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I ordered several plants from this company this year, chiefly because it was the only source I found for Dephinium 'Blue Delft'. The delphinium alas, had a broken stem and did not make it but Avant promptly sent a check to me when I emailed them and let them know. This is the kind of company I will shop from again, one that sends very nice plants and stands behind their product. Thanks again!
On Apr 15, 2005, 75751 Fort Mill, SC (Zone 7b) wrote:
My shopping with Avant gardens is a positive one. I
ordered several perennials and a few annuals. They
arrived very well packaged and healthy. The shipping
was rather high, but I would shop with them again beacuse
of the wonderful product and quick service.
On Nov 30, 2004, Missyinbama Louisville, KY (Zone 6b) wrote:
Wonderful plants - well sized and many are hard to find elsewhere. Shipping may be a bit high, but sale plants are a good value, especially since I like to collect hard to find plants.
On Nov 7, 2004, phylsjournal Fishkill, NY (Zone 5b) wrote:
The plants I ordered were quite large, well packed, and sent in a timely manner. I also received a surprise bonus plant that I was very happy with! I agree with what others have written about the postage. I too thought it was high. But, this is a first rate company, and I would not hesitate to order from them again.
Filled a four trey order of mixed annuals and perennials in early spring and a second in July 2004. Very satisfied to receive excellent seedlings virtually all of which did well.
On May 7, 2004, floraline Sleepy Hollow, NY (Zone 6a) wrote:
Wow! I received my first order from Avant Gardens and I'm thrilled. The plants are large and healthy, and they even included a bonus plant. I've paid higher shipping costs for much less quality products. Terrific!
On May 6, 2004, gumbydammit Ashland, MO (Zone 6a) wrote:
My one and only experience has been pretty good. All things ordered were delivered and well packaged so they were healthy. All seem to be doing very nicely. Shipping prices are rather high but healthy and unbeaten counts for a lot. Thanks guys (girls)!!!
The plants that I have ordered from Avant Gardens have always been healthy, well-packaged, and have perfomed beautifully in the garden. I have absolutely no problem with the company's products or performance.
Why, then only a "neutral" rating?
Shipping charges, shipping charges, shipping charges!
To ship to Michigan, it is $10.00 base PLUS $2.00 per plant. To purchase online requires a $30.00 minimum purchase (about 7 plants).... that would be $24.00 shipping charge__ one of the highest I've found, and almost doubling the cost of the plants!
With shipping charges that high, I will probably be buying from other online sources.
On Feb 23, 2004, Avant Gardens responded with:
"We've been questioned recently about our shipping charges and really would like to take a moment to address this. We do not build shipping into the cost of the plants, as many big nurseries do. Why not? We have many loyal customers who visit the nursery and pick up their plants, and feel it is unfair to hide shipping charges in the plant prices. Also we ship live plants, not bare roots. It is extremely important that we get plants to you healthy and safely. We do not propagate in large quantities and if a plant does not make it to your door safely in transit, we may not have another plant to replace it. We therefore use only a shipping service that guarantees the plants will get to your door in 2-3 days maximum. We are in Mass. and UPS Ground, which is the most economical service, is reliable for us only in the northeast states.
We try to cover our costs by the rates we've structured. Not only do we have to buy boxes and packing material, but we take extra time in packaging our plants for shipment. For a box of 10 plants it takes at least a half hour to package. This doen't include paperwork, or the time to select the healthiest, best plants. Most importantly, UPS rates go up constantly and we get surcharges on our bill whenever the gas prices go up.
Mail order is a service and if we want to continue to offer this service, we can't continue to lose money doing it. The nursery business is risky enough, and we want to be honest with our customers as to where the costs are coming from.
Katherine Tracey
Avant Gardens"
On Jul 4, 2003, Karenn Mount Prospect, IL (Zone 5a) wrote:
I have ordered the last two years from this company. Not only were all plants in fine condition (I ordered mostly specialty "tender perennial" type plants) I received a free "bonus" plant, which was wonderful. A specialty african daisy that I would never have ordered on my own, but certainly after seeing & trying would reorder!
I love this company; this is the second year I've ordered from them and I have been very happy with the plants I received. They sent me an Agave a. 'Marginata' this year (among others)that was so huge that my normally unimpressable gardener husband said'Wow! That's a nice plant!' They have a very, very interesting and (if I may call it such) 'chic' assortment. I do lots of container gardening, and they always have the latest and greatest tropical/tender and just plain weird. The catalog is also very handsome graphically, though photos are online only, and not for every item. You also have to order RIGHT AWAY for the choicest stuff; they have a nice online feature that allows you to check availability, so you don't waste time ordering something they're out of. Packing is excellent, they follow directions as to delivery dates, where to leave the box, etc., and the plants have been among the largest and healthiest I've received by mail. Prices are highish, but they're worth it.
I have ordered just once from this company, but I had a good experience and would order from them again. My plants arrived quickly, even sooner than they said they would. The plants were well-packed and a good size and arrived in fine condition. The company followed up with an e-mail after delivery asking if I was happy with the order.
several plants ordered were received barely alive, and they said "wait and see." Everything just made it through last year, but only one plant survived till this year.
On Apr 7, 2003, paulgrow Allen Park, MI (Zone 6a) wrote:
I received a gift cert. as a gift for this company. You have to use the US mail to submit the gift certificate. You can't use it via email or phone. Many of the offerings have no picture available. They have no phone number to speak to a live person. Everything has to be conducted through email or fax or snail mail. They make it very hard for the customer to do business with them.
On May 25th, 2003, paulgrow changed the rating from neutral to positive and added the following:
I have changed my comment from neutral to positive. I received the plants that I had ordered. Despite the difficulty in contacting them the plants that I received were in excellent condition. The shipping is a little on the pricy side but the packaging was excellent. I don't like to order from catalogs that don't have pictures but I would buy from this company again.
On Mar 15, 2003, Lizzytish Wareham, MA (Zone 7a) wrote:
I live about 1/2 hour from this nursery and have had the pleasure of going there often.
They specialize in the unusual plants and they do a great job of it, wether it be annual, pereniel or shrubs.
The service is great the knowledge is unending and the plants that I have purchased have been healthy and robust.
Carefully wrapped plants in good health sent at the appropriate time for my location. Just as described. Their catalog has plants not commonly available and the owners insites and preferences are included. Easy to use and informative. No photos in the catalog but they are on the website. They obviously like what they are doing.
Although I was disappointed that many of the items I really wanted were already sold out by the time I saw their website, at least I knew that upfront - the 'availability' function on this site is something all nurseries should have! I went ahead and ordered other stuff from them anyway, and was most impressed. They originally emailed me that they would ship the week of 5/20, but when we were (again!) having cold weather, they delayed another week, which worked out fine. These plants also were well packed, quite large and very fresh-looking. I will definitely order (early) from them next year.
I have ordered from Avant Gardens several times; always with good results. Great catalog! They have a strong interest in new varieties of all sorts, especially those that expand the hardiness zones beyond where we are used to growing them. One of my favorites.
