item did not have an issue. Of the three lily: One died within a week. The second arrived completely moldy - I called them and they replaced it. The replacement lily came in packaging that stated the correct name, red tiger lily, but when it bloomed it was orange. So you can't rely on the bulb matching with the labeling/packaging. The third has not bloomed, has not even set buds, so I don't know if it is the correct color, but it was the only healthy bulb of the whole order. They sent me the wrong Dahlia. I called them back and they sent me the correct one. The Dahlia come packaged two per package. I now had two incorrect Dahlia and two correct Dahlia. Of the four Dahlia, only two grew, two never even sprouted any growth at all. The Dahlia have not flowered so I don't know if they are the correct color. American Meadow's customer service was very nice and helpful when I called them twice. Not only did they replace the moldy bulb and the incorrect Dahlia, they also refunded my money for the entire order. Though I received my money back, I am very disappointed with my order from American Meadows. Only one out of the four did not have an issue – that I currently know of (some have not yet bloomed). To receive moldy bulbs, mislabeled bulbs, and two out of four Dahlia not grow at all ... I will not be ordering from American Meadows. Company representative comment on August 4, 2007: On Aug 4, 2007 8:06 PM, American Meadows added: I have tried to contact this customer on August 4th to address the problem....Ray Allen, Owner, AmericanMeadows.com On Aug 4, 2007 8:07 PM, American Meadows added: Positive purpleice (20 reviews) On July 6, 2007, purpleice Bridgman, MI (Zone 5a) wrote: I ordered bare root plants from these folks and I was incredulous at the pitiful specimens that they sent. The Yarrow never even came up, the tall Phlox David is the dwarf kind and not David at all but pink. Out of 9 plants I can count for 3 (non bare root plants) that have done well. I will never order from these people again. On November 15th, 2007, purpleice added the following: Mr. Allan contacted me on Aug. 4 of this year to offer to make amends if I send him my name and address. I did that (with a brief description of my problem) the same day. I have yet to hear back from him and this is the middle of November. I don't think he was serious. On May 10th, 2008, purpleice changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following: I wish to change my rating of this company to a positive because this issue has been resolved to my satisfaction. Company representative comment on August 4, 2007: On Aug 4, 2007 8:08 PM, American Meadows added: I have attempted to contact this customer to address this problem on August 4th. --Ray Allen, Owner, AmericanMeadows.com Positive xenya (8 reviews) On May 26, 2007, xenya North East, MD wrote: I ordered bulbs and lily of the valley from American Meadows. The bulbs were of nice size and the pips were healthy. All are growing well. I'll order from them again! Neutral Madisonkathy (6 reviews) On May 10, 2007, Madisonkathy Sun Prairie, WI (Zone 4b) wrote: I've previously ordered bulbs from American Meadows and was satisfied with them...the size and prices were good, and they bloomed well. This was the first year I've ordered bare root plants from them, and I was disappointed. I've planted bare roots before, and these were some of the smallest I've ever planted; some were little more than a chopped piece of root...no feeder roots, no top growth. With our short growing season, and the fact that they didn't get here until the middle of May, I doubt I'll see much growth this year. Neutral Weather (3 reviews) On April 30, 2007, Weather Quincy, MA (Zone 6b) wrote: It's been 7 weeks since I placed an order -- my first -- with American Meadows. Though they charged me for the order, I've received nothing, nor have I heard from the company in two weeks. On March 9th, I ordered plants, bulbs and seeds from American Meadows. The order totaled $32.83. I received their automated "Thanks for your order" email. Then nothing. For weeks. On April 9th, I called to see what the delay was. The operator said that there had been "a problem with my card" and that my order was never filled. (If there were a problem with my card, why didn't they contact me? They had my phone number, mailing address and email address, after all.) I asked the operator to re-submit the order. On April 12th, American Meadows charged my debit card for $42.13 -- almost $10 more than the original total! That was the last I heard from them. They did not send an a confirmation that the order was being filled, nor did they give an explanation for the higher cost. That was over two weeks ago. I still haven't heard anything from them. Thank Heavens that I wasn't relying on them for seeds that needed to be started indoors. On May 2nd, 2007, Weather added the following: May 2 update: I received half of my order -- a fern, a hosta, and a Louisiana iris. The plants were in good condition and packaged well. Also included were 3 free mini seed packets. Still no sign of my seeds or bulbs. The company still hasn't responded to the voicemail I left last week, nor to my my emails of April 27 and April 30. On May 4th, 2007, Weather changed the rating from negative to neutral and added the following: May 4 update: I just got my seeds and bulbs. Positive RaiderLep (8 reviews) On April 23, 2007, RaiderLep Los Alamos, NM (Zone 5a) wrote: American Meadows is a great company. I've made several purchases from them over the past couple of years, and I'm very pleased with their products. I received some inferior perennials last year, but was given a prompt refund for the plants that did not grow. The bulbs and wildflower seed I've received from American Meadows have been great. The customer service is even better. It's always a pleasure dealing with American Meadows. They'll take care of you. Positive pbtxlady (10 reviews) On March 30, 2007, pbtxlady Garland, TX (Zone 8a) wrote: I placed a very large order of seed packets with AM for a church organization promotion. The seeds were here in about three days. When I opened the box, I discovered that we had mistakenly ordered the wrong packets. AM was wonderful about exchanging them. I haven't planted any myself yet, so I can't speak for germination, but it is a great product for organizations like mine to hand out. The packets are very pretty and can be customized. The ladies who received them liked them very much. Negative jimmlind (2 reviews) On March 27, 2007, jimmlind Folkston, GA wrote: My expewrience with American Meadows has not been a good one. They always have an excuse for item being shipped late and its always the carrier that damages their products. I have not received anything on time yet. Positive GEOJEFF (4 reviews) On February 10, 2007, GEOJEFF Coventry, CT wrote: Package came swiftly and well packaged. Instructions for sowing and care included. My only beef is they sent me what I ordered, not what I meant to order. I will do business with them again. Positive parrot22 (4 reviews) On November 2, 2006, parrot22 Pensacola, FL (Zone 8b) wrote: I have ordered from this company numerous times and have always been pleased. I recently received some amaryllis bulbs that I ordered. They are as big as grapefruits and appear very healthy. I have only had good experiences with American Meadows. Positive binky2006 (2 reviews) On October 16, 2006, binky2006 Oregon, WI wrote: Though I had not had a lot of success with seeds prior to my order, I had terrific germination with each type of seed I ordered. This is a terrific way to get a large amount of plants for a small amount of money. I highly recommend the company. Positive Cyn (3 reviews) On August 29, 2006, Cyn Seekonk, MA wrote: I ordered about 10 perennials from American Meadows in the Spring. They arrived looking like handsome specimens. I planted all, and none came up. (Planted in late spring). I waited until the end of August. Still nothing! I didn't want to contact them. Who was going to believe the whole order was bad? I couldn't prove anything. I finally relented and sent an e-mail (it was over $50 worth of stuff). I received an answer the same day! They apologized and said that it was their first time for perennials and it hadn't worked out as well as they'd hoped. They are going to credit my card. I will continue to deal with them. Their wildflowers and bulbs are excellent! They have great sales! Positive JimEP (6 reviews) On July 21, 2006, JimEP Houghton Lake, MI wrote: I purchased few Tiger Lilly Bulbs during the Spring Sale. Some were unavailable which was a disappointment but after all it was a clearance sale. The bulbs that did arrive were huge, healthy and labeled. When I didnt understand what color was which, A phone call got me immediate help to explain the color names. I planted them the day after receiving and to date the bulbs are not doing well - only 3 bulbs have sprouted . I contacted Erin French about this, since I dug up one bulb after more than a month and it was sitting in the ground exactly as I planted it. It was not rotten and it wasnt sprouting. Erin advised me to leave them and see if they sprouted next year, but offered a refund along with it. Im impressed with the immediate response, advice and refund offer. Im looking forward to ordering bulbs for fall planting Positive JuJuKing (1 review) On July 7, 2006, JuJuKing La Crescent, MN wrote: I ordered many lilies and other bulbs from American Meadow. It was my first order with them. When I planted the lilies I noticed two packets were short one bulb each. I emailed the company and got a response in one day saying the bulbs were now sold out and that my money for the two packets would be refunded on my credit card. It was done that week. The bulbs and roots that I did receive were large and healthy. I am impressed by the sale prices of Am. Meadow and quick shipping and email response. I will order from them again...and have. Positive rseemann (1 review) On June 21, 2006, rseemann Wright City, MO wrote: I have been gardening for over 40 years, am a Master Gardener and work at a noted botanical garden. I order extensively from catalogs and (more recently) on-line. American Meadows consistently has the highest quality products of any on-line provider I've used. Your customer service, delivery and the condition of the plants/seeds upon arrival are unequalled. I often recommend American Meadows to friends and associates. Positive vossner (63 reviews) On June 21, 2006, vossner Richmond, TX (Zone 9a) wrote: I also took advantage of their 70% off sale and purchased callas and cannas. They arrived very quickly and bulbs look very good. I would buy from them again, based on this experience. Positive irmaly (3 reviews) On June 20, 2006, irmaly boone, NC (Zone 5b) wrote: I took advantage of a 70% off Spring bulbs sale and I have to say I couldn't be more pleased. Bought canna and calla lilies. All arrived very quickly, my purchase was confirmed immediately by email, and some of the bulbs were even sprouting. The bulbs are very large and firm and well labeled. I feel I tested these folks out with one of their sales, and they can count on me for full retail in the future. Positive ignote (6 reviews) On June 15, 2006, ignote Saint Cloud, MN (Zone 4a) wrote: I ordered all of my plants online this year, as I have a busy schedule and was actually spending most of my time landscaping to get a garden ready. I placed two orders with American Meadows, because I couldn't resist their Advance Order prices, and they had most of the things I was looking for. The items all arrived in good condition, and were carefully packed and labeled. There was a mix-up with one shipment, and a few things were left out. I emailed customer service, and got a prompt response saying that they'd send out those plants. I got them just fine. I will use this company in the future! Positive erichle (5 reviews) On June 15, 2006, erichle Reedsburg, WI wrote: American Meadows were the only Company this Spring 2006 who had truly fantastic Sales :) There Plants arrived in great health, and there Bulbs were the Biggest and BEST that I have ever received from anyone !!............ Also they send me extra free bulbs of the so exspensive "Martagon Lily", which usually cost from $11 - 13 for 1, for only $3 something for 2, awesome !!!......... And they promptley answer all my questions any time, and gave me a $25 Certificate for telling them how faithful they are, which they are :) All in all I will stay with them from now on !!!................ Margrit Moan-Nachreiner Reedsburg, WI 53959 Positive gigif (3 reviews) On June 12, 2006, gigif Cypress, CA wrote: I ordered several bulbs from this company because of great prices. I was hoping to get at least a few that looked good and figured I'd get what I paid for. Well, when they arrived, the Asiatic and Calla bulbs were in terrific condition and the trumpet lily bulbs, although they had sprouted (which was expect at this time of year), the sprouts look very healthy. They have all started out really great. I'll go back. I did call them to check on shipping, got someone on the phone and she was very pleasant, polite and helpful. (And also told me my order had shipped the day before, which helped) Positive LarisaB (8 reviews) On June 11, 2006, LarisaB West Seattle, WA (Zone 8b) wrote: I have ordered twice from this company. I've gotten bulbs from them at the end-of-season sale, and they were in no worse shape than one might expect, for the time of year; but where I feel American Meadows really shines, is in their seed selection and quality. I like to buy their mixes and then punch them up with one or two of my favorite single varieties. Also, my experience of their customer service has been very good. My first order, in Autumn, they were going to ship quite late because it rarely freezes in my zone, but I needed the bulbs earlier because of my own availability for planting. I talked on the phone with a very friendly lady who made it happen. Positive boominggarden (9 reviews) On June 10, 2006, boominggarden Bloomingdale, MI wrote: I have had a good experience with this company on several occasions. The seed in bulk comes in a cute little fabric bag, and it germinates very well. The bulbs are coming up too. I have not tried any live plants. Positive jayme25 (8 reviews) On June 9, 2006, jayme25 Enumclaw, WA wrote: This was my first order with American Meadows. I took advantage of their 50% off sale and ordered some Dahlias. The order came quickly and looked good. The Dahlias have small shoots growing and I know they will do well. I will order from them again. Positive Nana3 (7 reviews) On June 8, 2006, Nana3 Hanson, KY (Zone 6a) wrote: I have ordered bulbs from American Meadows and I am very pleased with the quality and size of the bulbs. My orders have arrived extremely fast and well packaged. I also had a question about one of my first orders and emailed the company and they were quick to respond. Nana3 Neutral Soferdig (1 review) On June 4, 2006, Soferdig Kalispell, MT (Zone 4b) wrote: I ordered 2 plants (cimicifuga) and a wild flower group of seeds. I was impressed with the seed mixtures and quantity. I bought 4 oz packets. But the Cimicifugas didn't arrive until mid May and the same problem as above. They were tiny dry roots with no moisture in the plastic bags and as of a month now none have survived. I later (before recieving the 1st order) ordered a sale group of root stock with a group of Cimicifuga which I paid 7.95 each minus a discount of 50 bucks on a 130 buck order. Also I ordered a group of Heliopsis X 6 and 2 other Filipendula Rubra perenials. All of these, but the Filipendula, came in the same plastic perforated bags with powder dry peat. These were delivered to my hands from UPS or Fed X. I can't remember. 2 bags had only dead and friable roots that were hard to find in the dry peat. I have learned to no longer buy plants that come from so far. My mistake. This is my first internet purchase and I have learned that when you pay a discount you should expect them to die. I am frustrated. Oh I did get a free bag of seeds that had about 15 to 20 seeds total in them. Maybe I will have some patriotic colors in my wild flower meadows. My only suggestion to American Meadows is to get perenials to Zone 4 in at least early April. So they have a chance and maybe to bag the product in premoistened peat. Positive carolrees (23 reviews) On June 4, 2006, carolrees Arlington, VA (Zone 7a) wrote: I ordered on 3/16/06 3 packages of seeds. This is my first experience purchasing from them. Birdsfoot Trefoil Wild snapdragon Crimson clover I really wanted the birdsfoot trefoil since I love this plant and unfortunately the ones I had were inadvertantly removed by someone who weeded my garden once. All seeds sprouted right away. I was amazed at the amount of seeds I got for the price. I would definitely recommend this company for seed purchases. Neutral fluffysoftkitty (2 reviews) On May 31, 2006, fluffysoftkitty Kansas City, MO wrote: Ordered some hard-to-find plants in early April, they arrived around the beginning of May. Was disappointed that the "plants" were actually bare roots, but they looked ok so I planted them. Have seen no signs of life since then. Company rep was curteous and says they will refund my money. Would consider ordering from them in the future if I could get leafed out plants. Positive cakelady12946 (1 review) On May 29, 2006, cakelady12946 Lake Placid, NY wrote: I would just like to comment on the great service that I received from your company--I ordered some wild flower seeds on a Monday and received them on a Thursday of the same week--You have a great web site--very easy to navigate--has much helpful information associated with it--I now have the seeds planted and can't wait for them to bloom Positive jessmerritt (35 reviews) On May 28, 2006, jessmerritt Roswell, NM (Zone 7b) wrote: I've made one purchase from this company and had luck. I'll be clear that it was only for bulbs, no perennials. I ordered them on sale at 50% off and although I've recieved larger bulbs from other places, I am happy with what I recieved. Everything is healthy and well worth the price I paid. Neutral MLSD0912 (6 reviews) On May 27, 2006, MLSD0912 Danbury, CT wrote: I placed my order in late February, and it was comprised of both a wildflower seed mixture, and the American Meadows Yarrow and Poppy Collection savers. First, the positive…the seed mixture portion of the order arrived quickly, and with extra seeds. I have sown them all, and with all the seedlings emerging it appears that I have a nice wildflower area to look forward to in the next month or so. Now the negative. The Yarrow and Poppy collections were THE WORST looking bare root plants I have ever seen. They came in separate plastic bags packed with peat moss, but the roots were/are flimsy looking, and if they actually grow into anything it would be a gardening miracle. One of the Yarrow bags was completely empty…no bare root stock at all ! While perhaps I didn’t read closely enough that they would come as only bare root, I could easily have bought something of better quality at the local Home Depot, or the ever-chintzy Christmas Tree Shop. There was another item I ordered that they could not fulfill, so they credited me the amount, and sent a bag of ten "Lillie of the Valley" as a good will gesture. Nice…not wow, but nice. While I give American Meadows their props on the seeds, the credit for unavailable merchandise, and the good will bag; their “live” plant selection is embarrassing. I will order from them again, but ONLY seeds. The worst part is that you place your order, you save a spot in your garden, resist temptation to buy and fill the space because you have the order coming, and then the product that arrives is questionable at best. Makes you feel cheated. I couldn’t go all negative on this review, but man was it tempting ! Positive bbrookrd (25 reviews) On May 25, 2006, bbrookrd nantucket, MA (Zone 7a) wrote: On Feb 16 2006 I placed an order with Am. meadows. The bulbs arrived in reasonably good shape, though not as good as many ordered from other sources at a similar price. The eremurus that arrived on May 18 2006 was a dried up bit of nothing. I doubt it will survive. The Louisiana Iris black gamecock was an OK size, but was a very pale sickly yellow and completely limp. I think as Iris are tough it will make it, but it was pathetic. The aquilegia was again marginal. The best part of the plant order was that they were generous with the peat around the plants. I think it was worth more than the items. I will not be ordering again from the company. I ordered this in their preseason sale, but the money saved was not worth the poor quality that they shipped. On June 1st, 2006, bbrookrd changed the rating from negative to positive and added the following: The poor quality of the three live plants has been responded to in a most generous and sincere manner by American Meadows. I will certainly give them another chance. I most likely should have e-mailed them first and given them an opportunity to replace the poor plants, but as I went straight to a negative comment, they took it upon themselves to get in touch with me. I received an unsolicited response from the owner, Ray, which was both informative, apologetic and honest and beyond generous. Now that is customer service! He obviously really cares about his online customers. He seemed truly upset at the poor shipment I received and he is hopeful that American Meadows can regain my confidence in the future. He has taken a proactive step to bring me back as a customer in the future. I think it fair that I remove the negative comment at this time. In the future before leaving a less than positive comment, I will respond first to the company and give them the opportunity to make amends for less than satisfactory service and goods. Initially, I may have given American Meadows a negative comment , but they have turned this situation into a positive and pleasant experience for me. Patti Company representative comment on May 28, 2006: On May 28, 2006 8:54 AM, American Meadows added: Apology and full refund including shipping has been offered. After 25 years of successfully shipping seeds and bulbs, this spring was our first year shipping live plants, due to many customer requests. The plants sold out quickly, and most people were happy with their shipments, but some were not. The plants all began in great shape, but some serious mistakes were made in shipping. We are truly sorry, and if we handle perennials again, our system of shipping will be completely revamped.

Read the rest of the comments

Return to the Garden Watchdog homepage

Learn how to link to this page