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Plant Delights Nursery

Mailing Address:
9241 Sauls Road
Raleigh, North Carolina 27603 (United States)

Phone: (919) 772-4794
Fax: (919) 662-0370

Catalog Order Page: Hyperlink
Paper Catalog Cost: Free

Visit Plant Delights Nursery at:

» E-Mail them
» Visit their website

Recent reviews:
Past month Past 6 Months Past 12 Months
Positive 2 15 19
Neutral 0 0 0
Negative 0 2 3
This company offers a variety of plants.

This company specializes in:

  Feedback History and Summary  
206 positives
18 neutrals
25 negatives

Comments:

Displaying the 50 most recent comments:

RatingAuthorContent
Positive 24redlion24
(1 review)
On June 21, 2009, 24redlion24 Red Lion, PA wrote:

HI, FROM 24REDLION24, I ORDERED FROM PLANTS DELIGHTS NURSERY. FOR MY FIRST YEAR. THEY HAVE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLANTS YOU CAN BUY. THEY ARE BIG AND HEALTHY AND THEY GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO MAKE SURE YOUR HAPPY. I WOULD RECOMMEND THEM TO EVERYONE. THANKS PLANTS DELIGHT FOR YOUR GOOD SERVICE . RED LION PA

Positive VA_Wild_Rose
(5 reviews)
On June 19, 2009, VA_Wild_Rose Fredericksburg, VA
(Zone 7a) wrote:

I was a first-time customer to Plant Delights, but I have looked through their on-line catalog numerous times. I was in search of new and unusual elephant ears this year, and PD had one that I could not find ANYWHERE else. I must say they may have the best customer service people of any other company I have dealt with on-line. I was emailed in person not once, not twice, but three times by one of their people... confirming plants were in stock, and making sure the shipping address was correct and shipping time was suitable. I placed my order on a Thursday night, and received a personal email Friday morning! Plants were shipped on Monday and received on Tuesday of the following week! Other communication included automated package tracking and two order confirmations. Carefully packed, plants were in perfect condition with not one leaf broken! I received big, healthy EEs and I am thrilled! I am more than pleased with my first experience and look forward to being a repeat customer in the future. Highly recommended!!!

Positive topofmurrayhill
(3 reviews)
On May 27, 2009, topofmurrayhill Flushing, NY
(Zone 6b) wrote:

I purchased from PDN for the first time this year and placed two orders, each for several types of hardy perennials. I received good healthy specimens that were packed with great care. Customer service went out of their way to be helpful when I dropped a last-minute request on them.

This company is run by intelligent, knowledgeable and personable people. Their website copy is exceptionally enjoyable to read because it's smart and "real" and sometimes humorous - not just marketing hype to sell the product. Their eclectic selection of plants includes what you're looking for as well as things you didn't know you wanted.

If you want to deal with professionals, this is the supplier for you. I look forward to remaining a customer.

Positive arleene
(1 review)
On May 23, 2009, arleene Woodstock, GA
(Zone 7b) wrote:

I rec'd my order from PD just this past week, and was very pleased with the health and vitality of the plants. Each individual specimen was packed with a lot of protective material, and the soil of each item was still moist upon my receipt. I was particularly pleased that the special instructions I had indicated with my order were followed to the letter! I travel frequently, and am always concerned with plants arriving in my absence. When I placed my order with PD, I was pleased to see that this company ASKED if special delivery instuctions needed to be followed. I've NEVER seen this on other sites I've ordered from. I requested a delivery date 2 weeks out, and further requested that delivery needed to be on a Mon, Tues, or Wed. My plants arrived on Wednesday, in perfect shape. I'm delighted with the care this company took to make sure their product arrived in such good shape. I will definately order from them again.

Negative KarenPhanco
(2 reviews)
On May 19, 2009, KarenPhanco Canton, GA wrote:

I also have ordered from PDN for a couple of years. Most of the time I have been happy with their plants. This year I was not as happy. Last year I had ordered 5 Cardoon plants and several miniature pitcher plants. None of the 5 cardoon came up this spring and one of the pitcher plants died. I was informed by PDN that my cardoons were not replaceable as I lived in Zone 7a rather than a 7b. I have always felt that zones were to be used as a general guide in planting. Many sites only list me as a 7. To add to that, my area did not have any temperatures as low as the 5-0 temperatures listed for Zone 7b, so my plants should have survived given this criteria. I was also informed that my pitcher plant would no doubt grow upon warmer temperatures. Excuse me, I've been a gardener long enough to recognize a DEAD plant. Even though their prices are relatively high, I have been willing to pay them if I felt their plants were healthy and out of the ordinary. Not anymore.


Company representative comment on May 27, 2009:
On May 27, 2009 11:06 AM, Plant Delights Nursery responded with:

To Karen and Garden Watchdog readers:

We understand how our policy can be puzzling given the extended guarantees that are prevalent in the green industry today. A customer can forget to water, plant in poor soil, neglect to provide winter protection to mention a few, and large garden centers/big box stores will replace or refund with no questions asked. Plants are our only source of income which is why we cannot compete with these long-term guarantees.

Previous to our grower's email reply to you, she reviewed our Cynara cardunculus historical crop data to see whether we had any evidence of plant loss that would coincide with your loss and nothing in our crop history indicated a pathogen that would contribute to your loss. I see that we did replace your Clematis addisonii under our extended dormancy guarantee.

We want to be fair, and in every case we want to replace or refund any plant loss that is our fault. We guarantee our quality, but we do not guarantee that everyone will be successful gardeners. We have killed our fair share due to improper drainage, too much sun, not enough sun, neighborhood dogs, insects, vermin, improper plants for our zone and a myriad of other reasons including quirks of mother nature that no one has control over.

The 5-day policy from a business standpoint also makes good sense if we hope to survive as a company. If a healthy plant is received by a customer and planted, most plants will survive a long list of abuses for a short period of time. Beyond 5 days, the plant is culturally out of our control and scope of responsibility. It is now subject to the care provided by another gardener.

Karen, I apologize for the lengthy rebuttal, but it is important to us that our horticultural friends around the circle understand our logic when questions arise about our limited guarantee policy. I do hope you find this information helpful. Here is a link to our guarantee policy on our website. Our guarantee policy is also attached to the Order Form in the center of each printed catalog.

http://www.plantdelights.com/Catalog/Current/order.html

If there is any service or promise we have not lived up to, please let us know so we can address that as well.

Sincerely,

Dianne Austin
Manager, Customer Service & Shipping
Plant Delights Nursery, Inc.

Positive kbedit
(15 reviews)
On May 18, 2009, kbedit Arvada, CO wrote:

Once again, a stellar experience. Beautiful specimens, terrific protective packaging, and on-time delivery. These are great people with great product selection and customer service.

Positive RachelLF
(3 reviews)
On May 05, 2009, RachelLF Rural Retreat, VA wrote:

The plant's I have ordered from PDN have arrived in very healthy condition and extremely well packed for mailing. Beautiful plant. I will be shopping here more.

Thank's

Rachel Falwell

Positive Nobody
(6 reviews)
On May 04, 2009, Nobody Frankfort, KY wrote:

I was somewhat concerned about ordering from this company because of negative reviews. I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the product and customer service. I talked to Virginia when I placed order. She was very professional and pleasant. She also called me when they shipped out my order.

Positive balberth
(18 reviews)
On May 02, 2009, balberth Sunnyvale, CA
(Zone 9a) wrote:

I have ordered from PDN at least once a year for something like the past ten years, and I know I can count on them to ship well grown plants safely. My last order arrived surprisingly quickly ( I often order in the winter outside of the shipping season, and therefore have to wait quite a while - this one was really quick ) - it included some very uncommon plants that were larger and more robust than I would have expected for something so difficult to find.

The only drawback is that PDN is often one of the more expensive sources for a given plant ... I might not use them for something that's common. But so much of their stuff is either exclusive or hard to find that I know I'll be ordering from them again soon.

Positive grammieagain
(1 review)
On April 30, 2009, grammieagain Clayton, NC wrote:

I post this positive review in defense of some of your negative customers! We all know people like that! I too, received a dead looking plant from this company. It's called DORMANT Better to ship that way. Now in late spring it is already 5 foot tall and one of my granddaughter's favorite plants. Named freckles "Polygonum cuspidatum 'Freckles' (Freckles Mexican Bamboo) slide #60264
Sauls Rd

Beautiful plant and Plantdelight's customer service rep called me on the phone to make sure after it broke dormancy that the plant was doing well and I was satisfied. Thanks Toni and Cindi. I have since spent several hundred $$ at this site and have been pleased with every purchase over the years. By the way, there is another open house tomorrow and I'll be there buying again, along with many other plant experts in the area. PDN has nothing but the best in horticulture available. As far as your murderous dead plant killer that left his hibiscus in the baking sun. Tell him to go to Walmart if he wants to purchase a plant in full bloom ready to die. Cause all of his plants will die anyway with his negative energy around them

Positive Cody_mi
(4 reviews)
On April 29, 2009, Cody_mi Hart, MI wrote:

i was very happy with the plants i recieved from plant delights. they're on the expensive end, but all plants were large and very healthy. all are growing well and most have doubled in size in a year.

Positive BCGe
(6 reviews)
On April 22, 2009, BCGe Frederick, MD wrote:

Large selection of hard to find material. Received nice healthy plants.

Positive blackdogga
(4 reviews)
On April 11, 2009, blackdogga Carrollton, GA wrote:

I am delighted. My plants arrived promptly on schedule, well packed, and have already put out new growth.

Positive theherbgardener
(5 reviews)
On March 12, 2009, theherbgardener Stone Mountain, GA wrote:

I've always been pleased with my purchases from Plant Delights, the plants are always healthy and of good size. I've been buying from them for the past 7 years, I was looking forward to receiving this year's order but unfortunately I lost my job. I was able to cancel my order without problem. I value good customer service so they've got a customer for life with me, I will order from them again.


On April 28th, 2009, theherbgardener added the following:

Plant Delights has been a favorite online nursery of mine to order from for years, every plant, including the ones I ordered this year, have arrived on time and in excellent health. Plant Delights is a bit expensive, and to order online requires a minimum amount (I think $35), but with such a huge selection of plants to choose from it\'s difficult to not spend $35.
Positive Laaz
(5 reviews)
On January 18, 2009, Laaz North Charleston, SC wrote:

PDN offers high quality plants. I have ordered 10 of their Agave and every one was of the highest quality. Very well packaged and delivered within a day of shipment. Great buying experience A+++

My only complaint is that Tony needs to start releasing more of his agave collection :)

Positive bismark
(1 review)
On January 16, 2009, bismark La Salle, IL wrote:

Having ordered from Plant Delights many times in the past. I'd to say that this is an excellent place to buy your plants from. When it comes to packaging , condition plants arrive in and customer service. Plant Delights and klems Song Sparrow are as good as it gets. When a company cares enough to respond to negative email posted here they likely will care about you and your order as well. Good job Plant Delights hope your place weathers the bad economy. Good nusreies are hard to find. Pat

Negative cowpea123
(7 reviews)
On January 15, 2009, cowpea123 Coushatta, LA wrote:

My friend ordered me a few plants as gift and when he gave them to me they were tiny!I asked him how much he paid for them and I was shocked.They were plugs stuck in 4" pots.I did some research and talked to some people and found out that PD buys agaves,hostas and other plants as tissue cultured plugs for 1.75-3.95 and sales them for 19.95 and up!From the plants I got it seems they don't keep them very long.They were alive and well but tiny.They cost 19.95 each plus shipping.I had to grow them all summer in pots before I could plant them out.I ordered the same plants from another nursery and got nice quart size plants for the same price.If you like tiny plants that are bought cheap and sold at a huge markup buy from PD.


On January 16th, 2009, cowpea123 added the following:

I do not have a problem with buying liners and plugs at wholesale prices and selling them at higher prices but at least grow them to a good size.I was wrong about the price of the plants they were 18.00 not 19.95 and they were alive and very healthy but so very tiny and you still see the shape of plug.
Company representative comment on January 16, 2009:

On Jan 16, 2009 8:57 AM, Plant Delights Nursery added:

Dear cowpea 123,

First I would like to express how sorry we are to learn of your disappointment with any plant received from us - especially a plant that was meant as a gift. However, we are a little confused regarding the price you state was paid for your plant. All of the plants we sell are priced even dollars, i.e. $12.00. One of two things could be the case here. Either your purchase was from another company or your friend gave you inaccurate information. Assuming for the moment that you did receive the plant from us, we would appreciate it if you would email us directly and let us know which plant we are discussing so we can look into this on our end. All mail order nurseries world-wide receive liner stock from wholesale companies as well as from tissue-culture facilities. It is not how the plant is propagated that matters, but how well the plant is rooted in and is it of the appropriate size to transplant into its permanant garden home. We guarantee that all of our plants will meet this standard, and if we have failed to live up to this promise, we ask that our customers notify us so we can correct our mistake.
Looking forward to your reply.

Sincerely,

Dianne Austin
Customer Service Manager
Plant Delights Nursery, Inc.

Positive amorecuore
(5 reviews)
On October 28, 2008, amorecuore Fort Lauderdale, FL wrote:

I have ordered from Plant Delights approximately 10 times in the past two years and have always received very good customer service and quick response to any inquiries. The plants received have always been healthy/top quality plants that have adapted to their new growing environment very easily and they never seem to go through any shipment stress. I highly recommend Plant Delights Nursery.

Positive secretgrwr
(1 review)
On September 05, 2008, secretgrwr Concord, CA wrote:

Just received another order from my FAVORITE nursery! Somehow the plants make it in great shape all the way to the west coast. I have placed many orders with Plant Delights over the last decade and have always been delighted! I am a 'plant junkie' to the max and order plants from all over the country (and further)...I really appreciate the fantastic selection (I drool all over the catalogues), the humor, enthusiasm, the personal touches by Tony, the owner and then of course, those wonderful plants that perform so well in my garden after a little rest out of their boxes. I would not hesitate to recommend Plant Delights, I think they're the greatest!

Negative celticflower
(1 review)
On September 03, 2008, celticflower Chickasha, OK wrote:

My advice is to order from any of the other quality companies. I order all my plants on line and I was tempted to order from PD due to selection of unusual plants.

I received dead plants, they didn't respond to my email since they didn't answer the phone before I went to work.
They have not answered the first email.

What I received was small dead plants in 4" deep pots for $15.00 each. these were not as described.

Customer service would not replace the plants because they blamed their agent for the condition of the plants. I am still waiting on a refund. We are in our second month.

They were slow to ship, no reply to email on delivery and no customer service. Just avoid and order from several companies that specialize in the unusual.

In the past I have ordered the unusual from Native Plants, Tx Natives, Callaways, High Country Gardens, Sun Shine Nursery etc..... Just avoid PD and save your self the money and misery. I wish I had read the reivews here before ordering because the neutrals and negatives would of saved me.


On September 8th, 2008, celticflower added the following:

First it took PD over two weeks to ship. I said that was fine but I need them to arrive before 12 noon or delay them because I had a trip scheduled.

I found them when I returned on Monday on our front step in full sun, THERE is a shade side of the porch or even next to the door would of keep them out of the sun. They were delivered on Friday after 12. The plants were cooked, roots and all. They had been in the sun for 3 days with 107 degree temp. PD had told the agent to leave them and not require signature. I never gave a release to the delivery company.

I called the company immediately and was told it was not there responsibility to replace the plants since they were delivered. You can check the weatherunderground and see that the whole south was under a heat wave. Secondly they knew that I was leaving at 12 noon. I wasn\'t going to waste my time on plants that were cooked and dead. I felt and still do feel that PD should of file a claim with Fed ex since they left plants in the sun and their box clear has warnings about heat and cold.

They were not going to replace them or refund them. I told them I am sending them back. Since they were dead and I was paying for the shipping I washed all the dirt off and cut the plants back to reduce the weight.) As far as time, I can not control shipping times and it didn\'t matter if I shipped them express or third class, they were dead.

Cindi won\'t not even talk to me and I was not unpolite. I was firm that I was not going to waste money on dead plants.
The plants I shipped are the plants that I sent, I sent the complete dead plant less the soil. It is so easy to send out little plants and when you have a complaint go find bigger plants to show how robust your plants are. My plants looked nothing like the plants in the photo. Not in height, color or stem size. I received mere plugs/ liners. For $15 each they should of being large healthy plants.

If there was one ounce of life in the stems or roots I would of planted them, but they were mushy. The photos also show
much nicer looking plants than what I received. Also there is no moisture in the photos on the right so the stems are a lot smaller since they are DEAD.

I only posted here because I want to warn other buyers to not waste their money with PD. I am not the only unsatisfied customer with PD, READ THEIR RATINGS esp the neutrals and negatives. They have a history of not responding, not sent out good plants and sending out small liners.

I just wish I have read the reviews before I had ordered.
42 of their 231 customers had neg/neutral comments that is almost 20% are unsatisfied.

My advice is order from the top 30 on watchdog.
PDelights. As a customer they should stand behind their product and when their agent (fed ex) leaves plants on a door step in the sun because they didn\'t listen to the customer that told them they had to be their by 12. If their were so unaware of the 12 departure why did they send it second day and why did they choose morning service by noon. IT is on the label.
On September 8th, 2008, celticflower added the following:

I was polite and not angry. I informed them of the condition and they said it was my fault they were delivered 30 minutes after we left and they were not going to replace or refund.

I said that sending out plants without regard to instructions. I had to contact them about a shipping address since the order had my PO because they changed shipping and I told them it had to be there by noon on Friday and they shipped it that way. I find that Fed Ex didn\'t fulfill they agency delivery since they didn\'t arrive by 12 as stated on the label. They also left the box out in the sun. I believe that it is Plant delights fault since they released the package and would not file a claim with Fed Ex.

The customer service person said they would not replace or refund. Only when I said that it is their choice but that I would let my friends know how I was treated and that their customer service was lacking. I was not abusive or firm. Cindi never talked to me and then said I would get a refund when I returned the plants. I asked if they were going to send a rma and they said no, it was my responsibility to return them.
I told them If that was the case I would reduce the weight and send back usps.

They have the plants back and and my money.
I am still out the $60+ dollars for three small dead plants.

I tried to work with them, but they were more concern with
keeping my money and not replacing nor refunding so now they blame me. I guess when they rip you off, you are suppose to smile and say thank you .


I would like to emphasize that I was polite. I found PD not willing to do anything to resolve the solution.. I regret that Plants delight chose not to refund or replace, what a great
way to build customer service especially when they have the
return.

As always, I am grateful that DGW offers customers the ability to warn others about companies like Plant Delights where almost 20% of their customers have reported disatisfaction either by placing neturals or negatives.

Plant Delights has had plenty of time to refund or replace.
I have been more than corporative, either send me live plants like you show in your photos or refund my money.
Is that so much to ask?
Company representative comment on September 08, 2008:

On Sep 8, 2008 11:46 AM, Plant Delights Nursery added:

To celticflowers and DGW forum readers:

As customer service manager, it is my responsibility to respond to customer concerns or complaints when brought to our attention by email, phone or via these forums. I will take this opportunity to share a few more details regarding celticflowers dissatisfaction with our policies and service.

Regrettably, our customer did not notify us of his out of town plans. Our website offers all customers the option to choose a “preferred ship week”. We do not accommodate preferred “ship days” unless the customer advises us of special shipping instructions in advance. Further, the paperwork inside of the box states the date of shipping as “EST. DATE” – meaning estimated day of shipping. At no time prior to shipping were we alerted to out of town plans. Unfortunately, we experienced a heat delay the week of 7/21 and no orders shipped until Wednesday (7/23). Once shipping resumed, we selected transit services for every order that ensures a delivery date no later than Friday. In celticflowers case, we shipped 2-day air service at our expense in order to facilitate a Friday delivery.

Celticflower contacted us after his return home and reported yellowing Hibiscus and loss of leaves. For those of you that are familiar with hardy hibiscus, everyone will agree that these are very tough plants and will re-flush easily after stress damage. celticflower was instructed to plant them but refused; stating it was a “joke” and he would not “waste his time”; took an abusive tone with our representative and threatened the reputation of the nursery. Because he was so adamant about not planting them, I agreed to allow him to return the plants to us in tact for refund with the intention to rehabilitate them on our end. He returned them 21 days later, out of their pots (which was unnecessary since he would not plant them), no ID tags, bare-rooted with no moist media to protect the roots. Unacceptable.

Due to the condition of the returned plant material celticflower was advised in writing that we would not refund for plants in the condition they were returned in. Further, we question whether the material returned were the same Hibiscus we sent. (See attached photos).

I would like to emphasize that a polite demeanor and spirit of cooperation goes a long way. We are always willing to do more than our share to meet our customer’s demands – we only ask for a little cooperation. We regret that celticflower chose a different way of handling his disappointment.

As always, we are grateful that DGW offers companies such as ours the right to defend our reputation by bringing the “rest of the story” to these public forums.

Sincerely,

Dianne Austin
Manager, Customer Service/Shipping
Plant Delights Nursery, Inc.

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Positive obbirds
(3 reviews)
On August 24, 2008, obbirds Olive Branch, MS wrote:

Ordered twice in the last few weeks and the plants where great. Shipping was also fast. Will do business with them again.

Positive bigred
(4 reviews)
On August 07, 2008, bigred Ashdown, AR
(Zone 8a) wrote:

I haven't ordered very often from PDN but have always received excellent plants...large,healthy and thriving.

Great place to find something a bit out of the ordinary.

Positive luvblueridgemtn
(8 reviews)
On June 02, 2008, luvblueridgemtn Martinsville, VA
(Zone 7a) wrote:

I ordered several plants and they all arrived in great shape. I like the choices of unusual plants. I will buy from them again.

Positive lindenhall
(3 reviews)
On May 23, 2008, lindenhall Centre Hall, PA wrote:

Ordered 2 Blue Mammoth hostas from PDN and very pleased w/the order. Personally spoke w/ Dianne Austin because I wanted to use a gift certificate & she was most helpful. The plants arrived in perfect condition & will be added to my collection of over 100 other hostas. PDN - Thanks for good products & good service.

Positive jerrytate
(7 reviews)
On May 17, 2008, jerrytate Lake Charles, LA wrote:

this bulb of mine i received should thrive here at the john galt arboretum. it is a. titanum.

Positive dannygates58
(13 reviews)
On May 11, 2008, dannygates58 Jefferson, NH wrote:

I place an order every year with Plant Delights and every year I am thrilled with my order. This year is no exception. Beautiful beautiful plants shipp exactly on time and packed very well. I wish more nurseries could achieve 1/2 of what Plant Delights does.
I had one problem this year with one plant. I e mailed the office and the the problem was resolved within 12 hours.
Exceptional company!!

Positive trucker4
(1 review)
On May 03, 2008, trucker4 Holly Springs, NC wrote:

VERY POSITIVE! I have ordered from them and visited their gardens during Open House. Their plants seem a bit pricey, but the size and quality is so far beyond what I have found other places, so I understand why. (If I wanted Wal-mart quality, I could get them cheaper.) Anybody who lives within driving distance of Raleigh should visit their gardens during Open House and plan to spend several hours. The gardens are an education as well as breath-takingly beautiful, and the staff were there to answer questions. After many experiences of ordering and receiving tiny half-dead plants from OTHER mail-order nurseries, I will order from PDN any time they have what I want.

Positive Miarka
(7 reviews)
On April 26, 2008, Miarka Ware Neck, VA
(Zone 7b) wrote:

Just bought 3 clumping bamboo to block my new neighbors in the McMansion! The one confusion I had was their website asked when you wanted shipment, so I said ASAP. I got an email suggesting that it was too early and that they would keep them safe in their climate controlled greenhouse. I guess they didn't like the idea of me putting them in the garage. Anyway, they seem happy and are leafing out well. Hope they put on about 6 feet in the next week though!

Positive DawninTx
(7 reviews)
On April 22, 2008, DawninTx Nevada, TX
(Zone 8a) wrote:

I finally placed my first order with Plant Delights Nursery. My order was received promptly, and was well packed and in excellent condition. I ordered a hard to find crinum, and was pleased not only with the size and obvious health of the plant I received, by was excited to see that it had an offset as well. Like receiving a bonus. Other bulbs I received also appear to be healthy. I was very pleased with the entire transaction.

Positive Hemhostaholic
(23 reviews)
On April 09, 2008, Hemhostaholic Scranton, PA
(Zone 5b) wrote:

In the words of Bart Simpson, Aye Caramba! This was my first time ordering with PDN, and I have no idea why I have NOT ordered with them before! The plants that I received were abundantly healthy, had HUGE root systems, and are some of the best packaged plants I have received so far this year!!! I ordered 2 Colocasias, and 2 Canna. The Colocasias were "new this year" plants, and I thought I would get small plants, do to the fact that this is their first year being offered, and COULD NOT have been more wrong...they are HUGE!!!
Customer satisfaction-OUTSTANDING!
Plant material-OUT OF THIS WORLD!
I will definitely need to be a repeat customer, I need to be...lol!

Positive txgreenie
(1 review)
On March 27, 2008, txgreenie Dallas, TX wrote:

Just received my shipment in the mail and even though this is my first time using a mail order nursery, the plants look good. I actually cancelled a shipment from another nursery due to the negative reviews. Plant Delight's customer service has been great from the beginning by helping me select the perennial verbena color I was looking for. The website photos looked different from the description so I called and asked about certain ones and what they looked like. The rep. even called the grower to confirm which ones were pastel colors that I wanted to avoid. I also ordered two pixie meadowbrite (shorter) echinacea which were smaller than I expected but I realize that this is the time when they are just starting to emerge so I will plant now and hope for big growth as the warmer weather comes. I would definitely order from them again.

Positive plantoid
(4 reviews)
On March 23, 2008, plantoid Castro Valley, CA
(Zone 9b) wrote:

I bought 2 blooming size Bartzella peonies from Plant Delights Nursery(PDN). The peonies were grown in 2-gallon pots and were shipped without soil and properly wrapped in moist newspaper wrap and sandwich wrap. The plants were healthy and arrived properly packaged. For $150 per plant they were not cheap, but they were the cheapest I could find anywhere for blooming size Bartzellas. One plant easily had 20+ eyes while the other had maybe 15 eyes. Compared to those immature 1-eye divisions at Wayside selling for $40 or those 3-5 eye divisions selling for $90 everywhere else, these mature blooming size Bartzellas from PDN were a real steal. I had a pleasant shopping experience with PDN.

Positive smdglb
(2 reviews)
On March 13, 2008, smdglb Starkville, MS
(Zone 7b) wrote:

My experience with Plant Delights has been *wonderful!* Their customer service is superb. In fact, I made an error in my email address when I ordered online, and sent an email to PDN to ask that they fix my typo. They rectified my error right away, and were gracious in their email response.

My plants arrived last week, and as always, they were a pleasure to see. I so appreciate their attention to heat zones in the catalog, and their healthy, true-to-name plants. Now, let me be clear- I'm commenting on their product and service, not the owner's sanity. There is something *cough* different about the owner. (He's not like us...he's different....*laughing* confused? ...just read the catalog entries!!! This fellow has a plant obsession, and there are no treatment programs available for a cure!))
*smile*

PDN has the right kind of crazy- they are crazy about plants, and it shows in the product they deliver. The hostas are HUGE, and my plants have actually GROWN in the few days since their delivery! *smile* I'm a lifelong customer of this nursery.

Thanks, PDN!!

Negative marieortiz
(24 reviews)
On March 13, 2008, marieortiz Tolleson, AZ
(Zone 9a) wrote:

I order a lot of plants on line and decided to place an order with PDN. I do not know if I would be placing a negative remark if my e-mails had been answered. I ordered some rain lilies and 2 of the 3 pots came with only one bulb. I was very disappointed when I received my order because of this. I know that a friend also ordered some and she received nice size clumps. If they had stated only one bulb for almost 15.00 I probably would not have ordered them.

I did order a couple of other plants that I would say were in good shape maybe a little small but nice and healthy.

I sent 2 e-mails to PDN and got no response over a weeks time. I then went and tried to e-mail the other address listed in a previous negative below and had it bounce back at me 4 times.


On March 15th, 2008, marieortiz added the following:

I have e-mailed the address given a 3rd time.
On March 24th, 2008, marieortiz added the following:

I received the answer listed below:

I’m sorry that you were disappointed in the quantity of our zephyranthes bulbs. Our zephyranthes from Fadjar Marta are very much in demand. We divided nearly all of those bulbs, resulting in one bulb per pot. ‘Krakatau’ and ‘Batik’ offset very quickly so you should have more bulbs by the end of the growing season. ‘Fantasy Island’ and ‘Moulin Rouge’ are a little slower.

I still feel that they should list on their website that you are purchasing only one bulb and if I do order again I will be sure to check with them first to make sure I am receiving what I am expecting.
Company representative comment on March 13, 2008:

On Mar 13, 2008 9:23 AM, Plant Delights Nursery added:

As customer service manager, I am writing in hopes that marieortiz will read our rebuttal to (her?) negative posting. First, I would like to respectfully address the topic of unanswered email. Since I am solely responsible for the disposition of all company email, I would like to clarify how our email is handled. We make every effort to answer all email received within 24 hours from the date of receipt (excluding weekends). On any given day during our busy season, we could easily receive 200 + spam-related emails. Those must be eliminated prior to responding to each individual customer correspondence. I am sure that I have, on occasion, inadvertently deleted a customer email while filtering through all of the junk mail. However, it would be highly unlikely the same customer email would meet the same fate twice. Could our spam filter block a legitimate email from the same customer more than once? I don't know, but perhaps one of our computer-savvy customers could answer such a question. Whatever may have happened in this particular case, all I am left to do is apologize and extend an invitation to marieortiz to try again. Perhaps the email address used to contact us was miss-spelled or sent to [e-mail:sales@plantdelights.com] The sales address is used for web confirmations only. The email address that we read and respond to is [email:office@plantdelights.com]

Kind regards,

Dianne Austin
Customer Service & Shipping Manager
Plant Delights Nursery, Inc.
(919) 772-4794 - Office
http://www.plantdelights.com

Positive Rajl
(4 reviews)
On February 14, 2008, Rajl East Providence, RI
(Zone 6b) wrote:

I have placed multiple orders from PDN over the past two years and have received strong, large and healthy plants which have flourished in my garden. They have rare and unusual but also many popular varieties, although PDN plants are healthier than many others and it is thus worth buying even some of the popular cultivars from them.

My e-mail inquiries, regarding the particulars of growing some plants that I was unfamiliar with, or about the prospects of a Texas-native Salvia surviving a Zone 6 winter, were answered quickly, one at about 8:30 at night -- demonstrating the work ethic and dedication of the PDN staff -- and in a detailed and friendly manner by professional research horticulturalists. The business office and customer service side of PDN is also a pleasure to deal with and has been very helpful.

This is a first rate, independently owned nursery where you get to deal with human beings who love plants and gardening and who even have a sense of humor. Great plants and staff, and a Tony Avent written catalog worthy of collecting. Highly recommended.

Positive MarthaMoye
(2 reviews)
On February 12, 2008, MarthaMoye Jacksonville, NC
(Zone 8a) wrote:

I've ordered from Plant Delights over the past 10 years. The plants grew well and were quite unusual. (If the plants started small, they ended up growing well.) One of the canna lillies even won a blue ribbon at the county fair!

If you live in NC, you may want to visit PDN when they have their open house. (I assume they still have it!) As for ordering and customer service, whenever I've called to ask questions about certain plants, they've always been helpful.

Positive Dollykat
(5 reviews)
On January 07, 2008, Dollykat Lucasville, OH wrote:

I have been happy with the plants I have ordered from PDN. I love every page of the catalogue. Many of their offerings won't do well in my zone, but I like to read about them, anyway.

Positive plantslayer
(17 reviews)
On January 01, 2008, plantslayer Raymond, ME wrote:

I learned of Plant Delights by reading a book written by the owner, Tony Avent. I have received 2 orders now and they greatly exceeded my expectations. On time, in full and fabulous. I could have used one of the hostas as a doorstop it was so big and I only paid a couple dollars more than I would have to get a 3 inch pot from alot of other companies. I could have divided it into 4 or 5 plants if I really wanted to.
They also propagate all of the plants they sell themselves. I have found this usually makes a huge difference in plant quality. Many well know companies buy flats of plugs from a grower, pot them up and then sell them shortly after with inferior root systems. If you have ever unpotted a plant and had all the dirt fall away leaving a small coil of roots in your hand, you know what I mean.
As for the sense of humor, I really appreciate it. The catalogs are not only informative but more entertaining than Letterman. My husband could give a whit about plants but he always reads Plant Delights catalog when it arrives. The website is a hoot too, with alot of great advise. I highly recommend the article on planting technique. It saved a couple of plants from other companies that had been struggling. I dug them up and replanted according to the advice, and they sprang to life.
Now if they could only open a Plant Delights North.

Positive sorcierre
(1 review)
On December 19, 2007, sorcierre Rochelle, IL wrote:

I have ordered from Plant Delights for a number of years. Their plants are always beautifully grown and arrive in very good condition. The people who package their plants do a great job at ensuring that the trip is as easy on them as possible.

I order plants from quite a few mail order companies and Plant Delights ranks at the top of my list for selection and quality.

Positive sacajawea
(13 reviews)
On October 13, 2007, sacajawea Keswick, VA wrote:

This place, in my opinion, is wonderful. I ordered hosta and asters in July. We are having a horrible drought in this area and I was hesitant, however, I decided to live dangerously. It is October and the asters are just blooming like crazy. To my shock, the hosta bloomed and is doing quite well. The packaging and shipping were superior.


On June 20th, 2009, sacajawea added the following:

My order arrived late May; one of the hibiscus was damaged in transit; the main stem was bent (not broken). I immediately called the company and was asked to cut the stem at the break, be a bit patient and all would be well. They were right! They even thanked me for calling the minute I saw the problem. Other items in the order were great (and doing well) and the packaging was superior.

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