The scoop on 'Bridgewood Gardens'

have used bridgewood for several years now, the owner seems ro be a character and makes the experience fun...with tales of his dogs and down to earth,common sense comments about his profession...I love the on-line catalog as is, plants,timing, packing and shipping are perfect. what i love best is getting decent sized hosta in a smallish pot (but not rootbound) that is easy for an oldish customer to dig a hole for and plant....yeah chick, i love sagae too!!!

I placed two large orders for hostas this year totalling about $350. About half of that order came from Bridgewood.

Comments about the website:
I spent hours reading about every single hosta they carried mainly because I had no choice. Their site is set up alphabetically and you have to either read everything or know what you are looking for. That's fine with me now but in the beginning it was a bit irritating. After reading their "why we don't have a search engine on our site" website page, I have a feeling that knowing it irritates some people wouldn't really make them change their minds about how they do things. Besides, had I gone to their site with a list to shop from, I would have spent half as much! Since they do have a great selection and I got a buy 2 get 1 free sale, I ended up spending much more. I wish some of the descriptions were a little more consistant in the descriptions like habit of growth, water and sun tolerance, exactly what is the mature height and width, etc.... (or links to dave's garden for more info) and that there were planting suggestions (with the other hostas on their site), but that's just a preference for the site and they may not want to suggest hostas that they may become sold out of. To counteract this point, they do offer collections, but I prefer to mix and match my own. Also, it would be great if the shopping cart let you see thumbnails of the plants you chose. When you have a big impulse list going , it gets kind of hard to remember the color/texture.

Shipping:
Chick worked with me to send me the hostas at the time I preferred them which was much later than his assumed (mid March) last frost date (actual mid-May) for my area. The Hostas arrived in two big boxes without any damage at all. They used UPS and the boxes were packed well both inside and out with the appropriate labels to say that the contents contained live plants. The plants were in an upright position with stakes preventing box collapse. There was actually a pot superglued to the bottom of the box that was empty to prevent things from moving around. Nice attention to detail.
There was an email sent to me (at my request but they may do this anyway) when the order was sent and I received it two days later.

Communication: Well, we exchanged a few emails. The first was over an issue in the shopping cart. Every time I clicked on a certain plant I wanted to order the plant that was actually put in the cart was not the one I was clicking on! I emailed to tell them the one it was supposed to be. Then the second was them telling me when they would ship and mine asking them to ship at the correct time for my area. Chick was very obliging and agreed without any argument or defense. His emails were short and polite and replies were sent in a timely manner. I've already mentioned the email stating the items had shipped.

Plant condition: Well, I ordered several plants and they were all shipping in nice big pots. Most had 1-4 tips with leaves put on with the majority being 2. Some only had tips showing with no leaves. Again, no foilage damage was found. There were, however a substantial amount of fungus gnats that flew out immediately upon opening the box. There were also a number of aphids on the newer terminal growth of the smallest plants. I removed what I could and started hardening them off right in the boxes with the lids open. I have left them in their boxes in a protected spot to acclimate to my conditions. I have been watering them. Still insect activity but thankfully, no slugs or snail damage has been noted. Overall, the plants are not as large and had the insect issues but I am still happy with my order. I know it takes a lot to kill hostas so I'm not complaining. Besides, two days in a nice humid warmish box is a nice place to be if you are a bug.

Price comparison. Well, as I mentioned I got the 3 for 2 sale and ordered a few of those which brought those varieties under market price but the others I ordered cost more and were smaller sized than the other order I placed. They have some really expensive ones on their site and it seemed that those were the ones that they were introducing.

Would I order from them again? Well, yes but I've got enough to do this year, thank you very much! Thanks Chick, for your communication. I'll take the bugs and still come back if only because of that one detail.

I always have a good experience here. They ship nice sized plants at a great price. One added bonus is the hostas are shipped in their pots so if the weather isn't agreeing with your schedule all you need to do is water the pots. This place is great!

Just GREAT hostas, and Chick is a nice guy and cares
about his plants. I have ordered three years from here,
all hostas, and am not dissappointed. Packing is very
good and last year I had to keep my hostas indoors for
a month becuase of a cold snap we had here in Colorado.
They did just fine and I got em in the ground and they
flourished. I can't WAIT to see my hosta garden this spring.
Gonna go check out the new line-up that Chick has.
Hope you helps!

I have ordered from Bridgewood Gardens in the past and have always been very satisfied with my plants. This year I ordered in January when they have some special offers for shipping on or after April 30. They shipped exactly as requested and this year their hostas are just spectacular. They arrived without a single broken leave, as usual given their great packing process. The plants are all very healthy and good sized, relative to their size in the hosta kingdom. Once again, Bridgewood has exceeded my expectation. Plus their website is kind of fun to read :-))

I ordered about 30 Hostas from Chick. I am not putting up a negative at this point becuase i believe that the problems that I have had nothing to do with the quality of the hostas or the company. I had two boxes one small, one big. The bigger box was pretty destroyed when it got to me and wet. The only damaged hostas that I had from this pitifull box(again not chicks fault UPS Ithink is to blame)were the larger one's i ordered 3 Blue angels and 2 sum or substance. They were pretty much mush by the time they got to me. I have written chick and we'll see what they want to do. BUt otherwise I am totally happy with the rest of my order and will definetley order again since now I have that HOSTA BUG!

Ordered back in February and received over 25 hostas and ferns in April as promised. They arrived packaged very well, healthy and complete. All are in the ground now and thriving. This is the 3rd time I've ordered from them and will be back for more!

First Class experience! I just ordered over 60 hostas - very nice selection on the website, VERY carefully & securely packaged, good roots, and excellent customer service. Now that my hostas are in the garden... I am planning my next order. I highly recommend Chick & Bridgewood Gardens.

Great plants
Great pricing
Timely deliveries
Good root systems
Great packaging and plants arrived moist.

Class act.

Beautifully packed and really nice plants.Some even in bloom. Everything looks healthy and happy. I will be back for more.

Chick is the greatest. I have ordered on several occassions this year, purchased 28 hostas in all. I found them on the whole to be very nice plants. Excellent packing, very fair prices and great sales. Lastet is the 'Ugly Plant Sale'. Can't wait to receive these. The one plant I had an issue with I contacted him on. Chick weighted the situation and deemed I was intitled to a replacement plant. The replacement was very, very nice. The website is full of good information about growing hosta and entertaining to read. Chick has a sense of humor. He refers to himself as "a humble hosta farmer". He knows a great deal about the plant and shares the information.

I have ordered from Chick several times and each time the order arrived quickly and the plants in remarkable shape, even though I mainly order during the "Ugly Plant Sale". I highly recommend his company.

I was/am new to gardening and simply knew that hostas were what I wanted. I ordered from Bridgewood because of their easy to use website & their selection complete with necessary information about the various hostas.

We recieved a call from "Chick" a few business days after the order was placed online. He was calling to advise us that one of our selections had been damaged by an unexpected late freeze. He advised that some of the leaves were brown from the freeze but that the plant would easily recover. He gave us the option of taking them at a discount or removing them from our order.

We took them and are thrilled. They didn't have exessive appearance of damage and they quickly grew to replace any unsightly leaves.

Regardless of our choice, Bridgwood Gardens took the initiative to give us the choice. Most companies are impersonal and will just take the money and gamble that you're too busy to follow-up and complain. I'd do business with this Bridgewood Gardens again in a heartbeat.

I ordered nine hostas from Bridgewood Gardens this year and I am very pleased with the whole transaction.

The web site has a no nonsence, down home look and feel with just the right amount of humor injected. Plus, it's very informative and I often refer to it just for hosta information.

Although I didn't count them (I'll let Chick handle that task) the number of hostas from which to choose is substantial and with many unusual varieties as well.

Email communication with Chick was crisp and concise. The plants arrived during the week he promised, were very well packed and were just beginning to break dormancy. Two of the hostas had three eyes, two had four eyes and the rest had five eyes. I let them harden for a few days before planting and they are now growing like weeds. I did lose the White Christmas, but only because my landscaper accidentally stepped on it with a size 12 work boot the day after I planted it

There are many good sources out there for mail order hostas, but in my experience, this is clearly one of best and will definately be on my mail order hosta "buy from" list in the future.

I have ordered from them several times over the last couple of years. They have a great selection and I like their customer service. They generally ship in pots and I get to plant at my convenience.

SUPERLATIVE! There are not enough superlative adjectives to describe my experience with my online order from this company. The plants arrived arrived healthy, whole, and amazingly well packed. I kept inviting my neighbors and passersby in to marvel at the care that was taken in packaging. The humorous tales on their web site helped me pass some housebound winter evenings with hopeful anticipation of spring, and it was a delight to be able to open the box and find, as promised, beautiful plants!

I ordered enough hostas from Bridgewood Gardens last fall to start a hosta garden in my backyard, and also a separate shade garden under our willow tree. It was my first experience ordering from BG. I was very pleased with the availability of species and the prices on their website, especially those I could purchase at that late time of year from their "Ugly Plant Sale." The hostas arrived in a timely manner, were carefully packaged, and even the "ugly" ones had great-looking roots. Now that spring is here, I've been keeping a close eye on what's coming up in my hosta and shade gardens. I'm thrilled to report that all the hostas are off to a vigorous start and look very healthy. Their leaves are gorgeous! I wouldn't hesistate to order from Bridgewood again.

I've ordered from Bridgewood Gardens for two years now, and as a newbie gardener couldn't ask for better plants, packing, and service. Plus, I love the website - it's fun just to read. My order is already in for this year, and with the early bird specials, the prices are very reasonable. I also like the Ugly Plant sale at the end of the season - can get some great deals then.

I ordered 3 White Christmas Hostas last year and they are not growing well. Out of the three only 2 are still living. The price was high compared to places like Bloomingbulb.com. The 5 Hostas I ordered from Blooming bulb are thriving and putting on growth.

Great hostas! No confirmation of my order though.

I ordered about a dozen hostas from Bridgewood Gardens last spring. The selection is great and the website is very user-friendly.

I was worried about how the hostas would look upon arrival; however, when they arrived, they were packaged very well--not one leaf was damaged, plants were in great shape etc...

All of the hostas I ordered survived and grew well for their first year. I look forward to seeing the hostas return next spring. Most of the hostas were a nice size with strong roots. (One of them, "Janet" didn't grow well, but I understand she can be a slow starter.)

My one criticism is that once I placed my order, I never heard a word--not a confirmation, nothing. I thought maybe the website had a problem and did not take the order. An automated reply would have been nice. But, then my plants arrived several weeks after I ordered them.

Some of the hostas they sell do not have photos on the website, so I looked up the hostas by name on other sites to see what they looked like.

I am still looking for good sources for all kinds of plants, but I would order hostas from Bridgewood again.

Super fast delivery! Nice sized plant with excellent root system.

This was my first order with Chick at Bridgewood and had an excellent experience with him. The hostas I received were packaged very well and in great condition. I received the wrong order and Chick was Very patient while we worked out what had happened. He promptly shipped my order and told me to keep the plants already sent, it felt wrong to keep them but he said they do that to try to teach themselves a lesson. LOL. What a great sense of humor Chick has and he is Great Seller to work with. I would definitely recommend Bridgewood. Chick, Thanks so much, Kelly

Supposed to be the ugly hosta sale. But these hostas were wonderful. Better than some I have purchased at the beginning of the season. I would recommend this site to everyone wanting fantastic hostas!
Thanks Chic!

This is an awesome seller! I was very happy with the 13 hostas I ordered, and Chick was very nice to deal with. The packaging was the best that I have seen, and while the hostas were as ugly as advertised (end-of-season clearance sale), they were VERY healthy. Would definitely buy again from Bridgewood.

I have been ordering from Bridgewood for a few years now, and just received an order recently....and as always, healthy, well packaged plants arrived....GREAT ON-LINE HOSTA SOURCE...prices are also competitive.....and Chick, you are the bomb!!!!

Just received my latest order from Bridgewood, and as usual, was delighted with the plants. All are nice size, good roots, and correctly labeled. I expect that they, like the other hostas I've gotten from this nursery, will settle into the garden in very short order and grow well. For those familiar with the three year sleep/creep/leap rule of hosta growth following transplanting, Bridgewood hostas often seem to skip the creep year, going directly to the leap phase their second summer. Don't hesitate to order from this nursery.

I`m pleased to have recieved some very beautiful good sized plants. Average price of each pot including shipping and handling was 9 dollars each and there are 2 or three plants in each of the 4 pots. The prices ranged from 3.95 to 9.95 for the big blue hosta. They also had some 3 for 14.95 and such as that pricing.

Very good experience!

I ordered 5 hostas on 5-24-05. They were delivered on 5-26-05! Of course I live only about 15 miles from the nursery but still ...
The plants are absolutely beautiful, large with many fans and super healthy. Great packaging! Would make future orders without reservations.

Wonderful company to deal with. It has been said before, but the packaging and quality of the plants were unexpected. Very happy with the health and size of the plants. Will use this company again.

I am very happy with my order; wonderful packing, gorgeous healthy plants, and nice website. Plus you get to pick your own bonus plant. Super job, I will definately look at Bridgewood first the next time I'm hosta shopping!

I heard about the sale and with great difficulty narrowed my selection down to 8 hostas. The plants arrived today and were packaged better than any I have received from other mail-order nurseries. They are all large, healthy plants which should do well when I get them in the ground. I would definitely order from them again.

I ordered 6 hostas from Bridgewood this year plus I got to pick a bonus plant. They arrived a few days ago, very well packed and labeled. The hostas are good sized and very healthy. I'll do business with them again.

I was lured in by a Hosta sale advertised online, either here or on Google (I forget which). I was promptly notified when the Hostas would ship, and they arrived exactly when expected. All of the Hostas are of decent size, and in good condition, especially considering the prices I paid, and the bonus plant (which was one I wanted anyways). No complaints and no quibbles here.

Very pleased with the hostas I received 3 months ago. At first with 3 of them I only knew there was something 'in there' from the weight of the pot but they started growing within the first week. Great quality and packaging. (including the free one) Will definitely buy the rest of my favorites from them next season.

I have ordered from alot of nurseries, but Bridewood has shipped the best quality hostas ever. The prices are very resonable for what you get. I recieved 2-3 eyed hostas that had fantastic root systems. They are #1 with me.

this is the third time i have ordered from them in the last 4 years. i received nicely packaged plants. the plants were nice and heathly. i would highly recommend them.

I just received a box of hostas from Bridgewood. I have never ever received plants packed so well. Every one of them looks like I could've picked the pot right off the shelf. Will probably post a picture at the hosta forum.

I would highly recommend Bridgewood Gardens to anyone.

The website is great, Chick was a pleasure to work with in completing the order, the plants I received were packaged well and were in excellent condition.

By the way, the plants were big and beautiful with huge roots.

Poor excuse for a nursery. I email Chick about availibty of a hosta, and get the go ahead to send the check, that it's available. One week later get a email saying that the hosta wasn't available anymore. I just cancelled the whole hosta order with them.. Total waste of my time, and money.

I ordered from Bridgewood for the first time this year. The hostas were very well packed - in pots, with fiber to keep them secure. All are doing very well. Not the largest, but good value. I wiil use them again in the future.