The scoop on 'H & H Botanicals'

For starters, my sentiments exactly john_h, you hit the nail on the head. Tell ya what, I'd like to hit the whack job that ran that place on the head, maybe it would knock some sense into him. That guy was such a terd. Sometimes when the Misses and I would fight I would read his catalog aloud, that is enough to make the strongest willed people beg for mercy. Full of misguided ramblings and lame Monty Python jokes. I hear their even using it down in Guantanamo.
And cannibals too. Every time I would visit the nursery there he would be, daisy-dukes and rifle in hand. Looked like a scene straight out of The Devil's Rejects. Taken hip-shots at all the old tag pulling ladies. I often saw him sitting in a chair in the shade carving a new notch in his gun stock. No wonder no work got done around there. The only saving grace was the two very attentive (not to mention good looking) employees. Those two virtually ran that place. Shame to see talent like that wasted.
You know what, I hope H & H does come back. I need more verbal ammunition for my marriage disputes. I hope that good for nothing, lazy, ignorant, not funny in the least, man does make what will inevitably be a half hearted attempt at running a nursery again. I could use a good chuckle.
But I digress, please excuse the Hargrovian nature of this comment. The box arrived beautifully, very pleased with the plants I received. Will order from again.
-Sgt. Zorkian

Interesting, idiosyncratic text-only catalog,and very few online photos. Most items have helpful cultural info, but occasionally the owner goes off on a rant and you never even get description of what the thing looks like. Website also needs work. The plants I ordered were all alpine/rock plants, and so of course small; well-packed and healthy, well-grown specimens that have been thriving in our atypically dry, cool spring weather.Prices are reasonable, even cheap, especially if you buy in multiples. A small thing that impressed me: the plants had preprinted labels WITH MY NAME printed at the top! Cool, huh?! I will surely be back for more next year.

I live just down the street from this nursery and for most of my 18 years there I wasn't even aware that it existed. They rarely ever advertise which is their biggest downfall. I have never mail ordered with them but I am good friends with the owner John and have heard stories of packages being run over by a car and the plants being undisturbed because they are so well packed. I have purchased several hundred dollars worth of plants from the nursery and have never had better success with any other nursery. I heard complaints about their plants dying, but the FACT is that these plants are very rare and hard to grow. Contrary to popular belief you can't just throw a plant in the ground anywhere you want. Each plant requires different conditions to thrive. H and H Botanicals is even kind enough to list these conditions in their catolog that is filled with hilarious comments also. When the plants are placed in their proper environments they almost always thrive, but it is important to remember that gardening is a learning experience and you are bound to kill plants no matter where you go so don't let one experience scare you off no matter where you shop. DEFINATELY shop here. I recommend it to everyone who loves plants as much as me. The Asarum Maximum I bought for $25 seemed like a lot but turned out to be one of the most gorgeous plants I've ever owned. GREAT NURSERY!

Well, I have to give John a positive. I've ordered two years running now and I love the variety of plants offered. The plants are always very well packaged (they don't look like they traveled to get here) and larger than some of the other (quite reputable) mail orders firms.
I guess I'd have to give him an 'A'.

The catalog is a lot more cranky and cantankerous than the owner, John, though he can be hard to get a hold of, especially during busy season. However, the plants are great, many quite rare, and the prices very reasonable.

I ordered a very large box of plants last year in excellent condition, the plants were packed perfectly with not a leaf out of place. I love reading his catalog, he is a man with his own taste and beliefs, that is his right.
His knowledge and interest in plants go way beyond 'Booklearning' and I appreciate his expertise when I ask him about recommendations. (I think the man has just ran across too many snobbish, bigheaded MG's?) We are creatures of our experience. ;D

I've been ordering from H&H for a few years now and I've always been pleased. I take about one solid week to read the extensive catalog front to back and get a huge kick out of all the little jokes and funny remarks. I think anyone who is offended by these things should lighten up! It's about time a company take a light-hearted approach to gardening (or anything for that matter) while at the same time providing quality plants and excellent knowledge of them! I used to work for a nursery and can relate to the "Nursery Etiquette" sign that was in their catalog a couple of years ago. I currently own and operate my own gardening and landscaping business and only wish H&H was in my hometown so I could swing by and pick up plants as I need them...for my own addiction as well as my clients! I give them a "Super Positive" rating. And for those of you who are still offended, I believe they do offer a "sense of humor" plant for only $19.95...I'd suggest ordering a few!

Love Johns plants but he always forgets to send me a current catalog. How about a new one John

I've been doing business with H&H for five years and haven't been disappointed yet. John is quick to answer any e-mail questions I have and even suggest plants that he thinks I will like. His humor is quirky, but you have to be pretty thin-skinned to take offense. I'm an MG and I've met some of the MGs he takes to task and agree with his assessment. Which, actually, matters not a whit--he offers prime plants, unusual varieties of great quality and very reasonable cost. I'm a confirmed H&H Botanicals fan!

Couldn't stop laughing at his cranky comments. No one is forced to buy from them. My plants arrived in beautiful shape, and are doing great in the garden with no hardening off.

Yes, the rhetoric is unnecessarily sarcastic and sometimes plain insensitive but they do have a very good selection and packaging was very good. My major concern was the shipping method - US Mail Priority Service. Got to me on a Friday almost dry (presumably they pull the order on Monday and ship on Tuesday as most nurseries do). A little hitch and the plants would have been wilted.

I give them a good rating for the plant material sent. It was fine. However the company needs to change the retoric of it's catalog and stop being condescending to readers. Some of that sarcastic humor is fine but this guy goes way too far, into bad taste. He rants about others not being perfect yet the catalog has many typos and spelling errors and I'm not so sure about the classification of some of his plants. I am a Master Gardener who continues to buy from him despite his obvious dislike of a whole lot of people who he has never met. He may have met some MG's who thought they knew everything but most of us are just trying to learn more about our passion, plants. We are customers like everyone else, good ones and bad ones. Grow up and stop cutting off your nose to spite your face. Unfortunately a merchant who doesn't care what his customers think soon doesn't have customers.

I found H & H Botanicals on the Internet, surprise, they are only 15 miles away. I work at a big retail greenhouse, so I understand what it is like to deal with customers, especially when there are 3,000 other things that have to be done. Our propagator and I went to visit on our day off. John was happy to spend time answering our questions and showing us around. He is very knowledgeable! Alpines seem to be his passion, at least one of them. The plants that we bought were healthy, well developed, reasonably priced and just plain cute. We will make many more trips and plan to order wholesale for our nursery. I highly recommend.

Just received my 1st order from H&H Botanicals. I am very, very pleased! Everything looks wonderful, and was packed very well. John is a pleasure to talk to. I look forward to ordering many more plants from them in the future!

This is a new company that used to deal mostly with herbs, but has now expanded to include many fine garden perennials, newly available Asian plants and a number of alpines. John Hargrove has been most helpful in answering questions I've had and in giving advice on things that I am interested in trying in my garden. He even entered a 1998 credit for me on the correct line of the order form in my catalog for 1999. As I tend to forget credits from previous years, this was an unexpected bonus for me. The catalog is good reading, too - sprinkled with what John calls "Plant Facts".