| Rating | Author | Content |
| Neutral | Bob_C
East Berlin, PA
(2 reviews)
October 31, 2009 | I ordered a total of 25 bare root tree seedlings for Fall planting this year. The seedlings arrived in good condition, although the Balsam Firs were definitely on the small side.
My complaint is regarding shipping notification: there is none. I travel for a living, and left early in the morning for three days on the day the seedlings arrived unannounced. A simple email notification of shipment with an estimated arrival date would be helpful and pretty easy to do, instead of the vague shipping date of "Proper time for my area" on the order confirmation.
I will probably order from another company next time so I am not surprised again.
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| Negative | bstnh1
Farmington, NH
(1 review)
July 26, 2009 | I have ordered from Musser Forests for well over 20 years. Years ago, I was completely satisfied with all aspects of every order. However, for the last 5 years or so the quality of their plants has not been that great. Although they are packed well, most of what I've received (trees) are fairly scrawny, seem to be random sizes, and barely meet the minimum size stated in their catalog. Very disappointing. Bases on comments I've seen on the web, guess I'll give Cold Stream Farm a try. Their shipping costs are fairly high, but the extra cost may be worth it if the quality and size are more reliable. |
| Positive | cjparker
Kennewick, WA
(Zone 7a)
(6 reviews)
April 29, 2009 | I'm very please with the package I just opened from Musser Forests. In order to take advantage of their "50 Frasier Fir seedlings for $1 with any order", I ordered a 1-2 foot sawtooth oak. The sawtooth oak is a tad shy of three feet, has many leaf buds and looks healthy and ready to grow. The fifty supposedly 4-8" seedlings are all over a foot tall and are healthy and pliant. They were packed in such a way that they could not move about in the box. So I have a three foot oak tree and a bunch of foot-tall fir trees, all for under $20 including shipping. Very nice!
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| Positive | qbs
Mill Hall, PA
(5 reviews)
April 21, 2009 | I placed a nice order with Musser's. All the plants arrived in a very secured manner and all very viable. I have had to pot many of the bare rooted plants as the planting area has not been cleared due to the wet and cool weather we have been having. All the plants have budded out and are very healthy in their pots. |
| Positive | PinetopPlanter
Auburn Four Corners, PA
(Zone 5a)
(12 reviews)
April 21, 2009 | My father and I have ordered from Musser for years (at least 15), and we have been relatively happy customers. They were the first nursery in our area, to my knowledge, to offer bulk seedlings of Concolor, or White, fir, and each year have a few unusual pine, spruce, or fir offerings that can be had at a decent price in amounts as little as 5, or even individually, in pots. They have been the only commercial catalogue we have ordered from for bulk tree seedlings beyond our state nursery in Pennsylvania. Over the years, for sure, they have fallen short a couple of times, in supplying seedlings that were definitely at the lowest end of their scale in terms of height. However, on the average, they have been quite good regarding the material they supply and the time they ship.
This year's order included 25 bareroot Concolor fir, and smaller amounts of Lodgepole pine, Serbian spruce, Southwestern White pine, potted Austrian pine, and a smattering of individual potted trees. Although the Lodgepole pines were on the small side, the others were beyond expectation, and all looked healthy, fresh, and ready to grow.
We are quite happy to have Musser as a resource for quality seedlings. I look forward every year to their newest offerings. |
| Positive | PAMSPACE
Temperanceville, VA
(Zone 7a)
(3 reviews)
April 14, 2009 | I ordered 5 Eastern White Pines on 3/29/09. When I got off their website I went cruising the 'Net looking for pictures of my soon-to-be grown up trees. To my horror, I realized that I had ordered the wrong type of tree. It was a Sunday, and I left a rather long-winded message regarding my mistake. I was contacted at work the next day and we discussed my requirements at length. After several trips for the customer service rep to talk to a botanist, we determined what tree to order and what the shearing requirements would be. Well, those babies came last night and they are wonderful. Packing was done carefully, pots were moist, and I only had to tease the roots a little bit before they went in the ground. I will definitely order from Musser's again ! Pamspace |
| Positive | adalm
Madison, OH
(4 reviews)
April 07, 2009 | I have ordered hundreds of trees from musser's and have never been dissapointed. They send what you order. Out of those trees I can count on my hand how many didn't make it. They have saved me so much money reforesting my property. |
| Positive | hemlockhaunts
Dover, PA
(4 reviews)
March 27, 2009 | Musser Forests is a Superior tree farm. Been planting their trees and shrubs for 15 years. One week delivery time after ordering(fast). Just keep your plant roots moist and plant right away on arrival. Water regularly the first season. You'll be rewarded with lush stands of trees or shrubs as I have. A stand of palowuania is now 40' high, and the seeds have spread, with trees everywhere on my lot. My evergreens are over 30' high. Redbuds have seeded and appear everywhere. 12' wegeilias. More forsythia than I can transplant all from one bush from musser. You got to never let the roots dryout when transplanting ordered stock or dividing your own, that is the key to success. Best to plant early spring or late fall, my plants always survive. |
| Positive | cbandina
Horseshoe Bend, AR
(2 reviews)
January 12, 2009 | Jan. 6th ordered 10 spratan trees recieved today 12th . They are in good shape and hope they all thrive where I plan to grow them as a hedge. Will plant them 3 ft apart. we still have wokable soil here in n.e.ar. plan to buy more evergreens from them. |
| Negative | Whatapples
Sheridan, WY
(1 review)
July 29, 2008 | I received my supposed Whitney Crabapple tree in 2001. It finally bloomed and fruited this year.(2008) Well, it is not a Whitney crabapple. So I called the company and they said they have never had a Whitney Crabapple and could I send them a leaf or something so they could identify it. Ha! I could see where that was going. I am not very happy that after the seven years it took to bear fruit that it is not even what I ordered and then they tell me it is not even theirs. It is the only mail order company I have ever ordered from so I know that it is their tree.Their response is very disappointing. |
| Positive | jessums
Pittsburgh, PA
(Zone 6b)
(1 review)
June 14, 2008 | Beautiful garden center with extremely helpful staff. Decided to visit them in Spring and was able to get some incredible deals. If you get a chance to go some time, it is definitely worth the trip. |
| Negative | tdawg
Westerville, OH
(1 review)
April 30, 2008 | I ordered several bare root trees and a few potted ones last fall. They arrived at the very end of October. The bare root plants looked pathetic and the roots were almost dry. I suspected they wouldn't survive the winter so I called to ask for a refund. They noted this in their files but said wait until spring. Sure enough, all but 2 of the 15 had no buds that opened this year. The 2 that did had major die back and sprouted very low on the trunk. They won't be ready for open ground for at least another year!
I reported the news to Musser this spring. They said a supervisor had to review my claim and was very busy. I called back 3 times over the next 10 days to get an answer. They never called ME. The third time they said my money would be refunded for the trees I requested and I would receive replacments for the five holly, as requested. At least they didn't fight me on that. The holly arrived and were even more pathetic than the first batch. One was literally the length and diameter of a toothpick!
Yes the prices are good, but what's the point if the stock is substandard and doesn't survive. |
| Negative | TandS
Barto, PA
(1 review)
April 10, 2008 | I ordered about $130 worth of seedlings on line to be shipped to my house. Shipping added another $26, and Tax another $10 to the order. I asked for confirmation about delivery time, so I could keep an eye out for the order, Musser Customer Service decided to change the shipping method, incurring another $67 in shipping charges (effectively $93 to ship $130 worth of plants) but never sent me an e-mail regarding this change. When I found out that the plant order for $130 was charged on my credit card on March 7th for $230, I cancelled the entire order. Customer Service has assured me repeated that they issued a credit for the $230 on March 19th, but no such credit has been issued either on the March Statement, nor the April Statement to date. How deceptive is this? |
| Positive | quiltjean
North Chelmsford, MA
(Zone 6b)
(2 reviews)
March 30, 2008 | On the whole I am pleased with Musser. Last year the bayberries they sent were healthy and immediately went to work; however the Annabelle hydrangea died upon impact! I buy only potted treesbecause I've had less luck with bare-rooted stock. Most of my little trees are better than expected, more vigorous and ready to grow. |
| Positive | Uaru02
Simpsonville, KY
(2 reviews)
February 29, 2008 | I ordered 100 Norway Spruce last Fall. I didn't plant right away and then took too long to plant them when I had them in the field. I still had about a 80% survival rate. Not too bad. For the price, Musser's can't be beaten for bulk orders. I expected a certain amount of loss since I simply dropped the seedlings into the ground with a shovel-full of top soil. In about 75 years, the living screen that I am aiming for should be majestic.
I used to live relatively near Mussers and would visit the farm on occasion. It is a well run operation with a real desire to do things right in their niche which is trees. They haven't tried to be All-things-to-all-people. |
| Negative | psalm72
Fort Worth, TX
(1 review)
February 18, 2008 | I purchased 5 Paulownia Trees that were described on the website as being 3 years old. Being a little familiar this type of tree, upon arrival they looked like others I've had that were 1 yr old. These are not pot grown, they dig them up in the fall and ship them. They could not give me a specific time they would be shipped, but a 6 week window. I asked to be notified when they shipped so I could be on the watch for them. They refused to provide me with any type of notification upon shipment stating that it was impossible to notify customers of shippments (even through email.) The trees arrived in a condition that was less than expected. Hard to tell if they were dormant or dead. All major roots had been cut 6-8 inches from the ground line and very little or no fine roots in tact ....meaning that most of the root system was missing. Even keeping these in good soil and controlled condidtions 45-65 degrees, only 2 have developed any type of root growth, the other three just rotted in the dirt. I don't plan on making any future purchases here. |
| Positive | EugeniaBostwick
Pinckney, MI
(6 reviews)
December 11, 2007 | Love this company, which is a godsend to the underfunded tree lover:-) Not every tiny tree I ordered from them has lived, but 99% have, and I can't fault Musser if I try to grow Nyssa sylvatica in my highly alkaline soil! I have a beautiful hemlock hedge, though, despite the alkalinity. And 2 of 5 notoriously difficult to establish yellowwoods have made it.
On December 11th, 2007, EugeniaBostwick added the following:
And by the way...my bald cypresses are doing beautifully, 5 out of 5. I don't recall which size I ordered, but I planted them right away. --in heavy clay muck to which I add some sulfur every year. They are two years old and about 5 feet tall. |
| Neutral | holly_grower
Bear, DE
(3 reviews)
October 23, 2007 | I ordered ten bald cypress trees from Musser this spring, following the advice of a professional nurseryman. I made the mistake of ordering the larger plants (4 year, 3-5 ft.) - these arrived bareroot as expected, but these plants had already developed long taproots which were ruthlessly chopped off on digging, leaving no more than ten inches of root. Musser shipped eleven plants, and these were well-packaged with moist roots upon arrival. I planted these immediately in 3 or 5 gal. containers and kept them well-watered all summer. By late September, I had just four plants worth planting out into the landscape - in effect, these were rooted "cuttings" with new roots sprouting from the severed taproots. Two more had died to the ground but resprouted and were under ten inches tall - they may be salvageable for next season. The rest have not broken dormancy at all and were discarded. Am I disappointed? Perhaps yes, but the prices charged by Musser are so reasonable that I can hardly complain. I have not contacted the company as I don't really want to repeat the experience with larger plants. I would definitely recommend ordering smaller bald cypress stock from them which might be dug with more root. |
| Neutral | webgrazer
Zion, IL
(1 review)
August 27, 2007 | I've been ordering from these folks for about 7 years, twice a year, since we have a large/barren lot that we are attempting to resurrect. Usually their bareroot arrives moist, and the potted are invariably in good shape, size is always generous to what is promised. One ongoing problem is that often I have to call to ensure that my order actually gets shipped - one year it was it was end-November and snowing when the order arrived! This spring's order was disappointing; the bareroot were dried out and many didn't survive (these are hardy standbys such as Lynnwood Gold and Rosa Rugosa), I had to contact regarding incorrect/missed items, and there were mislabelled items. |
| Positive | Mongo1
Janesville, WI
(2 reviews)
August 16, 2007 | I've ordered from this company many times over the last 10 years, while living in three different states (military moves). They are my first choice for trees and shrubs, period. I usually order items in multiples of 5, and almost invariably, they send 6. Most things I've gotten are bare-root, which arrive with the roots wrapped in wet newspaper and then in plastic. I've never gotten a plant with dry roots, or which appeared damaged. The rare times I've had a problem with a plant, they sent a replacement or gave me a credit, with no hesitation or questions asked. I'm working on trying to establish a coniferous tree screen along one of my lot borders, which is very shady; a tough spot to start trees. Musser's small trees are so cheap, I can experiment with several varieties to see which will establish themselves. The "losers" I can afford to throw away after they've died. This spring's order arrived, as usual, in perfect condition with every plant healthy and viable. I've dealt with many mail order nurseries over the years, and these guys get my top rating. |
| Positive | JeffLuther
Grove City, PA
(5 reviews)
July 02, 2007 | Was in Indiana on Saturday, so I had to stop. Excellent selections including perrenials,very knowledgeable help. Great shopping experience. For those of you who say, I could have bought a bigger plant locally, why didn't you? I use mailorder only for odd hard to find items, that I can not get locally. |
| Positive | dc_luke
Washington, DC
(Zone 7a)
(2 reviews)
June 12, 2007 | I've ordered from them twice. The first order was for
some potted deciduous trees. They arrived in great
shape and are still doing great [cherry birch, alder
and arrowood]. I then ordered a two batches of
evergreens (hemlocks and arborvitae). I choose 2 day
air being that it was getting into May. They arrived in
great shape. The young arbs looked better initially, due
to the more regular growth habit. However, the young
hemlocks new growth is now lengthening and filling
them out. They look like they'll pull through the summer
heat [with plenty of watering]. Planting 10 bareroots
takes awhile, so I heeled them in (5 per pot) in large well
drained containers of pine bark fines and kept the mix
moist and in a shady spot. This worked so well that they
showed new growth while I was getting the various holes
prepped. I've ordered bare root from other places where
dieback and stump sprouting from dormant buds seems
to be more the norm. I will definitely order from Musser again.
PS Don't skimp on shipping. Be there and be ready when the trees arrive. |
| Neutral | carolinablue
Aulander, NC
(Zone 7a)
(5 reviews)
June 06, 2007 | Ordered from Musser for the first time this year with mixed results. The container grown trees and shrubs were great and are growing as expected. However, the " 2-3 year old
seedlings" were miniscule, dried out, and despite intensive care, promptly died. I don't understand why a company that sends out quality product would send such an embarrassingly poor product along with it. |
| Neutral | kerry_in_ky
Dry Ridge, KY
(Zone 6a)
(4 reviews)
May 18, 2007 | I was going to rate this a negative but to be fair I have only had the trees a few days and did not end up contacting the company for a refund.
I ordered the white birch and received 6 rather than 5 trees. 3 had crunchy leaves, two had very pale almost white leaves due to a lack of light and one very small one had no sign of growth. I've planted them in pots and am watching them carefully. It looks like two may pull through, too early to tell if the other 4 will make it. |
| Negative | tickhill
Yanceyville, NC
(3 reviews)
May 16, 2007 | In February of 2005 my husband ordered 10 European White Birch trees from this company. The description said 2 year old 1-3 ft. trees. When we received them none of the trees were more than a foot long and they looked pretty dead. But we hoped that they were only dormant. To increase the trees’ survival rate we planted every one of them in separate containers with rich soil, made sure they got plenty of light and got watered regularly. Only one tree showed any signs of life and that was a sprout from a root. So in fact none of the original stems made it. Of course, this did not become obvious until months after we received our order. So we did not see much point in trying to get in touch with Musser Forests. Their instructions in regards to claims say “notify us in writing within 3 days after receipt of nursery stock”.
So 2 years later we have a young birch tree that is about 3 feet tall now. It still has a dark brown stock. So it is not clear yet if we actually have the white birch. The truth is that for the amount of money we paid for this order we could’ve gotten a tree of this size 2 years ago from one of local nurseries…..
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| Positive | thecollector
Farmville, VA
(3 reviews)
April 18, 2007 | I ordered 10 potted Green Giant Arborvitae, which arrived last week. The plants were robust, very well packed, and, something important to me, were uniform--all were nearly exactly the same size. This place seems like a good source for trees in bulk. Prices are very reasonable and at least in my experience, stock is good. |
| Positive | Fangorn
Fayetteville, GA
(2 reviews)
April 02, 2007 | I ordered five Lynwood Gold Forsythia that were so inexpensive it's hard to believe. Were they small? Yes, but this cultivar grows fast. I have a lot of time and patience when it comes to gardening and saving money. Were they rootbound? Yes, I cut ends off the longer roots, untangled the rest and spread them out over a small mound like a bare-root rose. No problem, they are growing beautifully. Were they well packaged? Absolutely. The only better packaging I've seen is from Logee's and Marj Gossler (that lady runs an incredible nursery). Were these small plants well branched? Yes, all except one had multiple branches. Was it worth a little over $20.00 (including S & H) for five beautiful plants? Duh, I challenge you to find them for less. These were potted not bare-rooted. Would I buy from them again? Definitely. |
| Positive | forgebalst
Nicholson, PA
(1 review)
March 31, 2007 | Packaging was A++ the trees are healty and a generous size. I would not hesitate to order from this company again. |
| Positive | naal
Fairfax, VA
(7 reviews)
March 30, 2007 | Ordered or the first time from Musser (5 bare root Hetz Wintergreen) and must say was quite impressed. The trees were all larger than ordered and had healthy root systems. They were packaged very well and arrived in VA healthy and moist. Planted them upon arrival yesterday and now it's just wait and see! |
| Positive | dragoness
Hampton, VA
(1 review)
January 16, 2007 | hi, i just joined and want to tell you that last spring i bought 10 rosa rugosa. when they got here i had to call them because they were 2ft long sticks. they were extremely friendly and advised me to just plant and wait i have to say by the time fall had crept up here in zone 7 they were HUGE! blooming and even full of hips. i am sold on them. do not be discouraged by the fact they are bareroot and look like twigs there are roses in there!! thanks musser my front yard will be gorgeous again this year im sure.
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| Neutral | steffinger
mahaffey
United States
(1 review)
November 24, 2006 | I worked at this company in the 70's before I left for college. In my opinion they have not changed that much in that they use those folks who earn minimum wage. (Nothing against the employees) I was personally treated as a second class citizen; watered down like cattle, yelled at, etc. (If I knew then what I know now.....) My vehicle broke down in front of their store a few years ago and they would not even let me use their phone! I have ordered trees from them, which in bulk are a pretty good buy-but I live nearby and can pick them up. I think they charge a bit over most though for trees and flowers at the store. |
| Positive | southgrower
Utica, MS
(1 review)
November 14, 2006 | I have ordered many times from Musser over the years. While their upper PA climate has little in common with mine in the deep south the results have always been satisfactory. The best "deal" from them is the potted plants. I recently bought two potted bald cypress trees. Both had extremely healthy root systems. I also purchased two chinese dogwoods. Since we were in the middle of a drought I planted the trees in clay pots until conditions improved. When I finally got around to planting the trees, about three months later, their roots had filled the pots! Be more cautious about the bare root trees, but I would have no hesitation ordering any potted tree from them. |
| Negative | StarhillForest
Illinois, IL
(Zone 5b)
(1 review)
June 18, 2006 | I had ordered from Mussers several times, many years ago, and the plants I received always were fine. But this spring I combined on an order with another person, and it was a disaster. Half the plants were dead or had such poor root systems that they couldn't be expected to live. Some of them were mislabeled (and not just a missed cultivar name -- spruces were called firs!). Replacements were sent, but the replacements were DOA. They looked like someone had carelessly pulled wild seedlings from a vacant lot and mailed them to us. I suspect this fine old company must be going under, and I will never order from them again. |
| Positive | rcaretti
Woodsboro, MD
(3 reviews)
May 25, 2006 | I ordered Canadian hemlocks from Musser last year and they were in good shape when I received them. They were not huge, but were a reasonable size considering the cost and were packed well. I would order from them again. |
| Positive | JohninMichigan
Delta Township, MI
(Zone 5a)
(1 review)
April 25, 2006 | I ordered 2 Bald Cyprus and 5 Catalpa trees in Spring of 2005. These trees survived the first year and are doing great this year. Musser's Forest is a company that I will use in the future for buying trees. I have had no problems with this company. |
| Positive | CT_Ohio
Millfield, OH
(Zone 6a)
(4 reviews)
April 23, 2006 | Just received the 25 Canadian hemlocks (3+3) I ordered and could not be more pleased. The trees have heavy, healthy root systems and well branched, full tops. There were at least 25 trees the size stated in the catalog as well as 4-5 smaller but very healthy trees in the package. Packing was excellent for bare root plants and included instructions for planting were explicit and easy to understand. I am quite impressed with the quality of the plants I received. |
| Positive | schobm1
Bloomfield, NJ
(2 reviews)
April 23, 2006 | Very pleased with the of value of well wrapped plants received from Musser. Ordered both bareroot and potted. Yes, looked like a stick and tiny. But with proper planting and care have been pleasantly surprised with the results especially given my New Jersey clay, heat and drought. When buying any plants mail order or local, highly recommend similar growing climate. Local nursery tried to sell me established evergreens grown in Oregon-don't see how that would work for my garden. Mussers customer service representatives treated me professionally on the telephone and that is how I treat them. |
| Positive | Enchantra
Farmington, NY
(Zone 6a)
(5 reviews)
April 19, 2006 | I have ordered from this company and so has my Father. All the trees have arrived packaged in damp paper mulch with plastic wrapped around the roots. There has been no breakage in shipment at all, and the trees all took so far. I ordered several potted Red Japanese Maples from them this year and they were much larger than I expected. The stock seems to be of good quality. |
| Positive | provincialblond
Lansing, MI
(5 reviews)
April 12, 2006 | I've ordered numerous trees from Musser Nursery: Corkbark Fir, Pitch Pine, Mugo Pine, Douglas Fir, Japanese Black Pine, and Austrian Pine; the quality of the aforesaid orders have been excellent. Musser is very accomodating when It comes to shipping: I changed my delivery date 4 times and they followed my instructions accordingly. I plan buying from Musser in the immediate future.
Yours truly,
Kriss Schrandt Michigan |
| Positive | snyderlm
Paoli, IN
(3 reviews)
April 12, 2006 | I have placed two really large orders with Musser Forests and been well-pleased with every aspect of the transaction.
The first order had a few 'duds,' which I would expect when I'm paying so little for things. They replaced them quickly and courteously. After the initial glitches, I am pleased to report that these plants have all grown and thrived for several years...through bad winters and droughts (and truly awful soil in some cases).
This year, I placed another huge order. I was amazed at the quality of the plants they sent! The root systems were huge and the plants were well-developed.
There are 'bargains' out there, and there are rip-offs. I would definitely place Musser in the bargain category. Their plants are priced very cheaply. So their 'experts' aren't really knowledgeable. Buy a book! I've found very few mail order nurseries who can tell me how to handle my plants when they are located in different growing areas from mine. Don't expect that! If you receive nice plants...well rooted...alive!...haven't they lived up to their end of the deal? Even some breakage is to be expected. They probably needed to be trimmed back a bit anyway, to ensure successful transplant.
I like them and will continue to do lots of business with them. |
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